Sub-standard geography: Bungling Sheffield Council workers apologise after flying the WELSH flag to mark St Patrick’s Day The red dragon emblem was spotted flying above the town hall on Sunday Sheffield Council added to confusion by congratulating the Wales rugby team A spokesperson said a 'basic error' was to blame and apologised for any offence By Jack Newman For Mailonline Published: 19:44 GMT, 18 March 2019 | Updated: 19:44 GMT, 18 March 2019 Viewcomments Bungling council workers who flew the Welsh flag on St Patrick's Day have been forced to apologise. The red dragon emblem was spotted above Sheffield Town Hall on Sunday instead of Ireland's green, white and orange tricolour flag. The city council then added to the confusion by issuing an initial statement of congratulations to the Welsh rugby union team following its Grand Slam in the Six Nations. The Welsh flag was seen flying above Sheffield Town Hall on Sunday in a mistaken tribute to St Patrick's Day The city council added to the confusion by issuing a statement of congratulations to the Welsh rugby union team following its Grand Slam in the Six Nations Wales beat Ireland 25-7 to life the trophy on Saturday at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff. A council spokesperson said a 'basic error' was to blame and apologised for any offence called. They said the issue would be raised with staff and the company responsible. Social media users reacted with humour at the mistake. Sheffield City Council has issued an apology and blamed 'basic error' for mistaking the flags People on social media have mocked the flag mix-up with one joking it was an 'easy mistake to make' One said: 'Easy mistake to make, they are almost identical after all....' Another added: 'I guess many of the councillors have not got to grips with the complexities of the United Kingdom.' Chrissy Meleady, of the Irish People's Forum in Sheffield, told the BBC: 'It's a little bit sad that they couldn't differentiate between the flags.' Read more: Share or comment on this article: All rights reserved for this news site dailymail and under his responsibility