The scene is Dublin Airport early on a Sunday morning.
The departure lounge of Ireland’s capital is awash with a mix of weary-eyed revellers who have taken in a weekend before St Patrick’s Day, those on usual travels for holiday and business, and eager football supporters heading for the UK.
Down at Gate 111 before the flight to Manchester at 8.45am, you can spot those who have dates at Premier League football grounds later that day. Their jerseys, hats, scarves or the odd crest-emblazoned coat give them away.
Given the flight’s destination, the majority of football fans waiting to board are heading for Old Trafford for United’s clash with Aston Villa, but there are a few Liverpool supporters scattered around the seats ahead of the Ryanair departure with their team to play Tottenham Hotspur later in the afternoon at Anfield.
Plenty of United fans will have flown to Liverpool, Birmingham and Leeds before turning to trains or choosing to take the journey by ferry to Holyhead earlier in the morning or a day earlier in a bid to find the cheapest route across the Irish Sea. Thousands do it every other week. The pilgrimage from Ireland to Old Trafford.
“It all started with the late nineteenth century signing of a pacey County Antrim forward,” wrote Keith Falkiner in his book Green Devils: The Irish and Manchester United.
“The year was 1893, and the name Manchester United hadn’t even come into football reckoning.
“The club’s signing of Linfield forward John Peden was the beginning of something that would prove much more significant in the history of Manchester United Football Club (who were called Newton Heath at the time). It fostered an early connection between Ireland and the Manchester club that is now unbreakable.”
Irish football fans have always had affinities with clubs across the British Isles. United, Liverpool and Celtic have the largest contingents of fans from the Emerald Isle, but Leeds United is another strongly supported club, with Arsenal, Aston Villa, Chelsea and Everton among others well supported, but the list is not exhaustive.
“My uncle actually played for United, so it is in my family’s blood. Matt Busby was once in my granny’s house when she was younger, so that was the story which got me into United,” says Martin Smith, who was travelling with his son George.
“For us, it was the Irish players as well. When we were growing up, there were the likes of Paul McGrath, Roy Keane, Denis Irwin, John O’Shea and that,” adds Gary Lennon, who is on the journey with his son Oisin.
“It is our first day going over together, it’s a special moment, we’ve never done it,” says Ronan Killeen, who is travelling with his son, Christopher. “I’ve been over a few times before, but it was a long time ago; this is a new journey for me.”
Paul McGrath is one of the great Irish players to play for United (Bob Martin/Allsport/Getty Images)
Before we reach the gate, a group of supporters are supping an early drink in one of the airport bars.
“Sure, what else would you be doing with your weekends?” says one, who is a regular traveller over.
There are many reasons why so many Irish have fallen for United. As Falkiner writes in his book, the connection was fostered by Irish players for many years.
In 1914, United had an Irish captain in Dublin-born Patrick O’Connell, while Johnny Carey lifted the FA Cup in 1948 before a league title in 1952. Noel Cantwell also lifted the cup in 1963.
Liam Whelan died in the Munich Air Disaster, while Harry Gregg and Jackie Blanchflower survived. Shay Brennan and Tony Dunne won the European Cup in 1968, along with Belfast’s George Best, of course.
There was Norman Whiteside, Sammy McIlroy, Johnny Giles, Frank Stapleton, Kevin Moran and McGrath among the many more who have hailed from the island of Ireland and donned the United shirt.
Roy Keane, Denis Irwin, John O’Shea, Liam Miller and Darron Gibson played for the club during its most glorious era under Sir Alex Ferguson, while Johnny Evans is the last from either the north or south of Ireland to feature for the club’s first team. Evans is now part of the first-team coaching staff.
But it is more than just about the players.
The proximity to England and the availability of Premier League action make it hard for young boys and girls not to get hooked on the game in the UK. It’s also something passed down by parents. Emigration to England also played a part.
“A huge number of Irish people would have emigrated to England, arrived in the port of Liverpool, and then they would have gone and worked in Liverpool, Manchester and Birmingham, etc., and they just latched on to a team,” says Colm Higgins, a long-serving treasurer of the Dublin supporters’ club.
