Lidl forced to apologise for Laois GAA billboard referencing the Queen

The billboard, for the Ladies Gaelic Football Association, is located opposite SS Peter & Paul's Parish Church in the town.

It pictures Laois LGFA player Jane Moore and reads “Queen’s County Royal” and “Laois keep coming back for Moore.”

In a statement to the Leinster Express who broke the story, Lidl promised to remove the advertisement.

“During the creative process for this campaign Lidl were given two options per county from our design agency,” they said.

“It seems that for Laois this option was incorrectly sent to print, the actual one chosen by Lidl should say ‘Coming back for Moore’.”

“We are removing and replacing the creative it immediately and apologise for any offence it may have caused.”

Laois Sinn Féin councillor Caroline Dwane Stanley criticised the billboard, telling Laois Live: “Given the long struggle for independence and the suffering that was bought on County Laois people by Centuries of British occupation, its disappointing that the former colonial terms would be used to describe our county.”

Queens County was the name given to Laois by Mary I during her time as ruler of Ireland and the UK.

The county was named such from 1556 until 1922.

Under her rule, the Queendom began to colonise counties beyond the Pale.

During such time, native clans such as the O’Moores were murdered or displaced from their land by the English.