Hoolahan reigns as the pride of capital’s north inner city
NESTLED under the shadow of Croke Park, Portland Row in Dublin’s north inner city hasn’t had much to cheer recently. The heartland of the Hutch criminal family, it’s been a battleground in the gangland feud between them and the rival Kinahan gang. But this month, the community is celebrating one of its most famous sons. Wesley ‘Weso’ Hoolahan, the ‘Irish Messi’, scorer of Ireland’s goal against Sweden and maker of Robbie Brady’s strike against Italy, is from here. He joins a long line of Republic of Ireland stars who hail from the north inner city, making it our most prolific breeding ground for footballing talent. Over the years local boys Kenny Cunningham, Curtis Fleming, Stephen Elliot, Keith Treacy and Manchester City’s Jack Byrne have all been capped for the Republic of Ireland. They follow in the tradition set by former Ireland greats Mick and Kit Lawlor, Liam Tuohy and Tommy Eglington who all come from East Wall. Former taoiseach Bertie Ahern told the Irish Mail on Sunday that the performance of Hoolahan in France this month has restored some much needed pride to the area. ‘Too often the north inner city is mentioned in negative terms,’ says Mr Ahern. ‘But this area has always been a breeding ground for quality footballers. And after everything that’s happened in recent months, it’s great to see the area getting a lift. Just going down Portland Row and around there and seeing all the bunting and flags would lift anyone’s spirits.’ On Tuesday, former Lord Mayor Christy Burke will table a motion asking Dublin City Council to host a public reception for Hoolahan and other sports stars from the area. ‘I want it to be held at the monument for the kids around here who’ve died from drugs. And I want the current kids to look up at Hoolahan and all the others who’ve done well from here and think, “that could be me, I could do that.”’
Many of the area’s international capped players come from local club Belvedere which is one of the largest nurseries for feeding players through to the Republic of Ireland teams.
Hoolahan joined the club aged five. Before he left for France earlier this month, he told the club website what growing up in the area meant to him.
‘They were the best days in the world. Any time you got in trouble, your mum and dad used to look after you. It was a great time for me and a great experience where I was brought up. I loved it and it’s part of where I am now.
‘Back then you just wanted to play football. Even when you were in school with all the lads, you used to kick the can around and squash it together so you could play, take off your tops and put the goals down.
‘Back then there were so many good players that I played with... But I was fortunate that I then got to play for my country and in the Premier League.’ His father Robbie says that as a baby his son would kick a balloon around his cot and after he took his first steps, a ball was always at his feet.
‘A lot of it is down to my dad,’ Hoolahan said. ‘Before I’d go to school, he’d bring me to a park and I’d kick a football with him. I remember running around Fairview Park getting kicked a lot. My dad always brought me out there with Belvo on a Saturday and Sunday. There were always fivea-sides in Liberty House [nearby flats],’ he remembered. ‘There was always someone there with a ball waiting to play a game. It was great growing up.’
I want children to think, “I could do that”