This Drinking Life

Dropped in by accident…..was actually on my way to an Irish bar, and my eyes were distracted by the harp of Guinness on display on the outside of this establishment………

A Scottish bar, interesting, has Guinness, but more importantly it had Smithwicks on tap………respect right there.

Once I got settled in, and after my pint of Smithwicks (was just ok!), ordered some food………..cheesy chips (the healthy option) , and a pint of Brew Dog Punk IPA, one of my favorites, poured lovely and cold………….with my dinner, it went down very well.

Since I was in a Scottish bar, I decided I might as well finally try their infamous Irn-Bru, “Scotland’s other national drink”, some sort of fizzy pop. It was , well interesting, full of sugar for sure……..not one I’d drink regularly I’d have to say.

Since I was in a hurry I had to go, but enjoyed my short time here…….food was good, drinks fine, bar man, with the obligatory kilt, was very friendly….

Good bar……..respect to my Celtic cousins….

Molly Malone Irish Pub Winterthur

Address: Oberer Deutweg 4, 8400 Winterthur

www.mollymalone.ch/

Bit out of the town, and the outside doesn’t look much but inside its not too bad, decent decor and plenty of space to sit down.

Was quiet for the time I was there, mid day Saturday, a few knocking around. Sat at bar, and the first positive was the beer menu…..it was massive and had a very, very good selection of beers on tap and in bottle. Top beers from Ireland, the UK, Belgium, Germany and local beers from Switzerland, and good ciders too…..excellent selection of beers.

Ordered a Guinness, as you do, and a cheese burger for something to eat. Served with a smile, and the food came quick enough. Food served quick is always a bad sign, and to be honest the burger wasn’t the best, looked good but was a bit soggy and wasn’t as filling as it should have been. The Guinness was not the best too, but I’m not going to take marks off for that…..outside of Dublin its generally hit and miss….. I also ordered a Spitfire ale and it was fine.

The bar man was friendly, and I liked the effort made to turn this into a real bar…..I hope it works out for them……as that beer menu is top quality. Would love to return and sample more of their beers, especially the Gose beers, ha.

Paddy O’Brien’s Old Irish Pub

Address: Merkurstrasse 25, 8400 Winterthur

www.paddyobriens.ch/

Only here for a quick pit stop, great to see they had Newcastle Brown Ale on tap, lovely….

Staff working hard, especially one Irish man who I assumed was the bar owner, but later found out he was just part of the staff, but boy was it impressive to see him work the tables, pull the pints, and generally work his ass off…..all with a smile and some good Swiss German to boot. Workers like that are diamonds…….

Loved the Dubliners album on the wall, what a great touch……..

Must return next time I am in town………

FC Winterthur

Arena/Stadium: Stadion Schützenwiese

Location: Winterthur, Switzerland

Capacity: 8,550

Manager: Bruno Berner

Founded: 1896

League: Swiss Super League

Honours:

Swiss Super League: Winners (3): 1905-06, 1907-08, 1916-17

Challenge League (2nd div title): Winners (4): 1965-66, 1967-68, 1981-82, 2021-22

info@fcwinterthur.ch

FC Winterthur is the main local football team. They play in the Swiss Super League, the first tier of Swiss football, and appeared regularly in the Nationalliga A during the 20th century. Their home is the Stadion Schützenwiese.

The club was founded in 1896 by students of the local school of engineering and following a fusion with two local teams, it was called Vereinigte Fussballclubs Winterthur between 1929 and 1946. They enjoyed their best success in the early part of the 20th century winning the Swiss Championship three times (in 1906, 1908 and 1917), before consecutive relegations in 1931 and 1934. They played in the lower leagues until regaining promotion to the Nationalliga B in 1950. They have since stayed in the second division for most of their history.

They famously lost to West Auckland F.C., an English amateur team in what is thought to be the first international football club competition, the Sir Thomas Lipton Trophy. The club have also reached the final of the Swiss Cup in 1968 and 1975, losing both games.

In the 2021-22 season, Winterthur were able to achieve a last round championship victory in the Swiss Challenge League, to gain their first promotion to the Swiss Super League, their first time at the top table of Swiss football since 1982. Following their promotion, coach Alex Frei, who led the team during this successful season, departed the team to join FC Basel. He was replaced by Bruno Berner.

The club play at Stadion Schützenwiese, a short walk from the centre of Winterthur, since 1896. In the 1980s the ownership was transferred to Winterthur council as the club faced financial problems. The council are responsible for any maintenance and upkeep of the ground. While once boasting a capacity of 14,987 before 2009, the stadium now holds 8,550 seats, 1,900 of which are seated. The more hardcore supporters of the club stand at one end, which is known as the Bierkurve. Away supporters are housed at the opposite end of the stadium to the Bierkurve.

