Aviva Stadium,
Friendly, March 25 2016
It was a short flight across the Irish Sea to Dublin for the first of two games in two days on the island. I've always followed the Boys In Green due to some Irish ancestry on my dad's side of the family, so I was actually fairly excited to see them live.
What I wasn't aware of was the fact that one or two of my plans were to go right out of the window. While not a big drinker, I still like a visit to a pub. But this was Ireland, and this was Good Friday, where bars and restaurants can't actually serve you. Even though churches offer you free wine every Sunday. But there are exemptions, and one notable one is sports venues, so the Aviva Stadium had my back on that one. As did Ryanair, even though their flight attendant asked if I wanted ice with my Heineken. I managed not to laugh.
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| The view from the back of the South Stand ten minutes before kick-off |
The Aviva is a great stadium too. Going through an underpass to get to my end of the ground, the large stand at one end, the tunnel is decorated with commentary lines from Irish football and rugby union's most famous moments, and a predictable line about Roy Keane going in with a big tackle. The atmosphere was fairly good, especially compared with the England friendlies I have been to. Not difficult though, I suppose.
Anyway, as for the match, it was pretty poor. Ciaran Clark scored a header in the second minute in what proved to be the only goal of the game. Switzerland pressed and pressured the hosts, but that was about it. Kevin Doyle picked up a nasty looking gash, and that was the sum total of what happened.
It was however a hugely significant weekend to be in the country. 2016 marks a century since the Easter Rising, which was a pivotal event in the eventual establishment of an independent Republic of Ireland. This was marked before the match with a reading of part of the original proclamation and guests from the Irish forces.
I also had a bit of spare time on Saturday morning, so I went down to O'Connell Street and saw the General Post Office, which was the base of the Irish rebels during the Rising. Access was fairly difficult though, as preparations were being made for official events taking place on Easter Sunday.
Crusaders 2-0 Dungannon Swifts,
Seaview,
Irish Premiership, March 26 2016
The following day I travelled north of the border to tick off Northern Ireland. My choice of game was table-topping Crusaders at home to Dungannon Swifts in the semi-professional domestic top flight. Crues would go five points clear with a victory and take another step in defending their title.
First, was the walk from Belfast city centre to the ground. This proved a reminder of Northern Ireland's schizophrenic identity as I went up Shore Road. I walked through a neighbourhood full of Irish flags and the odd mural, then crossed a junction where the kerbs were painted red, white and blue. On the walk back a giant sign told me this was 'LOYALIST TIGER'S BAY' with the red hand of Ulster to boot. Fair enough.
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| Seaview, with no view of the sea |
Anyway, I paid my £10 on the door after finding an Asda with a cash machine and got in a fairly tidy Seaview. I'm not sure what the attendance was, but gathering from the number of fans wearing merchandise from English Premier League clubs (and also a Rangers and a Wolfsburg jacket) the international break may have brought about a few extra fans on the gate.
The weather was absolutely awful. Despite being in a small, but covered stand, I was drenched twice, then at half time was almost blown away by a gale and a very brief hailstorm. All the day before we were meant to put our clocks forward for summer.
The football was dominated by Crues. They had several chances to win it in the first half but couldn't break the deadlock. There was some frustration as the afternoon went on, but eventually man of the match Paul Heatley managed to score a brace, the second being a decent curling effort
to send the Crues fans home happy.
Belfast is a decent city though, and that night I watched England's win in Germany in a great pub called Lavery's. It has an off licence and a pool room which becomes a club night on Saturdays. And the beer isn't too pricey either.
