I was born in Ireland but I can’t confidently pronounce Bláthnaid, as my mother could do
The Irish Times · Louise O'Dwyer ·
Despite living here nearly all of my life, growing up, supporting England in sport was unspeakable.
As the rain sets in and there is a definite feel of autumn, the heady World Cup summer feels distant. Yet there is one night from that period that still stays with me. For it highlighted my separateness in the place I now call home. The semi-final match with Argentina.
It was another sweltering evening with lots of excitement about the big match, but I was not quite sure what to do with myself. I do not follow football – so it was perhaps no surprise that I had little interest in watching the match. But this was a night that perhaps most people become football fans at least temporarily. My children and my husband were all excited to watch the match – so why was I not?
The dilemma was that this was an England match, and I was not born in England – but in Ireland. Despite living here in England nearly all of my life, growing up, supporting England in sport was unspeakable. I had been educated about the various ills that England had committed against Ireland and the Irish for years.
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