To the game

FC Winterthur 4 – 2 FC Vaduz

16.04.2022 • Stadion Schützenwiese, Winterthur

• M. Di Giusto (16′) FC Vaduz

• S. Ltaief Rrudhani (29′) FC Win

• M. Sutter (54′) FC Vaduz

• G. Lekaj (57′) FC Win

• R. Buess (66′) FC Win

• S. Ballet (92′) FC Win

Attendance: 8,200

The atmosphere was electric with the home support sensing that another victory today would edge the team closer to promotion and back in the big league for the first time in years

Pre-match and in the sun, the crowd were buzzing, it was a great feeling. Ground was packed, and everyone in a good mood.
Long queues for beer and food so ventured in the art gallery, yes what modern football ground doesn’t have an art gallery, had some wine and gawked at some art! Bit silly to be honest.

Finally managed to get some beers and took my place in the main stand, at the back……………..good views of ground, but I have to be honest, with all the supporters packed in, it was way overfull, and with supporters spilling onto the walk ways and exits it was potentially very dangerous as everyone was on top of each other on a steep stand…….
To be honest I hope they have this sorted for next season when they play teams with bigger travelling support. Very dangerous IMHO. Never-mind the pretentious art bollix, get your safety checked first! tsk.

At half time, made my way to the area behind the goals where all the ultra fans hung out……….again packed, but not as steep or hazardous, and more fun as the songs were going and atmosphere a plenty.

Home team won 4-2, in a very entertaining game. Good game, good atmosphere, but too many queues and issues with crowd safety………………

Overall

Enjoyed the day, nice hike in the morning and lovely few hours spent in the pubs of Winterthur. Oh yeah, the football game was fun too!

Here is the video of my hike and visit to FC Winterhur

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Schaffhausen, Swiss football away days 11

With Covid reeking havoc on my football schedule in the year 2021, I could only get to do one Swiss football groundhop for my blog. I managed to get a game in the scenic town of Schaffhausen to see the local team play against FC Aarau.

Schaffhausen, a German speaking town of about 36,000 inhabitants, is in Northern Switzerland and capital of the canton of the same name. It is located on the banks of the Rhine and not far from the popular tourist destination Neuhausen am Rheinfall, where one can see the amazing Rhine falls, Europe’s largest waterfall.

The town is first mentioned in 1045 as Villa Scafhusun, so it is a town with a long history. The old portion of the Schaffhausen has many fine Renaissance and Mediaeval era buildings decorated with exterior frescos and sculpture, as well as the old canton fortress, the imposing Munot. It is a nice enough town to walk around, and for the day that was in it, a lazy Saturday afternoon, it was very quiet with not a whole lot going on.

The name of the town derives from Scafhusun which comes from Schaf (a sheep), as a ram (now a sheep) formed the ancient arms (traceable to 1049) of the town, derived from those of its founders, the Counts of Nellenburg. Todays coat of arms for the town still has a representation of a ram and a castle.

The town was heavily damaged during the Thirty Years’ War by the passage of Swedish (Protestant) and Bavarian (Roman Catholic) troops and the very important bridge was burnt down. It was not until the early 19th century that the arrested industrial development of the town made a fresh start. On 1 April 1944 Schaffhausen suffered a bombing raid by United States Army Air Forces aircraft which strayed from German airspace into neutral Switzerland due to navigation errors. Air raid sirens had often sounded in the past, without an actual attack, so many residents ignored the sirens that day. A total of 40 civilians were killed in the raid. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt sent a personal letter of apology to the mayor of Schaffhausen and the United States quickly offered four million US dollars in reparations.

Getting to Schaffhausen can be a little complicated, as it is served by two railway stations, jointly owned by the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) and Deutsche Bahn (DB), and is served by trains of both nation’s networks. The station is served by long distance passenger trains running between Frankfurt and Zurich and between Basel and Ulm. The Herblingen railway station is called at by local trains linking Schaffhausen station and Singen. It can be a bit confusing at times, as getting the German train means cheaper tickets, but a slightly longer trip, and one can sometimes get caught out by sitting on the wrong train with the wrong ticket!

I have on many occasions ventured from Schaffhausen to the Rhine Falls in Neuhausen am Rheinfall, and why not. It really is the only reason people visit Schaffhausen, lets be honest. You can get a direct link there via train, or by bus from the town. You can actually hop on a self driving bus to the falls, if you dare!
A favourite of tourists for centuries, even the great Mary Shelley and J. M. W. Turner made a trip here to marvel at the wonder of the falls. The Rhine Falls is a waterfall and the largest of its kind in Europe. The falls are located on the High Rhine on the border between the cantons of Schaffhausen and Zürich, between the municipalities of Neuhausen am Rheinfall and Laufen-Uhwiesen/Dachsen, next to the town of Schaffhausen in northern Switzerland. They are 150 metres wide and 23 metres high.

