New Book Announcement – Shades of Green: A Journey into Irish Football

I can finally reveal that my third book, Shades of Green: A Journey Into Irish Football, is coming out on 10 March 2025 in paperback and eBook via Pitch Publishing and is available for pre-order now! It’s part-groundhop/part-history, covering the clubs across the Irish League (Northern Ireland) and the League of Ireland, the two national sides, the impact of Irish players and coaches abroad, and the history and growth of the women’s game.

Why Ireland?

I was inspired to write the book after a trip to Dublin to co-present a talk on football history with Gerry Farrell and a visit to Bohemians, where I caught the bug. Irish football has largely been ignored in book form outside of Ireland. Yet, Ireland has one of the oldest football (soccer) cultures in the world; there are some incredible historic grounds; there is a lot of politics, and a brilliant ultra scene – all the things that interest me.

I don’t have a direct connection with Ireland, so I went in without any loyalties to any particular club, county, or politics. I have sought out local experts to tell the story of clubs, players, and history, with my own groundhopping experiences thrown in. Much of the book has been read by local contacts who have been very generous with their time, so a lot of it has, in effect, been peer-reviewed by Irish football historians.

About the book

I initially thought Green is the Colour would be a great name for the book, until I quickly found out that the seminal history of Irish football (by Peter Byrne) is already called that, so had to think of something else. The idea for the cover was to look as much like a travel book as a football book, which designer Duncan Olner knocked out of the park.

This is how the chapters pan out, with some acknowledgements and thanks:

Introduction

The book opens with some background on how Association rules football emerged in Ireland and why it took off in Belfast and its surrounds before Dublin. We explore the context of the time in (then unified) Ireland in the late 19^th century and how soccer became viewed by some nationalists as the ‘garrison game’, in part because of its initial association with British regimental sides. We look at the legacy of the friction between imported British games like soccer and the Gaelic Athletic Association’s (GAA) defence of Irish sports.

We also look at the set-up of league and cup structures across Ireland and touch on a few of the positive things – and the challenges – that football faces, which we explore in further depth through the book. We hear from Kie Carew from Irish football magazine Póg Mo Goal and Eoin O’Brien from the Late Night Irish League Show to help set the scene.

1) Ulster

I’ve segmented the travel sections of the book into the four historical provinces of Ireland rather than by league. Partly to break the book up, but also because in the first and oldest footballing region, Ulster, there is an anomaly in Derry City, which is based geographically within the United Kingdom but plays south of the border in the League of Ireland due to the complex history of the region. 

The Ulster chapter is the longest. Partly because there is so much ground to cover. It features the epic Oval stadium, home of Glentoran; a visit to the Education and Heritage Centre at the National Football Stadium at Windsor Park; the Belfast Celtic Museum; George Best’s childhood home; Dundela’s charming Wilgar Park; and plenty of significant murals.

I took in matches at Cliftonville, Crusaders, and Glenavon in the Irish League, and Derry City in the League of Ireland. We learn all about the ‘father of Irish football’, John McCredy McAlery, and we hear about the rural side goalkeeper who came up with the idea of the penalty spot. 

I look at the dominance of Linfield – the world’s most successful domestic side – and the recent rise of Larne. I also cover the Mid-Ulster derby between Glenavon and Portadown and explore other stories from around Ulster, including the smallest conurbation in Europe to boast a top-flight football club and an interview with the majority Irish-speaking Donegal club, Dunlewey Celtic, which has one of the world’s greatest scenic backdrops. 

This chapter features interviews with a host of local experts, including journalist and author Colin Millar, historian Martin Moore, and Peter Cinnamond, host of the Kicking Match podcast.

2) Irish Football on the International Stage

This chapter focussed on the two men’s national sides. We look at the emergence of the Irish national side before the split of 1921 and reflect on the progress of both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland as they tag-teamed their heydays in the 1980s and 1990s.

This section features interviews with Gary Spain, who’s been following both the men’s and women’s Republic of Ireland sides since the 1970s to European Championships and World Cups, and Dublin MEP Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, who adds valuable context about what success on the pitch meant for Ireland at a time of significant change.

