Irish fans and the Paris experience

**SuperDave** · 26/11/2009, 4:36 PM

I found the french to be across the board helpful and accommodating. I didn't meet a single rude or arrogant Frenchman at all. They were wonderfully magnanimous in victory and fully accepted that they robbed us of a place in South Africa. The only person on the whole trip who irritated me was the stadium announcer at the Stade de France. I really liked Paris and the pace of living (with the exception of the driving) seems much more relaxed than here (although maybe that was just because we were effectively tourists). It was certainly the best atmosphere at any away game (though it was only my third after San Marino and Wales) I've been to and the Irish fans and players were absolutely magnificent. The fans were much more vociferous than at home and certainly seemed to outsing the home fans (although obviously we couldn't here much of what the French fans were singing). As said before, the connection between the fans and the players is much stronger now than it was under Staunton as a result of improved performances and a clear team goal. I left Paris feeling more proud to be Irish than I ever have done before and while the bitterness is beginning to recede, the pride is not.

**harpskid** · 29/11/2009, 12:47 AM

Originally Posted by harpskid

http://www.facebook.com/chris.mcnult...&id=1056888159

Have my own pics of the trip up here. Have some videos which are YouTube-bound too in the very near future.

Have managed to get few more videos up tonight...

http://www.youtube.com/view_play_lis...F00CAB2A757AE6