There is plenty to see and do in the falls, can visit the Wörth Castle and Laufen Castle both of which are nice to look at, can venture around the whole Falls itself, going on a loop and crisscrossing via a bridge, can get near via an observation deck or the numerous viewing platforms dotted about, or, if brave, can even take a tourist boat near the falls itself, a choppy enough endeavor. Some people even get off the boat to climb the standing stack in the midst of the Falls…… Of course if you prefer there a few restaurants on the promenade, to have a nice meal and/or beer and look at the falls from afar.

Tit bit of information for the football obsessed, i.e. people like me! Roberto Di Matteo, ex Italian and Chelsea player and coach, comes from the town of Schaffhausen. Yes Italian, both his parents were from the old country so that’s how he played for the Azzurri. Karl Jäge, is also a native son to the town, but the Swiss-born German mid-ranking official in the SS of Nazi Germany and Einsatzkommando leader who perpetrated acts of genocide during the Holocaust is better forgotten and the less said about him the better, ha!

Pub watch

Restaurant CM Brauhaus

Address: Zentralstrasse 1 8212 Neuhausen am Rheinfall

www.cmbrauhaus.ch/

Knowing I could walk from Schaffhausen to Neuhausen am Rheinfall, I decided to make a trip to the family run Restaurant CM Brauhaus as I read they brew their own beer, and felt it might be an interesting place to see.

I kind of messed up as the walk, which I had done many times before, was longer than I had remembered. So in actual fact I only made it to one bar for the trip due to this excessive trip.

But it was worth it as the bar/restaurant is a treasure. Within the centre of the restaurant there are two bigger copper kettles where the house beer and seasonal beers are regularly brewed. The vaulted cellar is where most of the magic happens, located directly below the restaurant, where all the brews are fermented and stored until served cold at the bar.

The CM Brauhaus restaurant opened its doors for the first time as a Brauhaus restaurant in 2016. The interior has a very modern feel to it yet their is also a nod to its vintage location as there are some artifacts to brewery and local history dotted around. Its a nice place to sit down and relax. I ventured in to see the copper tanks, but many people were seated outside enjoying their food and beers with the lovely day that it was. A nice atmosphere at the brewhouse, everyone enjoying themselves. A definite touristy kind of feel going on, happy to be out and about.

I didn’t go for any food, which looked damn good on what I saw coming out of the kitchen, I probably should have, but decided to have the house beer, which was a pale ale, nourishment enough I guessed. Service was fast and very friendly, they also charged my phone on request which was kind of them. The beer was served cold and was FANTASTIC, well worth the long walk. You know the beer was good as I ordered another one, breaking my one beer one pub rule. Liked it here a lot, has a very homely and relaxing feel to the place, and one where I could have happily spent longer. And the beers were to die for. Often these places can be very pretentious but this brew house was brilliant, and I hope I can return in the near future.

FC Schaffhausen

Arena/Stadium: LIPO Park

Location: 8207 Schaffhausen

Capacity: 8,200

Manager: Murat Yakın

Founded: 1896

League: Swiss Challenge League

Honours:
Challenge League (2nd div title): 2 (2004 and 1963)

Swiss Cup: Runners up 1988 and 1994

info@fcschaffhausen.ch

FC Schaffhausen is a Swiss football team from the town of Schaffhausen. They participate in the Challenge League, the second tier of Swiss football. Founded in 1896 as “football club Viktoria”, they are one of the oldest teams in the country.

The team usually sticks around the second division, for about 54 seasons in fact, with only very brief forays at the top table, the top league, in the 50’s, 60’s and from 2004 to 2007, and the odd occasion even dropping to the 3rd league. Must be great to be a FC Schaffhausen fan. Wonder have any jumped off the Falls after a particularly boring season, or are they well used to it by now?

As for honours, they won the third division titles in 1945 and 1984, and in 1963 and 2004 second division titles, and qualified for the final in the Swiss Cup in 1988 and 1994. Not a whole lot for the old club to be fair.

FC Schaffhausen used to play in the Breite Stadium which had a capacity of just over 7000, but with only about a 1000 seats so in early 2017 they moved to the LIPO Park Schaffhausen, which has a capacity of 8,000 seats albeit the players play on an artificial turf, yuck. They also tog out at home in yellow, to add to their woes!

Well know ex players were, local boy, Roberto Di Matteo and Joachim Löw, present German National Manager.

To the game

FC Schaffhausen 2 – 4 FC Aarau

08.02.2020 • LIPO Park Stadium , Schaffhausen

• Spadanuda (26′) FC A

• Rrudhani (51′) FCA

• Qollaku (60′) FC Schaff.

• Del Toro (67′) FC Schaff.

