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It is worth reflecting on the fact that Irish soccer hasn’t always been as successful as it is now, even during some dark periods. Back on November 13, 1985, when the Republic of Ireland lost 4-1 to Denmark in a World Cup qualifier at Lansdowne Road, seven of the team’s starting 11 players were playing for top English teams like Manchester United, Liverpool, Everton, and Arsenal, all of which were contenders for the First Division title. The team also included Liam Brady from Inter Milan. The margin of defeat and the size of the crowd reminded many of the bleak years from 1968 to 1971 when the team went 20 matches without a win and the loyal supporters started turning their backs on international games.
Despite the availability of talented players, the Irish team seemed to be going nowhere. The contrast with their neighbors, Northern Ireland, who had just qualified for two consecutive World Cups, was striking – the FAI team had failed to qualify for a major tournament in 19 attempts since 1934. Drastic action was needed. The appointment of Jack Charlton as manager was met with both support and skepticism. The team’s performances in the qualifiers for the 1988 European Championship in West Germany were decent, but not outstanding. However, in November 1987, Scotland’s victory over Bulgaria ensured that the Republic qualified for their first-ever international tournament.
When the draw was made for Euro ’88, Charlton’s team was pitted against England, with tough matches against the Soviet Union and Holland to follow. Some feared that they would struggle against such strong opponents, but still, thousands of supporters traveled to Germany. On June 12, 1988, when the Republic and England met in Stuttgart’s Neckarstadion, the Irish fans outnumbered the English in the 51,000 crowd and witnessed their team win a nerve-wracking game 1-0. This victory gave a tremendous boost to Irish football supporters, even attracting those who had little interest in the game before. The next two matches were eagerly watched across the country in homes, halls, pubs, and clubs.
Although the Republic’s hopes of making the semi-final were dashed by a defeat to Holland, the pride in the team’s achievement remained unshaken. The victory over England was celebrated as the most important in 60 years of international football. When the team returned home, approximately 250,000 people lined the streets of Dublin to applaud them, and the FAI president Fran Fields proudly declared that “the game in this country had, at last, come of age.”
Had Euro ’88 been a one-off success, it is likely that much of the team’s newfound support would have dissipated or shifted to other sports. However, it marked the beginning of the most successful period in the team’s history, as they went on to qualify for consecutive World Cups.
Italia ’90 is generally considered the peak of the Charlton era. After three draws, the team progressed to a second-round tie against Romania in Genoa. Public interest was at its peak by then. A tense game led to a nail-biting penalty shoot-out, with both teams scoring their first four kicks. When Packie Bonner saved the Romanians’ fifth penalty, David O’Leary calmly converted, propelling his team into the quarter-finals of the World Cup. Those few minutes are still remembered as some of the most dramatic in Irish sport.
Although the team would lose 1-0 to Italy in the quarter-final, pride once again overshadowed disappointment. Their return to Dublin prompted massive celebrations that surpassed those of 1988. Charlton and the players were overwhelmed by the warm welcome, realizing just how passionately the tournament had been followed in Ireland.
Charlton himself became a national hero. Mick Byrne, the team’s long-serving physiotherapist, even went as far as comparing Charlton’s influence to that of the trade unionist Jim Larkin. Byrne, whose father was a Dublin dock-worker, believed that Charlton had provided Irish soccer with the inspiring leadership that Larkin had given the Irish labor movement in the 1910s. The comparison is not entirely far-fetched – both Charlton and Larkin possessed commanding personalities, were unwilling to listen to others, dealt ruthlessly with dissidents, and inspired great loyalty and affection. They both revitalized the dispirited worlds they had entered and became deeply influential figures in Irish life.
The joy and celebration that followed the Republic’s performances were greatly needed in those times. Besides the shadow cast by the Troubles, the Republic was politically and socially divided. Bitter debates on abortion and divorce during the 1980s had solidified the dominance of conservative Catholic teachings. In terms of laws, norms, and attitudes, the society was more akin to the 1920s than the 2020s.
The economy was also struggling – a heavy national debt led to increased taxes, cuts in social services, and nearly 20% unemployment in 1987. Emigration reached levels not seen since the 1950s. People craved a boost, and the Irish soccer team delivered.
In the 1994 World Cup in the USA, the Republic avenged their 1990 defeat to Italy with a 1-0 win at Giants Stadium. However, this was the highlight of their tournament. In the second round, they were defeated 2-0 by Holland, and criticism grew about Charlton’s tactics, which seemed poorly suited for long tournaments in hot climates. The manager’s attritional style wore down his own players.
This marked the beginning of the end. After failing to qualify for the 1996 European Championships, Charlton resigned. He was well aware of the ruthless and fickle nature of professional sport and, wanting to maintain his good relationship with the Irish public, thought it best to step down. In hindsight, it was a wise decision. The team’s exploits from 1988-1994 are regarded as the golden age of Irish soccer.
In the years that followed, many looked back on those days as some of the happiest in their lives and eagerly embraced any opportunity to relive them. When Charlton passed away in July 2020, a quarter-century after managing the Republic, he was widely mourned in Ireland, especially given his struggles with dementia in his final years. Tributes were paid to a man who not only transformed the fortunes of the Irish football team but also helped to change the way people viewed themselves – replacing fear of failure and humiliation with confidence and pride.
James Quinn, the author of No Foreign Game: Association Football and the Making of Irish Identities, published by Merrion Press, captures the essence of this remarkable period in Irish soccer history.
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