Donal Fallon

Issue 5: Gentleman John, Ireland’s First Superstar

Plucked from the streets of Dublin, Jackie Carey became a hero in both his homeland and Britain leading Manchester United to FA Cup and First Division wins, on the way to being named Footballer of the Year.

Football is the Last Sacred Ritual of our Time

The quote “Football is the last sacred ritual of our time” from the great Italian film director, Pier Pasolini, pops up all the time in football books. A lot has been written on Pasolini’s love for football in Italian but almost nothing in English.

From the Dick, Kerr’s Ladies to Suffragettes FC

The history of the women’s game on the island of Ireland is comparatively short, though it has had its moments of controversy, and brilliance, not least in the form of a young Inchicore player who became an Italian sensation, writes Donal Fallon.

1913 – The Riot in Ringsend

In the latest of our guest posts, Donal Fallon of the superb Come Here to Me website recounts an episode in the 1913 Lockout involving a football match between Bohemians and Shelbourne in Ringsend. Why did Jim Larkin’s paper denounce two players publicly as ‘scabs’ and call on workers not to attend the game unless to picket it?