A Confederate flag flying outside a home on - of all days - the national holiday honoring Martin Luther King Jr. turned a few heads yesterday.

A Confederate flag flying outside a home on - of all days - the national holiday honoring Martin Luther King Jr. turned a few heads yesterday.

It turns out the flag at 5 Old Wood Road had nothing to do with the Civil War, slavery, racism or Martin Luther King. Instead, it's a show of support for an Irish soccer team.

A woman who answered the phone there late yesterday said the flag is used by supporters of the Cork Gaelic Athletic Association, whose nickname is the Rebels. She also said the flag won't come down.

"It wasn't meant to offend," said the woman, who declined to give her name. "It stays up all the time."

A neighbor said the home belongs to Paul White.

That neighbor said White often hangs flags at the residence, including the American, English and Scottish flags.

Some associate the battle flag of the Confederacy with slavery, and debates have been waged in various states and towns about its appropriateness.

"I am curious why on a day like today he would choose that flag," the neighbor said. "But I'm not going to get all bent out of shape about it."

The neighbor described the Whites as "really nice people."

(Scott O'Connell can be reached at 508-626-4449 or soconnel@cnc.com.)