Your own favourite mental reaction to an Irish goal?

Watching the Carlsberg ad and seeing yer man going ape at the end and also the memories of Robbie's goal in 2002 v Germany, got me thinking...

What's the most mental you've ever gone after an Ireland goal?

Off the top of my head I think our goal against France in Paris was easily my most over-the-top reaction... jumped off my barstool and landed about 5 feet away at the back of the bar in The Lotts on Liffey St.

(I'm talking positive reactions, I've pretty terrible reactions from the Croatia, Italy and Austria equalisers, but we don't need more negativity)

Ray Houghton's goal against Italy in 94. Ran the length of the hallway and finished with a knee slide. I suffered with severe carpet burn for weeks...

Robbie's was definitely the most mental reaction I've witnessed. I was in the local and it was mobbed. I distinctly remember going through the permutations in my head that the one nil defeat had left us. I was clinging to the fact that Cameroon had only beaten the Saudis 1-0 and if you were to rely on anybody doing you a favour, it would be the Germans. It still felt like clutching at straws though, as we tend to do supporting Ireland when all of a sudden Quinn knocked it down to Keane and BOOOOOOOOOOM!!! Everybody went absolutely nuts, everybody was hugging and jumping around so wildly that beer wasn't just spilled, full pints were literally dropping to the ground. The place was just flooded in beer and with every step you could hear the crunching of broken glass.

The McAteer goal was great too but incomparable really, you just can't beat a goal in injury time with all hope lost.

McAteer Vs Holland, while living in Holland and suffering silently their arrogance in the lead up, they really never saw it coming. It was pre mobile phone blanket coverage so when I lost the lads I scampered back to the house and watched it alone. When we scored, it was surreal, I was all alone with this moment of pure perfection in a deserted street in the middle of Amsterdam and I ended up running through the house and into the back garden, shouting, I mean really shouting as loud as I could.

It was that moment, the realising I was the only one shouting, the only voice in a row of suddenly very silent back gardens and balconies, full of Dutch neighbours who had been so dismissive of our team in the lead up. Perfect, totally perfect.

Could never be pi$$ed off with McAteer after it, no matter how many ill informed, daft sound bite, interviews he gives.

The McAteer goal was class, in the local at home, well local at the time watching it with the soccer lads of the town, or just the alcos and soccer lads. Wouldnt have known any too well but going mental all the same, the barman always very cool but even he was going mental, thought he might give us a few free ones after but he didnt. Anyway the funniest moment for me was we jumped up we were on those small table stools, and we went mental but knocked all the stools over my mate was going mental then once the euphoria was over and adrenalin wearing off he was holding his shin and saying he hurt himself, he had gone shin first into the stool and sent it across the room, huge gash on his shin but didnt even noticed till about 10 mins after because of pure elation. Couldnt stop laughing later that night cos it was more sore, but at the time all we were thinking about was holding onto the lead.

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Originally Posted by paul_oshea

The McAteer goal was class, in the local at home, well local at the time watching it with the soccer lads of the town, or just the alcos and soccer lads. Wouldnt have known any too well but going mental all the same, the barman always very cool but even he was going mental, thought he might give us a few free ones after but he didnt. Anyway the funniest moment for me was we jumped up we were on those small table stools, and we went mental but knocked all the stools over my mate was going mental then once the euphoria was over and adrenalin wearing off he was holding his shin and saying he hurt himself, he had gone shin first into the stool and sent it across the room, huge gash on his shin but didnt even noticed till about 10 mins after because of pure elation. Couldnt stop laughing later that night cos it was more sore, but at the time all we were thinking about was holding onto the lead.

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McAteer goal was watched by a 17yo me in Chasers, Ballyfermot. I remember jumping and screaming but it's all vague tbh. I still can't believe I got the day off from work given that half my dept had gone to Slane for U2 and the Ireland game was on.

I think the cider I consumed might have erased my memory somewhat.

Typical England to go and beat the Germans 5-1 on the same day and take the gloss off the news coverage.

I was at the abandoned Ireland v England match in...95? When Ireland scored, I remember some complete stranger and myself with our arms over each other's shoulders, jumping up and down. When we were down, we were almost in darkness, and when we were up, we could see row upon row of raised arms, clenched fists, and pretty frenzied faces.

But the best was my uncle's reaction to Houghton v England in Euro88. I just remember him down on the ground, almost like a Muslim at prayer, repeatedly banging his head off the ground. Fairly violently too.


Edit: not an Irish goal, but still one I remember clearly. On the day Limerick played Cork and needed a win to get into the Top 6 of the disastrous split in the LOI Premier Division, I had to go to school instead. I was thumbing a lift home, and managed to get a lift from some middle-aged woman. She had the radio on in the car. At one point she parked for a second to make a phone call from a phone box, and left me alone in the car with the radio. The sports news came on, and I found out that Limerick had, incredibly, got the win they needed. I went a bit mad in the car, shouting and punching the air, until I noticed the woman looking at me fairly strangely from the phone box. I'd say she was wondering what kind of lunatic she had picked up by mistake.

