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The British Empire and the popularity of Football

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    #62
    purplepanda
    Registered Users Posts: 1,051 ✭✭✭purplepanda


    My mistake it was Sheffield Utd instead of Wednesday :D


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    #63
    losthorizon
    Registered Users Posts: 4,565 ✭✭✭losthorizon


    I did Geography and Archaeology in College many years ago but my dissertation was on the spread of Soccer in Ireland. TBH Ive forgotten most of it and I dont have a copy of it any more. I actually think its wrong to think that the British Empire was the factor behind the spread of Football in Ireland.

    The oldest senior club interestingly enough on the island of Ireland is Cliftonville founded way back in 1879. Of mixed religions then but now in a nationalist area I think. In NI its just their links with Scotland that introduced the games there. It was teams coming over and playing exhibition games.

    Interestingly enough, Eamonn de Valera despite the ban used to go to a lot of soccer games mainly because before internment most nationalist types were under the illusion that soccer playing people werent nationalist. Yet they got a shock after being interned that a high proportion of Republican prisoners were actually quite well known footballers. Remember reading that fairly recently. Dont have a source - sorry.


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