“And then for whatever reason, it just seemed to be the people in Manchester started supporting Manchester United, and the best players then started playing for Manchester United, and all the top Irish players.”
United supporters at a pre-season game in Dublin (David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile via Getty Images)
It is obviously not just a United thing; other clubs are widely supported, but according to data compiled by Mancunian Matters, 1,616 of Old Trafford’s 46,800 season tickets are registered to addresses in the Republic of Ireland. That is 3.5 per cent and it is the highest proportion outside of the UK, with Norway next with 837 season ticket holders.
But it is not only home games, of course. Every game is an away day when you live in a different country, but there is a strong contingent who travel over for matches, no matter where they are.
That brings us to November earlier this season, and we are in the Cross Keys pub in Nottingham with a group of Irish supporters. They come from as far as Clare on the west coast to Dublin on the east, but they’re drinking pints together before United’s clash at the City Ground with Forest.
“I came over with my uncle when I was a kid,” says Adam Coughlan. “It was my fifth birthday present. I was addicted from then, really.” Coughlan can count on one hand the number of games, home and away, he has missed in recent years. It comes at a huge cost, but it is what he loves to do.
“I try to do every game,” he adds. “You have to revolve your life around it, and everything else comes second.”
Dermot Campbell not only has to work out how to get over the Irish Sea while dealing with work and family commitments, but he is also a prominent Gaelic Footballer at county level, featuring regularly for Louth.
“Any week I’m free to go to a game in Manchester, away I go,” says Campbell, who is a member of the Louth supporters’ club branch. “It’s just an addiction.
“To me, Denis Irwin and Roy Keane are two of the most influential players in Irish history. That had an effect on me as well as my brother and cousin wearing United jerseys as a kid.”
A Keane flag for sale outside Old Trafford (Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images)
The era of success which helped reel in Campbell has obviously changed but it doesn’t matter. “There’s been times it has been tough in recent years,” he adds. “Sat in Terminal 3 at Manchester Airport on a Sunday, soaking wet, cold and knowing you’re facing work on a Monday morning, flight might be delayed, chatting about managers being sacked — but no matter how bad they are we always go back.”
“It’s beyond football results; it is a lifestyle choice,” said John McCabe, who first fell for United watching them play Southampton in the 1976 FA Cup final despite it ending in defeat.
“I went to 42 games last year. I try to go to every game, unless it is the wife’s birthday. I get away with that sometimes, too. I want to go to every game. You don’t lose the enthusiasm.”
Some found United through a certain player. For Noel Kelly, that was Bryan Robson.
“It was Shoot Magazine,” he said. “I’m in my 40s, it was after ’85, one of my mates in school had Shoot magazine and it was Bryan Robson on the cover.
“It was Roy of the Rovers type of stuff, he was the single man carrying the team. A lot of my other friends were supporting Liverpool because they were winning everything at the time.
“This is embarrassing, but in 1988, Ireland were playing England (in group stages of Euro 88) and Robson was playing, he was the captain of England.
“I didn’t understand nationalities and my parents lived in England, but I was nearly crying when England lost. I was pure Bryan Robson.”
Campbell, a champion with Louth, travels to watch United (Ben McShane/Sportsfile via Getty Images)
Back in Ireland, League of Ireland attendances have never been better; some juggle both their love of local football and United.
“I’m a member and season-ticket holder with (Shamrock) Rovers as well,” said David Behan. “There are ones that only follow League of Ireland, there’s ones that only follow Celtic, there’s ones that only follow an English team, and there’s ones that do a mixture of all.”
The Irish contingent is well and truly part of the community of United’s support. Beds are made available in Manchester homes when hotel rooms are hard to come by and tickets are sourced for friends and family travelling over.
“We’ve made some great friends,” added Behan. “The English fans are so accommodating to us, not a bad thing to say.
“You know how Irish are welcomed to Manchester, of course. They all want to tell me about their mam from Mayo and their dad from Galway. I love hearing those stories.”
When Benjamin Sesko added the third on Sunday against Villa, those who travelled over got rewarded with a win for their journey. But it is about more than that. For many, it is a way of life.