False Narratives

False Narratives

Kevin Brannigan explores if the reality of the 1990s jars with our memories

A Different Shade of Green – The Alan McLoughlin Story

Gary Mackay’s goal for Scotland sent Ireland to Euro ’88. A facile win in Malta secured passage to our first ever World Cup in 1990. Play-offs, where the job was virtually done in the first leg, earned us the right to compete on a global stage in 2002 and 2012.

The World Cup in America was different though. Irish footballing lore is peppered with iconic goals that stay at the forefront of every Republic fan’s memory. Whelan against USSR, McAteer against the Netherlands, Keane versus the Germans, even O’Shea in Gelsenkirchen. And another of those standout strikes came in Belfast in 1993. For the hero of that hour, his toughest fight was yet to come. His newly released autobiography has already been nominated for the Irish Sports Book of the Year.

Reliving Giants Stadium

The 1994 World Cup in America was the first for Luke Constable of the brilliantly named RGSOAS (Ruud Gullit Sitting on a Shed). His native England hadn’t qualified but thanks to his Irish grandfather, Luke was rooting for the Republic. Having missed the full game with Italy, the myth around the match had grown. Houghton’s goal and McGrath’s performance became legendary as the years went on. Luke has never seen the game in its entirety…until now.

Rooney for Ireland: Kai’s the Limit

We missed out on getting Wayne to declare for Ireland but we could be on to a winner with his son Kai Rooney. Wayne’s wife Colleen, who also boasts Irish ancestry, posted a picture of the little fella in an Irish kit on Twitter to wish a Happy St. Patrick’s Day.

USA ’94