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EXCLUSIVE COLUMN

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THE British honours list is a discriminatory disgrace - an absurdity.

I am sure that proud Irishman Rory Mellroy will get over his snub by Buckingham Palace and the British government, after being recommended for a Knighthood by the Northern Ireland assembly.

It was a memorable year for Mcllroy. He won a coveted Green Jacket after completing a career grand slam in golf's majors after winning The Masters, before helping Europe to retain the Ryder Cup on American soil at Bethpage Black in New York.

The success meant that the accolades just kept coming for Rory. He was named the RTE Sports Person of the Year and won the BBC's Sports Personality of the Year.

Why on earth, after so much success and appreciation, would he be bothered by a snub from an embarrassing, outdated awards system from a fallen empire?

Well he has said, how being knighted and becoming a ‘Sir’ would be an “absolutely massive honour”.

A big Manchester United fan, perhaps he should get in touch with a man who was a history maker at Manchester United's biggest rivals, Liverpool.

A man from Toxteth, it was a dream to play for his local club, in front of the mighty Kop.

Incredibly, when Howard Gayle signed as a professional in 1977, it was a Liverpool team without black players. He was the first.