In a tradition dating back more than 300 years, towering pyres have been lit every July in Northern Ireland to mark the Battle of the Boyne, which effectively cemented Protestant rule.
They’re held in loyalist neighborhoods – communities that strongly support the union with the United Kingdom – and often carry a political message, with effigies of the pope, the Republic of Ireland’s flag and other symbols of Catholicism and Irish nationalism being burned in the past.
But this year, in the village of Moygashel, County Tyrone, the flames found a new target.
A replica mosque, with a figure holding what appeared to be an ISIS flag and banners on the tower reading “Secure our borders” and “End the threat of radical Islam,” was burned on Thursday night
Sinn Féin Senator Conor Murphy says it's deeply disappointing that these controversies continue to arise year after year and believes they need to be addressed.
Senator Murphy joined us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us some more about this.