I also speak to Bilbao-based podcaster Beñat Gutiérrez about the significance of the Basque national side’s friendly match with a League of Ireland XI in 1979 at a very delicate time for both the Basque Country and Spain as the country emerged from decades of Francoist dictatorship into a fragile democracy.

3) Leinster

It’s off to Dublin next to explore the clubs and rivalries of the Irish capital. I speak to fans from each of the major four clubs – Bohemians, 2024 champions Shelbourne, Shamrock Rovers and St Patrick’s Athletic – to understand their identities and extremely creative ultra scene.

I also saw University College Dublin (UCD) twice on the road. They have a fascinating story, as does the short-lived Sporting Fingal, which only existed for the same time as the cycle between two World Cups, yet in that time secured promotion, won the FAI Cup, and tasted European football before folding.

Other clubs in this chapter include Dundalk and a focus on their ‘one-armed bandit’, Jimmy Hasty. I was fortunate enough to speak with Dundalk legend John Murphy, who played with Hasty back in the sixties. I also visited Drogheda United, which was a very welcoming club.

Interviewees include historian Dr Conor Curran, historian and podcaster Gerry Farrell (Bohs), journalist Macdara Ferris (Shamrock Rovers), fanzine editor Barry Crossan (Shelbourne), Pats fan, John Owens, and Philip O’Rourke (Sporting Fingal).

4) The Irish Overseas

Did you know an Irishman was in the first FA Cup-winning side? Did you know a Dubliner scored Real Madrid’s first competitive goal and became the club’s second-longest-serving manager? Do you know how many football clubs in Argentina are named after an Irish admiral?

This chapter looks at the impact of Irish players and coaches abroad. Some stories are becoming well-known – such as the man who saved Barça from Franco – and some less so. 

5) Munster

For a city of its size, Cork has struggled to keep a football club afloat. There have been more than ten iterations of a Cork club in just over a century. I major on the latest iteration, Cork City, and speak to Niamh O’Mahony, who was part of the FORAS fan group that saved the club in recent years. I made a visit to Turner’s Cross for what was the coldest match I have ever been to. 

I also visited Cobh Ramblers – famous for discovering Roy Keane and Stephen Ireland – and watched a match at Waterford with author Brian Kennedy. I also took a look at the League of Ireland’s two newest sides, Treaty United and Kerry FC, with insights from journalist David Byrne.

6) Women’s Football in Ireland

Both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland women’s sides have achieved reaching their first major tournaments in recent years. The game is on the up either side of the border, but many, many challenges remain.

In this chapter, I reflect on the long history of women’s football in Ireland, which stretches almost as far back as the men’s game. I speak to Steve Bolton, whose grandmother played against the formidable Belfast player Molly Seaton. We learn how the modern women’s game evolved with insights from researcher Helena Byrne. We hear again from Cork City fan Niamh O’Mahony and MEP Aodhán Ó Ríordáin about the challenges in the game and what needs to be addressed. 

7) Connacht

My final leg sees me take in matches on the West Coast at Galway United and Sligo Rovers. I look at a bizarre UEFA Cup tie in the 1980s that Galway United had to play in the sticks because its pitch was too small, and the GAA wouldn’t allow the club to use its ground. I hear from Galway United fan Julian Canny about the club’s recent recovery.

At Sligo, a ‘proper football town’, according to just about everyone I spoke to, I took in Rovers’ amazing Showgrounds and heard about the impact of Everton legend Dixie Dean on the club, plus the ‘jinx’ that led to a long wait for the club’s first FAI Cup.

8) Conclusion

To wrap up my book, I catch up with many of my contacts to look at the state of the men’s and women’s game in Ireland. Common themes around funding and facilities, politics and scheduling, and all-island competitions come up, but the future looks bright as attendances and interest soars. In fact, football was even a topic of discussion ahead of the recent elections in Ireland.

There are loads of other people I need to thank, who get a name check in the book. Once again, the book is called Shades of Green: A Journey Into Irish Football, and it’s out on 10 March 2025 in paperback and eBook via Pitch Publishing. You can pre-order it now!

If you run a podcast or work for media and would like me to come onto your show or interview me to discuss the book, please get in touch. Likewise, I am available for talks around the time of launch.