They were the pioneers. After decades of heartache, the Republic of Ireland appeared at a major football finals for the first time in 1988. Twenty-four years on, we’re back, but many of Jack’s original Boys in Green can still be seen on our TV screens as pundits. Póg Mo Goal takes an offside look back and asks; the heroes of Euro ’88, where are they now?
“I remember Dennis Wise saying; ‘One England cap is worth 50 Ireland caps.’ All I’d say was; ‘It’s more than 20 years since you’ve beaten us”. In Part 2 of our interview with two of the stars of Jack’s Charlton’s history-making Irish squads, Tony Cascarino tells Póg Mo Goal that scoring against England was a highlight of his career.
When Ireland line out in Poznan on June 10th, it will be 24 years since our first appearance at the European Championships. Packie Bonner and Tony Cascarino were among the pioneers in those first breakthrough moments for the Republic. Speaking to Póg Mo Goal, they cast their minds back to those heady days before wondering, like the rest of us, what lays in store this summer. Part 1 features Packie Bonner.