• Schneuwly (Pen 71′) FCA

• Hammerich (89′) FCA

Attendance: 561

Had to fill in a Covid tracing form to enter ground, no worries.

But first issue is that the stand I was in didn’t take card, I wanted to get a beer and something to eat. No card, can you believe it? So much for the cashless society. But the lady behind the bar was kind enough to give me a beer, on the house, which was extremely nice of her.

(At half time I managed to go out of the stand area and get some cash from an inhouse cash machine, with the help of one kind official, so was able to buy some more beer, and pay for the free beer, afterwards)

Was pissing down with rain and was cold, but thankfully was well covered under the main stand. Plastic pitch, in the rain…….. expect lots of goals then.

Home team had a few chances at the start of game, but the FC Aarau goalie was pretty alert and pulled off a few good saves.

Spadanuda scored a nice goal from the 26th minute, capitalizing on the slow reactions of the home team in clearing the ball from their own defence, to put FC Aarau one nil up.

After that nothing really happened until the second half. Rrudhani for the away team, livened things up when he scored a nice goal from the edge of the penalty box, nice, 2-0.

That was the kick up the backside the home team needed, as less than ten minutes later they managed to scramble the ball home, Qollaku shooting home from close range, albeit it looked well offside to me, but there you go, the fightback was on.

And then a mix up from a FC Aarau throw in, in their own half, the Italian, Del Toro quickly pounced on the error to slot home a lovely equaliser. Game on now………. great stuff.

But then the referee had a brain fart and sent off the defender, Kaiser in the 71st minute, for the most gentlest of tug backs, and also award a penalty to FC Aarau, the bastard! Never a penalty. Slotted home expertly, right hand top corner, by Schneuwly, who came on as a substitute and was involved in everything in the latter stages for the away team. A good player to spring from the bench.

To makes things worse for the home team, Hammerich scored a well worked team effort, to make it 4-2 for FC Aarau, and a very comfortable performance for the away team. Home team tried their best but they just were not at the same skill level as FC AAarau, who just had that bit more quality.

Good game. No real atmosphere but I could put that down to the awful weather, virtually played out under a downpour, and also the home team letting in four goals. The stadium is nice and dinky, and has four similar stands all around. I can imagine when its full, it might be fun. Food and beer, usual rubbish one can expect this side of the world inside a stadium. They don’t do burgers or pies too well over here!!

Highlights of the game here.

Overall

Cant say I enjoyed the day. I wankered myself out with my mad walk to the beer house, and the walk back. That and the awful weather, raining throughout the game, making it cold and miserable. Not too much to see in the town, bit dead, and although the game was good, there was no atmosphere…….

Schaffhausen is a nice town, but might be better to visit during the summer!

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Short chat with long time Shels fan, Aidan

Had the pleasure of having a short chat with long time Shels fan, Aidan Geraghty (@Aido1895)

So, my name is Aidan Geraghty and I have been a Shelbourne fan since 1999, first game I came to was the 9th of August 99 against Manchester United, Greg Costello scored and we won 1-0 and I have been coming home and away ever since.

Who brought you to that first game?

My da and my uncle brought me down. At the time I was coming to watch United. As there is Shelbourne history in my family but been a kid at the time I didn’t know that. I came down because I wanted to see Man United, they just won the Treble and little did I know at the time my dad was bringing me down because he wanted to get me into supporting Shels. And I came down, sitting in the Riverside Stand over there, dont know what it was but from the first time I was here, something about the kit just caught my eye and I was hooked. The whole place like, the kind of atmosphere, the ground, the kit…just….I dont know, I can’t really put my finger on what it was but something just kind of caught my eye as a kid at the time and I was hooked, and I have come ever since.

Excellent. So there is something in those pre season friendlies then, yeah?

Ah yeah there is, I suppose it depends on the opposition we play, we played Hearts (Scotland) last week, you probably won’t get too many young fellas from Dublin coming down to watch Hearts and getting hooked but if you get the right opposition, like I know that Shower down in Phibsboro (Bohemiens) played Chelsea the other night, unfortunately they might get a few fans out of that, you never know.

So generally, is it hard to get people out to Tolka Park then?

I think it depends on how the team is doing to be honest. I think Irish people in general when it comes to sport are very fickle, I think as a nation we find it hard to support a team week in week out over the course of a 25/35 game season but as you will see tonight, the place is heaving tonight, there is about 1,200 people here and that’s because it’s coming towards the business end of the season, the team is doing well, there is something to play for, so I think with a bg club like this, a historic club like this, when things are going well on the pitch people will come.

And all that time you were following them what was the highlights for you?

