Enda hits back at internet trolls in wake of World Cup
SKY News reporter and Enniscorthy man Enda Brady has been praised for his reaction to ‘ horrific abuse’ suffered at the hands of internet trolls in the wake of his coverage of the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Brady, originally from Milehouse Road said he received major abuse on twitter by people who resented hearing an Irish accent following the fortunes of the English national team.
While, perhaps, there wasn’t a massive amount of support for our neighbours at the tournament in Russia, Enda, who has been based in London since the age of 17, copped a huge amount of flack for wishing the England team all the best. Following England’s elimination and the tournament’s conclusion, he issued a statement which read:
‘ This is a polite message to all of the people who have taken the time to find me online over the last five weeks in Russia and send me abuse. I’ll keep it simple for you - I’m getting paid to be at a World Cup and you’re on your laptop. Truly one of the funniest things about covering this tournament has been the number of nasty messages I’ve received from people who were too scared to come out here. Maybe it’s time to get off your little computer, put down your newspaper and broaden your outlook. Every single time I’ve checked my Twitter feed over the last month they’ve been there. Has it upset me? Not in the slightest. Russia has been out-of-this-world fantastic and I’ll take away memories that will last a lifetime.’
Brady went on to say that the abuse came from Ireland, Scotland and England, with one of the more bizarre tweets even comparing him to a Nazi collaborator.
‘Here’s the thing,’ he said. ‘I’ve spent 25 years studying, working and living in England and if I want to wish the team well, I will. They’re a great bunch of lads who have been brilliant ambassadors for their country out here. It has been a privilege covering their time here. So why did I wish England good luck? I worked on the turnstiles as a teenager at Preston North End when I was penniless and struggling to pay my way through college. I’ve enjoyed watching English football over the years and like millions of migrants, I’ve made a life in England. And I’m proud of it. I support Liverpool, I love sport and I enjoy my job.’
Enda did add that it was his ‘ biggest regret’ that Ireland hadn’t qualified for the tournament and said:
‘If Ireland had’ve qualified, we would have had the greatest tournament.’
In the meantime, he won’t be losing any sleep over the barrage of messages received from keyboard warriors.