We didn’t produce this two-part series but it was certainly fun and interesting being a contributor to the ‘Shadows of Saipan’ podcast that was recently released by Mediahuis Ireland and produced by sports journalist, Ciaran Lennon.
20 years ago I was starting out on my journalism career with my first job as producer of a new soon-to-be-launched sports radio show called Off the Ball.
After being on-air for just two months, the biggest story to in Irish sports journalism history hit and the floodgates opened on the Newstalk airwaves as the country became engulfed in its second civil war.
All people could talk about for weeks was whether you were a McCarthy or a Keane supporter, with families divided and the entire country divided into the two camps.
‘Shadows of Saipan’ revisits that time and takes listeners into the team hotel and that infamous meeting where things finally boiled over between manager and captain.
Well worth a listen and worth reminding ourselves of a time when the Ireland soccer team was once important on the world stage.
Listen on Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts from.