The obvious answer is Deportivo (D La Coruna from Spain) in 2004, or that and that whole European run, that was unbelievable, it was a moment you were proud to be a Shels fan, we played Reykjavík, Hajduk Split (Croatia), Deportivo and Lille in the Champions League and the Uefa Cup.
But to be honest with you my proudest moment was the very first game in the 2007 season. We were champions in 2006 and then we were demoted at the end of the season to the First Division. We were Premier Division Champions but playing in the First Division in 2007, and a week before the season the club hadn’t got two pennies to rub together, and a week before the season it looked like we weren’t able to field a team.
Dermot Kiely, fair play to him, came in and brought a bunch of young lads in. I remember being at a meeting down at the bar there and I was only a teenager at the time and my dad brought me down to this meeting and I remember Olly Byrne (Chairman at the time), God rest him, saying if we do field a team this season it could be just a load of lads wearing red jerseys with Shels on them and we could be getting hammered every week. And at that time we were afraid we wouldn’t have a club so we said “yeah that’s fine”, as long as there is a team out on that pitch and they are wearing red jerseys, fine, and credit to Dermot Keely, he came in, brought in a bunch of young fellas, and a weeks notice before the start of the season.
And we played Kildare County here, we went 2-0 down, and then Darren McKenna scored a last minute equaliser to draw two all. And our previous game was like here against Bohs, and there was about 7,000 here to win the League, and then we played Kildare County and probably about 3,000 here, it was probably the biggest crowd Kildare County had ever played in front off, and they were so close to beating a bunch of kids that had Shels on their jerseys. And to see a team like that, a bunch of young fellas who were playing for the shirt, they weren’t playing for money or whatever, and to see a club rally together, to keep the club, at that time the club was a 112 years old, and was very, very close to dying, a lot of other clubs like Cork City, Derry, Limerick, Galway….they all let their clubs die and reformed in difficult circumstances, that didn’t happen here……….. so that was my proudest moment supporting Shelbourne.

So rivals then, Bohemians it must be, they are not that far off……

Yeah, maybe a mile, mile and a half…………the three biggest rivals are Bohs, Rovers and Pats. For me that’s the order. Bohs first, Rovers second, Pats third. For some people that would vary I think, some older fans and some fans from Ringsend might have Rovers first…some people who started coming round the mid 90’s might have Pats first but I’d say for the majority of fans I’d say Bohs are probably the main rival.

Ok, the club had about 7 or 8 million debt (correction closer to 6 million or less) and then you have Olly Byrne (Ex Chairman)…………….lol……..how do you want to answer that or will we skip that one, lol

I will do my best to answer it. Olly wasn’t perfect and he is probably the main reason we are in the First Division now. But I have to say, in fairness to him, any mistakes he made he wasn’t doing it for personal gain, he was doing it because he was trying to make Shelbourne Football Club be the best that they could be, because he loved Shelbourne Football Club as much as anyone here, if not more. So, did he make mistakes, absolutely yes, he made mistakes that almost killed the club, and I have no problem saying that. But the reason he did it was because he had such ambition for this football club, he wanted this football club to be at the top table of European football.

And I am sure I will find fans that will have an opposite viewpoint.

Yes, absolutely, yeah without a doubt. You wouldn’t even have to ask that many people, he definitely is a controversial figure around here. There is some people that won’t have a bad word said about him and there are some people who will only say bad words about him. The reality is somewhere in the middle, I think he definitely did things that could have killed this football club but he was doing it for the right reasons.

And that leads onto going into the new groundshare with Bohemians Football Club. I mean from me looking in from the outside, I like Shelbourne, I love the set up you have here, I always enjoy myself coming here, people are buzzing all the time here, I dunno I just think if you go to Dalymount, it’s just like two clubs in Dublin, Friday and Saturday night, I dunno, I honestly dont think its going to work……

I agree with you, as far as I am concerned if we do go to Dalymount the club will most likely be out of senior football within 50 years and that’s probably being optimistic. The reason that Dalymount is being developed and not Tolka is because Bohs spent the last ten years lobbying Dublin City Council, the FAI and all the relevant bodies, Bohs got their house in order a long time before we did, and they were lobbying to get their ground and their history preserved.
Meanwhile we were kind of scrambling about, going from year to year with no real long term plan. And I still think if we had have bothered to look for alternatives they would have been there. I dont want to dwell on it too long as it’s a subject that gets me angry!

But could it work?

No, the concept of ground sharing I am not completely opposed to, but it’s the location that is the problem. Bohs have been in that area for over a hundred years. Shelbourne are never going to attract fans in Phibsboro, Cabra, Stoneybatter, and that area, its just not going to happen.

So where do you think that Shels could go?

I dont know to be honest.

There is nothing wrong with here (Tolka Park) if they developed it, maybe?

Yeah, Dublin City Council own this ground now, that was the deal, you mentioned the debt earlier, Dublin City Council took over this ground and cleared our debt in the process. I think Dublin City Council could be open to redeveloping this on a smaller scale and maybe knocking down a house or two for housing, I dont know but I think until you explore those options I dont think it does justice to this football club to just say well Dalymount is the only option and that’s the end of that. I think we owe it to the 125 years of this club to explore other options.

