They were the days!

[Octavia1]

 

1990...... I split from me first love..... Heartbroken I was...... She ran off wit a leszbian..... I never got over it....

Could have been married when it happened...count yourself lucky.

Did you hear about the blonde lesbian?
She kept having affairs with men.

[silverbullet]

That still didn’t answer my post? Were you not able to see “airside” from the bar on the 2nd floor inside the terminal, and also from the viewing gallery beside the food place??

Yes. but in 1990 there were 250,000 at the airport alone, 500,000 lining the route to College Green. Plus the security at the airport was slackened for the occasion.
Bent Haughey was Taoiseach. I watched Charlton looking at him wondering WTF does he know about Soccer!

[Rat Catcher]

Charlton couldn't believe his eyes. If he got the job managing his own country he woulda been sacked for such a poor result. Rumour has it that he was expecting to be greeted with a chorus of go on home British manager go on home, have you no fucking home of your own...

[Belker]

I was in the Olympic stadium in Rome the night Italy beat us and ended our Italia '90 dream.

Fer security reasons we were not immediately allowed out of the stadium, but kept penned in until all the I'ties had left, that didn't worry us, we were all in party mood anyways. First out on to the running track surrounding the pitch and walking up to us was our own Taoiseach Charlie Haughey waving a Tri-colour at us, he got a half-hearted mooted response. The next Two men to walk along the running track toward us were Jack Charlton and Maurice Setters, both carrying Tri-colours, we roared the stadium out (Ole, Ole, Ole !) fer what they had done fer us !

[Belker]

Match 1.

ROI Vs England. Cagliari/Sardinia, 22th June 1990.

The mobile ice-cream vendors in the stadium had twigged on to the fact that calling a Cornetto "Tony Cascarino" will sell a lot more ice-cream and so they did, walking within the aisles yelling "Tony Cascarino" at the top of their voice.
It was a nice relaxed atmosphere, security was tight, but we were well segregated from the british by the (mostly Teen-aged) Armed Carabinieri police.

Half-time came and we were a goal down, the ice-cream vendors were all over us, then there was a flash of lightening in the sky and the ice-cream vendors legged it fer the exits. Us the 'Irish' knew not a lot about flashes in the sky and stayed seated.
Then the rain came down upon us, torrential rain, the cute Irish fellas took off their tops and sat on them so as to have something dry to wear after the thundershower. Not to be down-heartened by the rain or by being a goal down, up went the chant from the Irish end; "Were singing in the rain, just singing in the rain, what a Glorious feeling, I'm Hap, Hap, Happy again !".

[Tony]

I'd say that was the last time you took a break from work Kenneth ya hungry cunt

[Belker]

I got another Six good years on the football trail supporting the Boys in Green all over the globe,
got married in '96 and that was the end of that !
Debaucherous mad 3 day piss-ups were soon replaced by family package holidays to Spain !

[Tony]

Ya got married in 96?

Fucks sakes that didn't last long

[Belker]

Poznan, Oct '91.

The Cork contigent made there way up to Dublin to meet our Doob friends, there was a lorra drink consumed before we got on the flight to Poznan and a lorra Tequila consumed on the plane. We arrived in great voice in to a corrugated iron cattle-shed that was the Poznan airport arrivals terminal. We were segregated and hearded in to Four groups of about Forty, I was in the Second group and all me mates were in the First group, the First group all had their passports checked, Etc and were sent off to the waiting coach.They saw me left behind and starting shouting over to me; "C'mon Cash, C'mon FFS !". With that I walked around a barrier and joined up with me mates, we hit the town hard that night, the hotel even put Strippers on fer us, back in '91 condems and Playboy were illegal in catholic Ireland, so the Strippers way back then went down very well indeed !

The next morning a knock at my hotel door, it was Ray Treacy (RIP) from Ray Treacy travel who were organising the trip.
Ray always called me 'Star' as he reckoned I only ever came out by night.
Ray sez to me; "Good morning 'Star', did you know that there was 167 passengers on the flight yesterday and 166 have entry visa's in to Poland, but you don't, C'mon get dressed the Irish consulate is waiting downstairs to see you".
'Bleary-eyed' I threw on a few clothes and followed Ray downstairs to a private meeting room, the Irish consulate greets me and tells me; "You don't have an entry visa, so without an entry visa you cannot get an exit visa", all that was followed by all kinds of ludicrous suggestions like taking an apartment in Poznan fer a few months while it was being sorted out, eventually the consulate said to me; "Look, just do what you did coming in again and we will talk more if that doesn't work".

