It was during the summer holidays and we made the best of the good weather running about the streets in our part of Andytown.
1970 was a bit different because we moved to a slightly bigger house in Lenadoon and I vaguely remember the odd match on our black and white TV. They mightn't even have been live because they were played in Mexico but when running about the streets again during that summer we cheered when England were out. This was at a time when British soldiers were driving around in jeeps and although there weren't too many riots we started to guess tensions were rising. Me and my friends went to Colin Glen and if really adventurous up to the hills surrounding Lenadoon. Our parents were probably glad to see the back of us!
1974 was completely different. My mother, Máire, died suddenly the previous year which meant my father, Pat, had to bring up ten of us. My two eldest sisters, Róis and Áine, were in Armagh gaol and the British army were roaming our streets harassing and beating anybody who stood up to them. Despite this my da, who wasn't a soccer man, watched some of the World Cup matches on our (still) black and white TV and as he was cheering on West Germany. I too supported them. I loved Beckenbauer and Gerd Muller, especially because his nickname was The Bomber. They won and it made up for that terrible year '66 and all of that'!
1978 was when I was on the blanket protest in the H-Blocks and with no access to TV, radio or newspapers we got the results of matches the next day or in some cases days later. The screws hated us that much they probably shouted out wrong results. Fuck them.
1982 I was back in gaol, this time on remand in the Crum and the H-Blocks. Because we had our own clothes and the hunger strike had finished the previous October after ten of our brave comrades died the cowardly screws were a different breed. We didn't have a TV in our cell but there was some coverage on our radios. If I remember right the only matches they commentated live on were England matches and the final.
1990 and back in the H-Blocks. The protests had ended and we gained plenty from the sacrifice of the ten lads. The screws weren't the cocky bastards they once were but at the end of the day they locked us up. We were able to listen to most of the matches on the radio and occasionally we we saw the odd live match.
1994 and things had changed considerably in the Blocks. I was on the camp staff and during negotiations the staff had come to an agreement with the admin to open our cells 24 hours. We had no toilets in our cells and we had argued for years this should never be the way. So they conceded to our demands saying we could use the toilets 24 hours a day. It was unbelievable to be able to watch matches after 8pm - the usual lock up time. I'll write another time why I supported Italy!
1998 and the first world cup I saw free from prison. I wasn't as much into it because I'd more interests but I do remember watching the final in The Suffolk Inn, when it was a great pub.
2002 and again I watched the odd match. I learned there were more important things in life but I understood why it means so much to people.
The other years more or less are the same and the one consistent with me is that I still hate England and want them to lose every match. Most of the English (there again Scottish and even some Irish) pundits on BBC and ITV are enough to make me despise the English team. Yes, I know it's only 'a game' but they bring out the worst in me with their jingoism and smugness.
This World Cup is in Qatar and I listen to the usual hypocrites on our TVs. Qatar is one of many countries that people should never visit because of their human rights abuses, including their despicable attitude to women and the LBGTQ+ community. Look at other countries that hosted the World Cup over the years and their human rights abuses - USA, South Africa, Brazil and don't get me started about England!
1970 was a bit different because we moved to a slightly bigger house in Lenadoon and I vaguely remember the odd match on our black and white TV. They mightn't even have been live because they were played in Mexico but when running about the streets again during that summer we cheered when England were out. This was at a time when British soldiers were driving around in jeeps and although there weren't too many riots we started to guess tensions were rising. Me and my friends went to Colin Glen and if really adventurous up to the hills surrounding Lenadoon. Our parents were probably glad to see the back of us!
1974 was completely different. My mother, Máire, died suddenly the previous year which meant my father, Pat, had to bring up ten of us. My two eldest sisters, Róis and Áine, were in Armagh gaol and the British army were roaming our streets harassing and beating anybody who stood up to them. Despite this my da, who wasn't a soccer man, watched some of the World Cup matches on our (still) black and white TV and as he was cheering on West Germany. I too supported them. I loved Beckenbauer and Gerd Muller, especially because his nickname was The Bomber. They won and it made up for that terrible year '66 and all of that'!
1978 was when I was on the blanket protest in the H-Blocks and with no access to TV, radio or newspapers we got the results of matches the next day or in some cases days later. The screws hated us that much they probably shouted out wrong results. Fuck them.
1982 I was back in gaol, this time on remand in the Crum and the H-Blocks. Because we had our own clothes and the hunger strike had finished the previous October after ten of our brave comrades died the cowardly screws were a different breed. We didn't have a TV in our cell but there was some coverage on our radios. If I remember right the only matches they commentated live on were England matches and the final.
1986 and back on remand in Crumlin Road gaol. I was on the 3s with a small number of IRA and INLA prisoners which the prison ' authorities' referred to Red Books. We were in single cells and whenever we went on visits, both family and legal, to the hospital or wherever a screw was always with us. We were deemed 'high risk'! A lot of us were into the World Cup but we didn't see one match but got the results on the radio and read the reports in the newspapers.
1990 and back in the H-Blocks. The protests had ended and we gained plenty from the sacrifice of the ten lads. The screws weren't the cocky bastards they once were but at the end of the day they locked us up. We were able to listen to most of the matches on the radio and occasionally we we saw the odd live match.
1994 and things had changed considerably in the Blocks. I was on the camp staff and during negotiations the staff had come to an agreement with the admin to open our cells 24 hours. We had no toilets in our cells and we had argued for years this should never be the way. So they conceded to our demands saying we could use the toilets 24 hours a day. It was unbelievable to be able to watch matches after 8pm - the usual lock up time. I'll write another time why I supported Italy!
1998 and the first world cup I saw free from prison. I wasn't as much into it because I'd more interests but I do remember watching the final in The Suffolk Inn, when it was a great pub.
2002 and again I watched the odd match. I learned there were more important things in life but I understood why it means so much to people.
The other years more or less are the same and the one consistent with me is that I still hate England and want them to lose every match. Most of the English (there again Scottish and even some Irish) pundits on BBC and ITV are enough to make me despise the English team. Yes, I know it's only 'a game' but they bring out the worst in me with their jingoism and smugness.
This World Cup is in Qatar and I listen to the usual hypocrites on our TVs. Qatar is one of many countries that people should never visit because of their human rights abuses, including their despicable attitude to women and the LBGTQ+ community. Look at other countries that hosted the World Cup over the years and their human rights abuses - USA, South Africa, Brazil and don't get me started about England!
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| Padraic Mac Coitir is a former republican prisoner and current political activist. |
Loved this piece - it brought the memories back. I wrote a similar piece about my memories of the tournaments but starting really in 70. I supported the Dutch the whole way through 74. Haven't watched a game yet in this one but that is not to say I won't.
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