And anyone coming to see Shelbourne play for the first time, just coming up the road and just walking into this club, what should they expect, what’s it like here?

Well for me it just gets in on you, it’s just an addiction, no matter what’s going on in your life, you could be after losing your job, you could have a bereavement, you could be after breaking up with your missus or whatever and when you come down here and The Reds score a goal, for 10 seconds that doesn’t matter, nothing else in your life matters for that 10 seconds after a goal goes in and that’s just it, there is no way to describe it other than its a drug and you have to keep coming back for more and it’s an addiction.

So are you positive for the future then?

I dont know to be honest, if the move down the road happens then there is no future but if something can be arranged in the meantime whether it is to stay here or to move to a greenfield site or whatever then this football club has massive potential. The only club in this country that has won more trophies is Rovers (Shamrock Rovers) so there is absolutely massive potential in this football club but the people who are running the football club now have a duty, not just a responsibility, a duty to make sure this football club stays alive and thrives and if we move to Dalymount that won’t happen.

And just before we finish if anyone wants to follow, is there a supporters club that is for Shelbourne or anything we can follow online?

There is no kind of official supporters club, there is the official club twitter page is @shelsfc, the official facebook page is Shelbourne Football Club, the instagram page is @shelsfc as well, and there are some other unofficial pages as well, there is a Shels fans group on facebook, We’re Not Barcelona page, there are a lot of channels online that they can follow the club, yeah.

Ok, Thanks very much Aiden, I know the game is on now

Your grand, alright………

Shelbourne F.C, football away days

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Shelbourne F.C, football away days

STOP PRESS

In between writing up my trip, Shelbourne got promoted to the Irish Premier Division for the 2020 season. Well done to Ian Morris, in his first stint as a manager, for getting the old club back to its rightful position amongst the top gods of Irish football. Credit is due to the fact he assembled a very good squad of players, also having a team with ex Dundalk striker Ciarán Kilduff, ex Pats powerhouse Conan Byrne, Ryan Brennan, James English, Karl Moore, and Dean Delaney in goals, all helped of course.

My latest Irish footballing groundhop brought me to the Northside of Dublin, to Drumcondra, an inner city suburb, where the The River Tolka and the Royal Canal meet. Drumcondra is home to one of Europe’s finest stadiums, Croke Park, with a capacity of over 82,000 people, where the GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association) have their main events (football and hurling), but it was to Tolka Park where I ventured, to see one of Ireland’s oldest footballing clubs, Shelbourne FC.

I am well aware of Shelbourne as I used to live not far off, in Fairview, and often went to a game there back in the day. I also know that Drumcondra, and the North Side, has many of the city’s finest pubs, all a bit rough and ready, but never lacking in Dublin wit and character. So I looked forward to traversing the side streets of this end of the town, on the hunt for good beer and even better company, and to see “the Reds” once more.

Drumcondra is one of Dublin’s oldest inner residential suburbs, and you can still get to see some of the old terraced style houses on show. Also the Royal Canal hugs this side of the city, and it can be nice on a hot day to walk along the towpaths and get a feel for the Northside. Griffith Park, near the well to do Griffith Avenue, is a lovely escape, and the Botanic Gardens in Glasnevin is only a short walk away.

It is worth visiting Croke Park at least once in your life, and the museum beside the stadium is top notch as well. They have also started doing skyline tours from the roof of the stadium which is something I will definitely have to try some day, offering a nice view of the skyline of North Dublin. When the GAA is on in Croke Park, the area comes alive with pubs doing a roaring trade, the “craic” is at ninety, and the match day atmosphere all fun and jovial.

Getting to the area is very easy, with the area even having its own national rail and DART (Light rail) stop at Drumcondra railway station, on the main Drumcondra road, only one stop from Connolly station (Ireland’s main train station). Also a host of Dublin Bus routes serve the Drumcondra area, such as the 1, 11, 16, 33, or 41 amongst others (usually can be taken in and around O’Connell Street). You could also walk it from the city centre, taking about 30 minutes or so brisk walk.

Famous residents and people from Drumcondra include Ex Taoiseach and crook Bertie Ahern, writers Seán O’Casey and James Joyce (who said that Drumcondra was where the world’s best English was spoken!), and well known contrarian and ex-footballer Eamon Dunphy.

Pub watch

Quinns

Address: 42 Drumcondra Road Lower, Dublin 9

Straight off the Drumcondra train stop and with lightning speed we went right into the nearest and handiest pub for thirsty souls, and that was to be Quinns. I have reviewed this pub before when I did my Guinness tour of Dublin.

