Line of Duty's Martin Compston denies singing along to IRA chant

By Neil Wilkes, Editor-in-chief | 17 June 2022

Line of Duty star Martin Compston emphatically denies claims that he was involved in chanting along to lyrics about the IRA.

Line of Duty actor Martin Compston has emphatically denied singing any lyrics relating to the IRA while on a night out.

In footage circulated on social media, the 38-year-old is seen partying in his Celtic T-shirt in Las Vegas, where he lives, as members of the crowd chant 'I-R-A' to the Hoops' fan-favourite song 'Beautiful Sunday'.

Compston, who films Line of Duty in Northern Ireland, subsequently received torrents of abuse on Twitter while he slept, and when he woke up he issued an angry statement.

"Not best pleased to wake up to a story 8 hours ahead of me before I've had the right to reply," he wrote.

"Let me be absolutely clear, I unequivocally did not sing ANY sectarian songs. I've worked in Belfast too long to see damage done to think this stuff is a laugh.

"If people want to change the lyrics to a song that's sung at Celtic Park, weddings, Still Game, wherever that's up to them I'm not the lyric police.

"If it was an IRA song and I was on stage bobbing along I would understand the story but I'm pretty sure Daniel Boone had nothing more than Beautiful Sundays in mind when he wrote the song and that's what I was singing."

The incident took place at a party during the North American Federation of Celtic Supporters Clubs conference in Vegas.

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