Stapleton's equaliser in the 3-3 against Spain. The whole South Terrace went wild.

Houghton in Stuttgart.

Ibaraki.

Final whistle against Holland, but not the goal. That was just pure surprise, not least because I thought he skied it over for a fraction of a second.

I was in the middle of my GCSEs in 2002 but managed to sneak out of the house from my revision for the day and into town to catch the Germany game. I recall whole tables (glasses and chairs included) turning in the jam-packed Bound for Boston at the top of Waterloo Street in Derry after Robbie scored. It was bedlam. These NSFW scenes followed the game as an impromptu celebratory gathering blocked off the bottom of Shipquay Street in the city centre: http://dermot.zenfolio.com/p10687749...EA1A#h3b9bea1a

I had an actual 3-hour exam on whilst the Saudi Arabia game was being played. It was a terribly nervy exam; all of us in the examination hall had to rely on the beeping horns out on the Buncrana Road to know we'd qualified from the group. Once we knew we'd qualified, the nerves soon passed.

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Originally Posted by DannyInvincible

I was in the middle of my GCSEs in 2002 but managed to sneak out of the house from my revision for the day and into town to catch the Germany game. I recall whole tables (glasses and chairs included) turning in the jam-packed Bound for Boston at the top of Waterloo Street in Derry after Robbie scored. It was bedlam. These NSFW scenes followed the game as an impromptu celebratory gathering blocked off the bottom of Shipquay Street in the city centre: http://dermot.zenfolio.com/p10687749...EA1A#h3b9bea1a

I had an actual 3-hour exam on whilst the Saudi Arabia game was being played. It was a terribly nervy exam; all of us in the examination hall had to rely on the beeping horns out on the Buncrana Road to know we'd qualified from the group. Once we knew we'd qualified, the nerves soon passed.

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I didn't need to see you in such intimate attire, Danny.

Houghton against Engerland in 88 (showing my age here). No one in Ireland even gave us a hope and after Ray's goal, we spent the rest of the game hoping England wouldn't equalise. I loved the excuses after the tournament by the English including the exhaustion felt by the English players after a long season - which were quickly shot down by Brady I believe on the BBC. It was really the first time too that masses of people started to go to pubs to watch games and the atmosphere was electric. I really believe too that Irish people started to feel more self-confident about being Irish after this, and in terms of uniting a nation, I can't think of another event that matched this.

Houghton goal for me, never seen my dad leap out of his chair before!!

I think he was on his feet before me!!

Which is quite an achievement for someone of his weight!!!

Had an almost mental reaction watching this.

Tis class...

COYBIG

http://vimeo.com/97447101

not one of the usual shouts... matt holland goal v cameroon wc 2002. looked like our wc campaign was over as early as game 1 after a dreadful first half but hollands super strike is one of my favourate all time Irish goals. was right behind the goal and the fans went balistic

Yep, I was right behind the goal too. It started off a fraction outside the post I think but drew back in. Quality.

I think gastric is right about the importance of that win in Stuttgart. WC90 and Mary Robinson took things further. Sadly, it morphed from a well earned feeling of growing confidence into a grandiose sense of national smugness and entitlement which I'm not sure the recession has fully got rid of yet.

In a way Alan McLoughlin's was the most important of the lot. It was more relief than euphoria though I suppose but the consequences of that goal not being scored would have left a scar far greater than sacrificing any of the others. Can you imagine the scenes at the final whistle in Windsor Park had NI held on... doesn't bear thinking about!

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Originally Posted by Charlie Darwin

I didn't need to see you in such intimate attire, Danny.

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You can't see much to be fair... must've been colder than usual for June!

Participation in Brazil, Trap reinstated and Colm Murray reporting again, yet this almost feels real! Those Everton lads have a lot to answer for!

Ireland in Brazil 2014

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Originally Posted by DannyInvincible

I was in the middle of my GCSEs in 2002 but managed to sneak out of the house from my revision for the day and into town to catch the Germany game. I recall whole tables (glasses and chairs included) turning in the jam-packed Bound for Boston at the top of Waterloo Street in Derry after Robbie scored. It was bedlam. These NSFW scenes followed the game as an impromptu celebratory gathering blocked off the bottom of Shipquay Street in the city centre: http://dermot.zenfolio.com/p10687749...EA1A#h3b9bea1a

I had an actual 3-hour exam on whilst the Saudi Arabia game was being played. It was a terribly nervy exam; all of us in the examination hall had to rely on the beeping horns out on the Buncrana Road to know we'd qualified from the group. Once we knew we'd qualified, the nerves soon passed.

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Where was he standing to get that photo?! Stutts you never mentioned you lived in Derry?




i'm sure that buck is a bit embarrassed to be up on a website now 12 years later.

Was on first aid duty in Lansdowne for the Holland game; patrolling the stands (and watching the match obviously). Usual hugging of strangers when McAteer scored; I was in the East stand, and my hat was knocked off and fell off into the terracing below. Had I been in the upper stand instead, that could have been quite a tricky one to explain! As it was, I was just about able to reach down and have it handed back to me.