Irish football club Drogheda United’s crest and its Ottoman Empire connection

Dublin: In the town of Drogheda, near Dublin, the local football club carries an emblem uncommon in Western Europe—a crescent and star with a little-known connection to the Ottoman Empire.

Drogheda United FC, which competes in Ireland’s First Division, may at first appear like any other small-town club. However, its badge is rooted in a remarkable and enduring 19th-century historical gesture—famine relief sent by the Ottoman Empire.

According to a report by Turkiye Today, this act of solidarity has left a lasting imprint on Irish collective memory and continues to shape symbolic Turkish-Irish relations to this day.

A famine and blockade

Between 1845 and 1852, Ireland was devastated by the Great Famine. While a potato blight destroyed staple crops, the deeper cause of widespread starvation lay in the structures of British colonial rule. Much of Ireland’s remaining food—grains, livestock, and dairy products—continued to be exported to England. With a population exceeding eight million at the onset of the famine, Ireland lost nearly half its people through death and emigration over the following decade.

The scale of the humanitarian crisis drew international attention. The Ottoman Empire, under Sultan Abdülmecid I, announced an aid package of £5,000 (approximately $6,839). British officials objected, noting that Queen Victoria herself had donated only £2,000. Under diplomatic pressure, the Ottoman contribution was officially reduced to £1,000, alongside separate shipments of food and seed.

While the financial aid passed through formal channels, the delivery of material assistance faced obstacles. The Ottoman navy dispatched three ships carrying relief supplies, but British authorities denied them permission to dock in Dublin. The ships were redirected and eventually anchored at the Port of Drogheda, where the cargo was discreetly unloaded at night under instructions to minimise publicity and obscure the donor’s identity.

The secrecy did not last. One of the ships was spotted during daylight by local residents, and the gesture was quietly recorded in local memory.

Soft power remembered, from Istanbul to Lausanne

The Ottoman famine relief had political repercussions decades later.

At the 1923 Lausanne Conference—where the terms of the modern Turkish state were negotiated following the Turkish War of Independence—Ireland emerged as the only European delegation to consistently support Turkish positions.

Irish delegate said: “We are obliged to do so. Every Irishman is. We do not forget the hand that was extended to us in our darkest hour.”

Football club

Drogheda United was founded in 1919, shortly after World War I and during Ireland’s struggle for independence. When the club adopted its crest, it deliberately incorporated the crescent and star, symbolically linking itself to the Ottoman relief effort of the 1840s. The emblem has remained unchanged for more than a century.

Presidential visits

In recent years, the historical connection between Ireland and Türkiye has resurfaced in diplomatic exchanges. During a visit to Ankara, former Irish President Mary McAleese referenced the story, remarking: “If you ever visit Drogheda, you might think the Turkish national team is playing on the field.”

Today, Ireland is widely regarded as one of Europe’s most vocal advocates for Palestinian rights amid the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.