Considered a good lively bar, Quinns is a well known and popular pub which is always busy when there is a GAA game on nearby in Croke Park. But was quiet though when we arrived early enough on the Friday, mid afternoon. Sat up at bar and ordered my new favourite light lager, a pint of Rockshore, and a packet of Manhattan Salt and Vinegar crisps, a brand I hadn’t seen before but were well tasty. Service was fine, pint nice and cool, and settings was relaxed and comfy.

I like this bar, has good friendly staff and always a decent pint. Recommended, especially if attending a game at Croker. Can get busy at night time, and is a student favourite (but don’t let that put you off!).

Patrick McGrath’s

Address: 22 Drumcondra Road Lower, Dublin

Website

Second pint of the day was a short walk away in Mcgraths, an ordinary decent boozer as they would say. Pretty dull frontage, all brown, but inside it was nice and comfy, wooden interior and had some decent beers on tap. I sat down at the busy enough bar for that time of the day, and went for a pint of Galway Hooker Pale Ale, something I have heard raved about online, it has won awards dont you know! Served fast enough by the friendly bar man, pint was great, lovely and cool, and enjoyed my short time here having a nice quiet chat with the brother. The bar has a bit of a local feel to the place which adds to its cozy atmosphere.

Apparently this place does good food too, with great reviews online, which I would never have guessed and I didn’t see any menus hanging around. Ah next time I am in town so………..

Good bar, and definitely will be back.

The Red Parrot

Address: 57-58 Dorset Street Lower, Drumcondra, Dublin 1

Next pub of the day was to be the Red Parrot, a smallish pub that was very empty when we arrived, just one other customer! Ordered a pint of stout from the friendly barman.

What I did like about this bar is that they had 80’s and 90’s music on from the TV, the old hits pumping out, brilliant. Not too loud but easy enough on the ear to enjoy, and the tunes went down very well with my very decent pint of plain.

Not much else to say, small local bar, simple interior, not busy and good pint.

The Hideout

Address: 1-3 Campbells Row, Ballybough Dublin 1

As we were walking along we noticed a sign for The Hideout Pub, we followed, intrigued, down an alley into a square with a block of flats and at the corner there was a bar. No need to guess too hard why the bar then is called the Hideout!

Bar was doing a small trade, but the bar man was in good humour, full of Dublin wit and asking for us to take his photo, all good fun. Sat down beside a local who we noticed was drinking a bottle of Macardle’s. I knew this beer was from Dundalk, but had never seen it on sale, so naturally went for a bottle of it too. Served nice and cold it was fantastic, really crisp and refreshing. So good I went for another one and broke my one bar one pint rule. I checked on Wiki and they say the Brewery was discontinued, but obviously not if it can travel all the way to inner city Dublin.

Apparently this bar was opened after many years of closure, by a couple who met here and fell in love. Twenty five years later they came back to reopen this bar in 2014, five years after it had closed down.

In the shadow of Croke Park, this is a pretty decent boozer, offering nice tasty beers in a nice refurbished interior, with a fun bar man and chatty customers, I will definitely be back. Recommended.

Phil Ryan’s (The Hogan Stand Pub)

Address: 514 North Circular Road, Dublin 1

Next up was a pint of Guinness in The Hogan Stand, a popular pub this side of Dublin. The Hogan Stand is a well known stand in Croke Park Stadium, the GAA ground nearby.

The Pint was fantastic, perfectly poured and tasted delicious. Also had some Kings crips, salt and vinegar variety, that was lunch sorted!

Pub had a normal decor, nothing fancy, and the clientele was your average man and woman of the northside. A busy enough crowd in, all good atmosphere, and enjoyed myself here.

Standard Dublin pub. Good fun, good beer, decent atmosphere.

The Bridge Tavern

Address: 6 Summerhill Parade, Dublin 1

Next pub certainly stood out from the crowd, what with a big fuck off murial of Dublin GAA on the frontage, eye catching and definitely worth a closer look!

In we went, a real Dublin pub with traditional bar wooden interior where Guinness still rules. Ordered two pints of plain, and sat down. Bar was relatively busy, horse racing on the box and a general jovial atmosphere in the pub.

The bar man was quick and he pulled a very decent pint of Guinness. Could have stayed here for a few more, but with time running out, and with us wanting to squeeze another couple of pubs into the walkabout, we decided to drink up and leave. Good pub that we will return to again in the future for a closer inspection………..

Lowry’s Pub

Address: 16 Summerhill Parade, Dublin 1

We headed into Lowrys on the corner. Place had a very good crowd inside, interior was nothing special, old style decor that looked like it hasn’t changed since the 80s. Ordered a Smithwicks, pulled fast from the friendly bar man.

Some good banter in the pub, with a pint that was fantastic, and Elvis was in attendance, this pub was where the craic was building. Pity we had to drink up and head onwards on our trip………..Good pub, will be back for sure.

