Davy Keogh says hello - SCOPE magazine

James Sheridan reminisces with Ireland’s most famous fan.

Davy Keogh says hello

Italia ’90, no event in Ireland’s sporting history has had such a profound effect on the people of the country. The performance of the Irish team in that World Cup managed to bring the entire nation together in celebration for an unforgettable three weeks twenty years ago this June.

There was an innocence to it that could never be repeated. The “pizza cake” Pennys t shirts, the world cup coin collection, the inflatable bananas, all must have accessories that summer. Work was effectively cancelled when Ireland were playing and Bill, Eamon and Gilesie took over the running of the country from the comfort of their RTE studio.

Davy Keogh, perhaps Irish soccer’s most well known fan, has told the story of Irelands World Cup odyssey thousands of times but you get the feeling he never tires of talking about it.

He arrived in Italy armed with clothes, money and his “Davy Keogh says hello” tricolour. The flag, which has been seen all over Europe since 1979, made its first appearance of the World Cup in an unlikely place at Irelands opening match in Sicily.

“We were frogmarched down to the ground and when we got in we were in the England end. There were 200 coppers around the 40 of us. I was talking to this fella from Coventry and next thing the BBC cameras were focussed on us so I said to him to grab the flag. So he was standing there holding a tricolour with Davy Keogh says hello on it. We made the news that night, which gave us all a good laugh seeing the flag slap bang in the middle of the England end.”

The Egypt match, six days later in Palermo on the island of Sardinia, was the low point of the journey for Ireland as they drew nil all in a dire game. Back in the studio Eamon Dunphy was making the headlines. Criticising Jack Charlton at the time was an offence punishable by death, or at the very least prison time.
Although what Eamon said got slightly lost in translation, word spread that had he announced that he was ashamed to be Irish. To say Eamon became the most disliked man in Ireland at the time would be an understatement.

The controversy continued when Eamon arrived in Italy. At a press conference before the Dutch game Charlton insisted Dunphy be ejected from the room. According to Davy, “We didn’t know anything about Eamon Dunphy throwing his head on RTE but we got the brief when Jack Charlton’s wife came back from the team hotel. She said Jack was in one terrible humour and she had never seen him so bad she had to leave there. We heard the press lashed him out of it after the game.”

“It was great, Jack’s wife was staying in our hotel and we would all gather round her for news about the players. It was like her own press conference every day.”

Six days later and the action returned to the pitch as Ireland played Holland in their final match knowing a win or draw would be enough to qualify for the last sixteen. With twenty minutes left and the score at one all Mick McCarthy and Ruud Gullit stopped for a chat in the middle of the pitch. “It was obvious by the look of them, the rest of the game was going to be little more than a kick around. The draw meant we would both qualify.”

So Genoa was the next port of call for Jacks army and a quarter final clash with Romania. There was bedlam in the hotels as people tried to sort out getting off the island and up to Genoa. Stories began to filter back about how fans begged, borrowed, sold and even re-mortgaged so they could stay in Italy.

Davy and many others had to return home to work so they got to see just how much the World Cup had taken over at home.

“I watched the Romania match in the Aungier house. I was a bit disappointed I hadn’t gone to Genoa but it was the first time I’d seen how much the Irish public in general was into Ireland and the World Cup. The whole of Dublin seemed to be on the streets and it was mental.”

The celebrations after Irelands penalty shootout win were something never seen in Ireland before. “I got up on the back of a van going up Camden Street and came back down in the boot of a car. Every car seemed to have an open boot full of football fans.”

On O’Connell Street the old Anna Livia monument became a crowded public pool. Back in the studio Bill had donned a novelty green hat and declared to the nation that Alf and Home and Away were being deferred and they would be staying on the air until ten. This was too big to turn off.

It was not just the scenes on the pitch that inspired people it was what was happening off it as well. Booker prize winning writer Roddy Doyle described his feelings after Dave O’Leary scored the winning penalty; “I cried. It wasn't the winning; it was the sight of the squad charging towards David O'Leary; it was David O'Leary standing waiting for them; it was Packie Bonner with his hand covering his eyes, almost afraid to smile; it was the sight of the Irish crowd in Genoa; it was the crowd here in the pub; it was being Irish.”
The Irish fans and players brought this new found sense of pride to Rome for the quarter finals and a clash with the hosts.

Davy was not missing this one and so it was into 747 Travel to organise getting back out to Italy.
“When we arrived in Rome we were dropped off at the Coliseum and then we headed to the Vatican. There were two pubs beside the Vatican but there was a drink ban 24 hours before every game. The police turned a blind eye to us. I don’t think other countries got away with it but we did.”

Although Toto Scillachi broke Irish hearts in Rome, the supporters left with their heads held high. The dream was over and the thousands had to go home but they had left a legacy as to how fans should behave away from home. Davy joined an estimated 250,000 people who took to the streets one last time.
Just to say thanks.

sheridan_jim@hotmail.com