Leagues Apart

**CollegeTillIDie** · 20/04/2006, 6:34 AM

Originally Posted by Bald Student

Dermot Morgan was a regular too, must be something in the Craggy Island water.

Dermot was involved at UCD, organised a mascot in the early seasons- The Belfield Bird- for a while, and attended Belfield Park many times. He immortalised his visits to Belfield Park on stage in his routines joking that he went to matches there " to cure my fear of wide open spaces". Texaco I think issued a commemorative cassette tape of Dermot songs for the Italia 90 World Cup.
He did a cover version of the 1950's song " Deck of Cards". For those of you unfamiliar with Wink Martindale's opus,in the original a soldier, ostensibly a devout christian, is chastised by a fellow devout christian for having a deck of cards as it represented gambling. The first soldier illustrated how it represented the Bible to him. In Dermot's version, I recall some reference to the 10 of clubs, reminding him the day that 10 people turned up to a game at Belfield breaking the previous attendance record...

, in fairness at least he went reasonably often to Belfield and even attended a couple of times a season while he was living mostly in London , during the Fr.Ted era. He had been planning to send articles to us for the Programme, which he was going to call U.C.D. Supporters Club ( London Branch) Notes. He was planning to try to signup his celebrity friends over there to the U.C.D. cause, sadly he wanted to do that for the 1998/99 season but died before he got the chance to do so.

He also had a soft spot for Shamrock Rovers and in fact his sons and widow sponsored the match ball for a UCD v Shamrock Rovers tie in Belfield a couple of seasons after he died!

**pineapple stu** · 20/04/2006, 1:04 PM

Originally Posted by CollegeTillIDie

Well Rory O'Hanlon may have been born in Dundalk but by the time Ardal would have come along it is doubtful that he would have been born there.

Ardal's brother was born in Dundalk a year or two before him because there wasn't any choice. I slagged him about it when I saw it written on his passport. I assume the same is the story with Ardal himself.

SERIES SUMMARY FOLLOWS!!!
SERIES SUMMARY FOLLOWS!!!
SERIES SUMMARY FOLLOWS!!!
SERIES SUMMARY FOLLOWS!!!

Ignore/read/move as you feel fit.

Apparently it's an interesting show. He takes in Roma v Lazio, Fenerbache v Galatasaray, Real v Barca, Ajax v Feyernoord, Olympiakos v Panathanaikos and one other the brother can't remember. The Greek one is on tonight, including an encounter with Rivaldo, I think. The fans overall are by and large a bunch of complete lunatics, basically, and the Italian game features a bit of violence too. Ardal's a big football fan in general, so Risteard's idea of going to RT� chancing his arm to get paid to watch football is pretty much spot on! The series doesn't feature England, Scotland or Ireland deliberately - primarily because they're well-known about in Ireland, but also to avoid getting into bigotry in Scotland.

**geysir** · 20/04/2006, 2:30 PM

Originally Posted by CollegeTillIDie

Well Rory O'Hanlon may have been born in Dundalk but by the time Ardal would have come along it is doubtful that he would have been born there.
Two examples... Steve Staunton , born in the late 1960's was born in DROGHEDA and former UCD and Dundalk player Ciaran Kavanagh was born, 1972, in NEWRY.. reason.....? No maternity facilities in Dundalk hospital at the time!

40 years and more ago
Carrick has/had a nursing home for births, my village had a nursing home where I was born. Monaghan town had facilities.
Neccessity, meant maybe Ardal's mom needed more facilities
Choice, meant Father was a medic who preferred more facilities/preferred a certain midwife.
Location, is that Carrick is as close to Dundalk as Monaghan town.

**soccerc** · 20/04/2006, 3:25 PM

Originally Posted by pineapple stu

Apparently it's an interesting show. He takes in Roma v Lazio and the Italian game features a bit of violence too.

Bet that will be blamed on Rovers fans

*

*The producers should credit supporters of a few eL clubs who helped them out in making contact with fans groups at some of the clubs featured

**WeAreRovers** · 20/04/2006, 4:44 PM

Originally Posted by soccerc

Bet that will be blamed on Rovers fans

*

*The producers should credit supporters of a few eL clubs who helped them out in making contact with fans groups at some of the clubs featured

Careful now.

Seriously though, without the help of a few of our lads, the Rome programme would have been an embarrassment. But as Bohs like to say, Rovers links are all made-up and spurious. Then again they might just be bitter..........

