Back to reality. As Euro 2012 builds to a climax, the last camper-van has long since pulled out of Poland but the Irish have left a lasting impression. The whole world saw the pictures from Gdansk and the word repeated again and again from fans around the globe was 'respect.' How shameful then, that Irish supporters should encounter such a lack of it at home.

Back to reality. As Euro 2012 builds to a climax, the last camper-van has long since pulled out of Poland but the Irish have left a lasting impression. The whole world saw the pictures from Gdansk and the word repeated again and again from fans around the globe was ‘respect.’ How shameful then, that Irish supporters should encounter such a lack of it at home.

I’ve seen the term ‘eejitry’ bandied about. The Irish Times called fans, ‘Fields of Athenry merchants.’ Charming. Our national morale has sunk very low. Perhaps desperately, we looked to Trapattoni’s Ireland to lift us. For the days immediately before the Euros, our football team did its damnedest. The first days in Poznan ahead of the opening game with Croatia were pure and unadulterated fun as the sense of pride at our return to the big stage was palpable.

Sure there were plenty of gobshites clad in green who would be more than embarrassed by their behaviour but the reception we received from the Polish people was simply phenomenal. You only have to read the messages online, particularly from the locals of Poznan. The Irish stole their hearts. The outpouring of affection was quite astonishing and continues long after the departure of the Irish. Everywhere you went in Poland there were locals dressed in green and, most especially, little children.

When the Green Army rolled back into Poznan for the final group game with Italy, they were greeted with a special reception from local volunteers who gathered in the old town square to sing Irish songs and express their gratitude to the Irish fans.

A Facebook page set up to encourage the Irish and Polish football bodies to arrange a friendly in Poznan next year has close to 15,000 fans. One Irishman living in Poznan remarked that the majority of the positive feedback was coming from Polish women who described their Irish male counterparts as ‘gentlemen.’ Hardly the ‘eejitry’ labelled at them from home.

Leaving the stadium in Gdansk after the Spain game, we were inundated with handshakes and comments from the Spanish saying what phenomenal support the Irish had offered. Countless football fans around the world have described the ten minutes of the Fields of Athenry as an abiding memory of the tournament. Dozens have remarked they teared up, while Irish fans who’ve followed the team for decades described the emotional impact it had on them

How sad then to see some dismiss it all. Some politicians, even a GAA columnist, and of course, Roy Keane, have all taken a pop. The controversial Corkman has repeatedly stated that those offended by his comments were ‘missing the point.’ Yet it’s the ITV pundit who has consistently failed to grasp the meaning. Ever since Saipan he has bemoaned the Irish attitude that the result doesn’t matter. We were there for the sing-song. Whether he means it or not, his comments are hugely insulting.

It was noticeable how Keane constantly referred to Ireland throughout the tournament as ‘they.’ It’s remarkable how so many former admirers have turned against him now. How patronising to say Irish fans are settling for mediocrity. Newsflash: The Irish team were mediocre. It’s fashionable now for some to have a go thinking they are taking the moral high-ground. There is no high-ground when you occupy the sewer of cynicism.

No one was more disappointed with the performances of the Irish players than the 30,000 fans at all three games. No one. Every minute of the trip was about building towards the next game. Yes, we spent hard-earned money to be there and we were going to enjoy it. Yet, the matches meant everything. But more than that; Euro 2012 was not just about the return of the Irish team to a major finals. It was about the return of the Irish fans.

We were not ‘cheering our heroes’ to the end. Truth be told, we were disgusted and more than a little embarrassed with the display of some of the players. Yet, teams need support more than anything when they are facing adversity. There were plenty of periods when the Irish were silent during the games only to rouse themselves again.

The now famous rendition of the Fields of Athenry was not about having a sing-song at 4-0 down to Spain. It’s one of the most depressing of all Irish songs. It was as much a lament as a reminder that the Irish fans were back at football’s top table and, if not on the pitch, they were going to make their voices heard off it.

Thankfully, the rest of the football world has nothing but good things to say about the Irish support. While we will pick the bones from the tournament and see how the team can address their horrendous showing, Irish fans were neither ashamed of them nor of their own behaviour in Poland.
Sadly, there’s plenty of shame for some of the begrudgers at home.