Crossword Genius

Loyalist Irishman could go berserk (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

patriot

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'loyalist' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

'irishman could go berserk' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'irishman' could be 'pat' (Patrick is a common Irish name) and 'pat' is present in the answer.
The remaining letters 'riot' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't see.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for patriot that I've seen before include "Devotee of their country" , "No traitor" , "A lover of fatherland" , "Chauvinist" , "One who loves his or her country" .)

I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.
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