O’Neill becomes first nationalist First Minister to attend Windsor Park game

By Gráinne Ní Aodha and Rebecca Black, PA

Michelle O’Neill has become the first nationalist First Minister to attend a football match at Windsor Park.

The Sinn Féin vice president stood for God Save The King at the south Belfast venue before Northern Ireland women’s football team took on Montenegro.

Ms O’Neill arrived at the stadium with DUP deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly, who were greeted by IFA president Conrad Kirkwood and its chief executive Patrick Nelson.

DUP communities minister Gordon Lyons, the GAA’s new president Jarlath Burns, Stormont junior ministers Aisling O’Reilly from Sinn Féin and the DUP’s Pam Cameron were also in attendance at the stadium on Tuesday.

“It’s great to be here this evening,” Ms O’Neill told reporters ahead of the Uefa Women’s Nations League play-off.

“We were just saying today – both myself and Emma and Pam and Aisling – the women are here to support the women.

“It’s going to be a great night, looking forward to the game, we’ve all brought our layers to be wrapped up.

“I think it’s important, particularly for women in sport, that we all get behind them and actually support them. So I think tonight is going to be a fabulous night and I’m really pleased to be here.”

Ms Little-Pengelly said: “I think that we’re all really, really supportive of our women in Northern Ireland football so it’s really good that we’re all here this evening to support them.

“We hope they do really well but they’ve been fantastic ambassadors for Northern Ireland, I know that they’ll continue to be so.”

Windsor Park has been more traditionally associated with the unionist community in the region and in the past the Northern Ireland football authorities faced problems around incidents of sectarianism at international games.

Ms O’Neill has repeatedly vowed to be a “First Minister for all” and to represent all communities in the region.

The late Martin McGuinness attended a Northern Ireland match in France in 2016 during the European Championships tournament when he was deputy First Minister.

In 2011, then-Stormont sports minister Caral Ni Chuilin became the first senior Sinn Féin politician to attend a Northern Ireland game at Windsor Park.