KOH

**Schumi** · 20/04/2006, 5:05 PM

Originally Posted by WeAreRovers

Seriously though, without the help of a few of our lads, the Rome programme would have been an embarrassment.

Hope it wasn't Lazio you were in contact with, the Herald might be reading.

**superfrank** · 20/04/2006, 10:53 PM

Was it any good? I missed it.

**el punter** · 20/04/2006, 11:10 PM

more a travelogue than anything else, doesn't really scratch the surface of the games...was pretty much all from the Olympiakos view point aswell

I'm sure Ardal can't believe his luck to land such a gig

**razor** · 21/04/2006, 7:50 AM

Not a bad show. More of a travelogue indeed but interesting enough.
He got unreal access in the stadium on the day of the game, when I saw him coming out the tunnel an hour before KO, not bad.
Ajax - Feyenoord next week.

**WeAreRovers** · 21/04/2006, 12:25 PM

Originally Posted by razor

He got unreal access in the stadium on the day of the game, when I saw him coming out the tunnel an hour before KO, not bad.

An hour before KO? That's exactly when he should have been out on the streets soaking up the pre-match, erm, atmosphere. I thought that was the point. At the end he said something like "the fans will be on the streets till 4.00am but I'm off home" Bizarre.

KOH

**pineapple stu** · 21/04/2006, 12:28 PM

In fairness, there were a lot of fans in the ground an hour before kick-off too.

**pete** · 21/04/2006, 12:37 PM

OK programme but didn't fit in with the description. More a tourist guide to Athens & Greek football than the derby itself.

I also thought anyone could have done that show as Ardal O'Hanlon didn't make himself part of the show at all.

**razor** · 21/04/2006, 1:14 PM

Originally Posted by WeAreRovers

An hour before KO? That's exactly when he should have been out on the streets soaking up the pre-match, erm, atmosphere. I thought that was the point.

Think he said the fans had been in the ground 3 or 4 hours before KO so the streets outside may have been quietish.

**WeAreRovers** · 21/04/2006, 1:45 PM

Originally Posted by razor

Think he said the fans had been in the ground 3 or 4 hours before KO so the streets outside may have been quietish.

Anyone who's been to a big European derby will know that the curvas tend to fill up from about 3 hours before KO but outside the ground is mental for a good 6 hours before KO and it goes on right up until KO.

Either way, Dougal was nowhere near the real action, before or after.

KOH

**NeilMcD** · 21/04/2006, 1:47 PM

I cant believe people are having a pop at Bono for not going to a league of Ireland game. As far as I know he does not even like football all that much. To people on here purely judge people on the basis of home many league of Ireland games they go to. There are tossers that go to LOI games and there are tossers that dont. The same as there are nice people who go and nice people that dont.

**el punter** · 21/04/2006, 3:49 PM

Originally Posted by NeilMcD

I cant believe people are having a pop at Bono for not going to a league of Ireland game. As far as I know he does not even like football all that much. To people on here purely judge people on the basis of home many league of Ireland games they go to. There are tossers that go to LOI games and there are tossers that dont. The same as there are nice people who go and nice people that dont.

Yep 100% agree....pure madness to have a go at Bono for not beating the drum for the eircom league.

I'm sure his heart is torn between getting the third world debt dropped and swelling the attendance at Dalymount.

**klein4** · 21/04/2006, 3:57 PM

Originally Posted by el punter

I'm sure his heart is torn between getting the third world debt dropped and swelling the attendance at Dalymount.

**WeAreRovers** · 21/04/2006, 4:08 PM

Originally Posted by el punter

I'm sure his heart is torn between getting the third world debt dropped and swelling the attendance at Dalymount.

Are they not the same thing?

KOH

**pete** · 21/04/2006, 5:56 PM

Originally Posted by WeAreRovers

Are they not the same thing?

Thats more Tolka Park surely..?

**superfrank** · 22/04/2006, 10:09 PM

Originally Posted by NeilMcD

I cant believe people are having a pop at Bono for not going to a league of Ireland game. As far as I know he does not even like football all that much. To people on here purely judge people on the basis of home many league of Ireland games they go to. There are tossers that go to LOI games and there are tossers that dont. The same as there are nice people who go and nice people that dont.

I was just saying that it's unfair to criticise Ardal O'Hanlon for being a Leeds fan but still going to el matches. Bono was the first "big" Irish name that popped into my head.