[Tony]

Didn't know Ray Tracey was dead....



Who is was he?

[Belker]

The Poznan hotel had a casino, in Ireland in '91 we had no casino's, pissed as a coot I played 'Black' all night on the roulette wheel eventually somehow managing to win the equivalent of about £500 in Ir punts before the drink got the better of me.

Match day the next day was a disappointment as we were 3-1 up with 12 minutes to go, but eventually drew 3-3.

But we partied on regardless, I hit the roulette wheel again that night and again pissed as a coot I was up a good few quid and requested of the croupier that I play with the equivalent of £50 chips instead of £20's, she called over the 'Pit boss' who looked me up and down before agreeing her request. I got the Hump with him 'Judging me' and picked up me chips and left the table, I left Poznan with more money than I went there with.

Next day was time to go home time, all the Cork and Doob lads were readied-up to my situation and to be fair they played a Blinder at the airport, as soon as I got near passport control they all burst in to 'Ole, Ole, Ole !' and started pushing and jostling each other, I skipped through un-noticed.

[Belker]

Didn't know Ray Tracey was dead....

Who is was he?

Ray was an old Gent, a real nice man, he played fer ROI, one of only a few home Irish players that did so.
He was a Shamrock rovers man in his day and even managed them fer a short while afterwards.
The drunken Irish of the '90's were hard work, but Ray kept us all in line.

On the Second night in Poznan after leaving the roulette wheel I got pissed with the lads in the down-stairs Strip club of the hotel, I eventually made it upstairs to the hotel lobby before passing out on a lobby couch. Strangely enough I woke fully clothed in my own hotel bed the next morning.

The next day I meet Ray and he ask's; "Are ya alright 'Star' ?".
Thinking that me meant was I worried about the upcoming Passport control issue,
I told him; "I'm Grand".
"Good" he sez, "The last time I saw you Two Armed soldiers were Frog-marching you across the hotel lobby and putting you in to your bed !"

[Belker]

USA, May '92.

A Round-Robin 'US Cup' competition between us, the States, the I'ties and Portugal.
Ray Treacy travel organized the trip fer us.

Match 1, Washington D.C.
Mick 'Bite your legs' Mc Carthy starts us off with a goal but we go on to lose 3-1.
They serve beer in the stadium during the match ! WOW !!

Our supporters group was small, only about 20 strong and after the match we all went fer a wee,
the other 19 supporters left the toilet before me and went Left to the coach park.
I was last to leave the toilet and I went Right, getting lost within the JFK stadium.
With the help of the stadium attendants I eventually found the coach park,
but all the coaches were gone !

I walked out on to the street and hailed a passing Cab eventually arriving back at the hotel,
all the lads were supping in the bar and I made a Bee-line fer Ray Treacy saying to him;
"Ya Fookin left me in the middle of Washington Fookin D.C. on me own !".
He replied to me; "Star, your a big lad, I knew you'd find your way home !".
And to this day those few wise words have always stuck by me.

[Rat Catcher]

I was in the Olympic stadium in Rome the night Italy beat us and ended our Italia '90 dream.

Fer security reasons we were not immediately allowed out of the stadium, but kept penned in until all the I'ties had left, that didn't worry us, we were all in party mood anyways. First out on to the running track surrounding the pitch and walking up to us was our own Taoiseach Charlie Haughey waving a Tri-colour at us, he got a half-hearted mooted response. The next Two men to walk along the running track toward us were Jack Charlton and Maurice Setters, both carrying Tri-colours, we roared the stadium out (Ole, Ole, Ole !) fer what they had done fer us !

Yeah, I think I recall one of the lads who played for Ireland fanking "Teeshock 'Ockey" for 'is support... another went on to claim the team was 'undred percent ayerish in a thick regional English accent!

[The Liffey Lip]

The proverbial laughing stock of Europe, the thick Oirish.