Go Team! Declan and I Bring Luck to Home Football Squads

I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating: Declan loves football. You know, the kicky kind the world plays and not the tackle-y kind that Americans obsess about.

In addition to the diversion to Manchester to watch the England men’s national team crush North Macedonia, he found three Irish Premier League matches to attend during our 2023 trip, featuring the top teams. In every instance, the home side was victorious, although the outcome was very much in doubt for much of the last match between the Bohemians (Bohs) and Dundalk.

Like Major League Soccer, the Irish league plays more of a calendar year schedule, as opposed to the August through May schedule of the English Premier League. Interest in the sport is growing, with average attendance rates climbing 29% from pre-pandemic numbers.

Shamrock Rovers v Derry City

First up were the Shamrock Rovers, who play in Tallaght (pronounced “tal-a”) Stadium in south Dublin, a 45-minute tram ride from our lodgings. Declan and I were in the supporters’ stand behind a goal, and the atmosphere was frantic. There was no sitting in the stand, and one extra bloke joined our row, pushing me out into the aisle for the first half.

Apparently, shooting off flares in the stands was OK because the fire brigade was there in turnout gear and helmets to collect the smoldering fireworks in stainless steel buckets. The Rovers scored in the 20^th minute and hung on for the remainder of the match to beat Derry City 1-0 and go seven points clear at the top of the table. We only saw three stadiums on our visit, but Tallaght was a first-rate facility, with 5,800 in attendance on a Friday and a new stand being built opposite the supporters’ stand.

St. Patrick’s Athletic v University College Dublin (top photo)

St. Pat’s play at Richmond Park in Inchicore, along the same tram line to Tallaght but 15 minutes’ closer to Dublin city center. The stadium is cozy, nestled against a rowhouse of flats on one side, which adds character to the grounds. However, I’ve seen much better American football facilities at local high schools.

Marilynn accompanied us to this one, and we arrived early so we could enjoy a pint just outside the grounds, like the locals do. We thought we had front row seats, but for some reason the A row was at the top, and our assigned seats were not attached to each other or were mangled beyond use. In an adjacent section, two columns of seats were cordoned off for similar reasons. Thankfully, we found unoccupied seats.

The crowd was enthusiastic and had every reason to be because St. Pat’s pummeled UCD 7-0. Admittedly, UCD is a bunch of college students, but the football was still a joy to watch. Jake Mulraney, who played three seasons at Atlanta United, is a star at St. Pat’s, earning a penalty that led to the first goal, then providing the assist for another goal during the 60 minutes he played.

Bohemian F.C. v Dundalk

Although the Rover fans definitely were enthusiastic, I must tip my cap to Bohemian F.C., known familiarly as the Bohs. Dalymount Park is just off the main thoroughfare in Phibsborough, where Declan and I enjoyed a pint prior to the match.

The team is owned by the fans, who are very much into social justice. The flags at the end lines were rainbow flags during Pride Month. The scarf I bought for Declan has Jamaican trim, to honor Bob Marley’s last outdoor concert, in 1980 at Dalymount Park, 10 months before his untimely death. Upon entering the stadium, nearly a dozen people could be seen with small buckets for donations to various causes. The club has both a climate justice officer and a social responsibility manager.

To be honest, the grounds are sorely in need of an upgrade. You enter the stadium through a short corridor tunnel that branches to tunnels leading to either the grounds or the restrooms/bar. Those tunnels are tight and were packed with people — for a stadium that seats just shy of 5,000. A bloke we met at a chip shop after the game said plans had been made to demolish the grounds and rotate the pitch 90 degrees. This change couldn’t come too soon.

For much of the match, our home football winning streak looked perilous, as Dundalk took an early lead. While I didn’t have anything against the opposing teams in the other two matches, I hate anything named Dundalk after a bored cop took Marilynn off a bus at the border in 2017, an incident that’s still causing us immigration trouble upon entering the UK. The Irish apparently don’t give a toss.

Anyway, the Bohs squeaked out a 3-2 win, much to the crowd’s delight and keeping our perfect home team win record intact.

Bohs! always believe in your soul…

Finally, talk about ear worms: the main chant Bohs’ fans use is a rip-off of the 1983 Spandau Ballet hit, “Gold.” So, it’s “Bohs! / Always believe in your soul / You’ve got the power to know / You’re indestructible / Always believe in / Bohs!”

If you’re familiar with the song, I apologize for any aural injuries knowing this connection might cause. I hummed the damn song for three weeks, finally got past it, then finished this blog. “Bohs! Always believe in your soul” …