Luke Kelly Sculpture

Since we were in this side of Dublin we decided that it would be a shame not to have a quick gander at Dublin’s newest statute, a Luke Kelly sculpture situated just across the bridge on the edge of Guild Street and Sheriff Street, to mark the 35th anniversary of his death. (Died in 1984 of a brain tumour aged just 43). Luke was born into a working-class household in Sheriff Street, in 1940.

Luke Kelly, with his very distinctive singing style, was a quintessential Dublin singer, folk musician, and social activist, and a hero and all round Irish legend to many. Luke, of course, was a prominent member of The Dubliners, the Irish trad specialists, whose versions of Irish classics like “The Rocky Road to Dublin”, “Seven Drunken Nights”, “The Town I Loved So Well”, “On Raglan Road” enthralled millions of people not just in Ireland but all across the world, a folk singer that will forever be remembered.

Designed by German born but Dublin based artist, Vera Klute, the sculpture is quite distinctive and definitely stands out, showing a big curly red head and bearded Luke on display for the whole world to see. Eye catching, just like Luke Kelly was, that being the point I guess!

It’s quite big and I have to say it’s a great piece of artistic work, getting Kelly’s facial expressions down to a tee. Hats off to Vera Klute, this is an excellent sculpture and one that the people of the Northside can be proud of.

But wait a minute, the statue was apparently vandalized with graffiti just a few weeks after its unveiling! No one knows why but I was thinking perhaps it might be that the statue is really not in the heart of Sheriff Street but just across the bridge on the edge of the area he was from, and nearer to the nicer part of the town? Walking straight across the bridge to the statue one can be in no doubt that you are walking across a social divide, at least that was the impression I got, and not so much a gift to the local people but something for the tourists to gawk at and then promptly turn right around least they venture too close to the centre of Sheriff Street. Or maybe I am putting too much into that…………. Anyway, thankfully the graffiti was removed and the statue was restored in all its glory by the time we had a look.

Noctor’s

Address: 34 Sheriff Street Lower, IFSC, Dublin 1

Back on track we went into Noctors, a pub with a bit of a “reputation” shall we say. Straight away we stood out, two culchie (country) lads in the big schmoke, so much so a lot of the clientele thought we were coppers. Bit funny, perhaps less so when they started following us to the toilets! Least we were safe, not like they are going to whack a cop, lol!

Anyway place was pretty busy, mostly young fellas having a few jars. Ordered a Smithwicks, this isn’t a craft beer joint! Bar lady was friendly, and efficient, pint served fine, and was tasty. Did strike up a conversation with a nice young man beside us, but it was a bit distracting when literally the whole bar were looking at us. Still though, gotta love the Dubs, eh!

Didn’t get to take any photos of the interior or my pint, best not to really. This is definitely a local bar for local people, and we drank up quickly and left even quicker………….thankful we were to survive another day! (Albeit I had a drunken suspicion we were followed!)

The Tolka Bar

Address: Richmond Road, Dublin 3

Before and after the game, we managed to have a few jars in Shelbourne’s own bar, The Tolka Bar, a crammed little place but with some good atmosphere going on. A lot of good football memorabilia on display too. I have had a pint in this place before which was rotten, but on the day that was in it, the beers were perfectly fine. A football bar with football supporters, not much else really to say, all good clean fun…………

Shelbourne F.C.

Founded: 1895

Arena/Stadium: Tolka Park, Dublin

Location: 70-74 Richmond Road, Drumcondra, Dublin 3

Capacity: 9681

Manager: Ian Morris

Leagues: League of Ireland First Division

Honours
League of Ireland/Premier Division: 13 (Last 2006)
FAI Cup: 7 (Last 2000)

club@shelbournefc.ie

Twitter

Nicknames: Shels, The Reds

Shelbourne Football Club, founded in 1895 and based in Drumcondra, play at Tolka Park in the League of Ireland First Division. Set up by a group of men looking to start a football team led by a Mr James Rowan. The club took its name from the nearby Shelbourne Road and Shelbourne House hotel where a collection was had to enable the club to buy its first set of football gear and to pay its affiliation fee.

A founding member of the League of Ireland in 1921, having previously played in the Irish Football League, since 1904, which incorporated teams from the north of Ireland as well as those from the south. Their home colours are red and white, and are lovingly known amongst fans as “The Reds”

The club have played out of Tolka Park, in the heart of Drumcondra, since the 1950’s but only as official tenants since 1989. Tolka Park is a famous ground steeped in Irish sporting folklore but it has seen better days. Now the ground is pretty derelict looking and not all the stands are open to the public owing to safety concerns, and unkept terraces. Of course it must be said that Shels were not the first team to play here, that honour goes to Drumcondra F.C. who played here from 1928-1972 along the way winning 5 championships, but now sadly are not involved in LOI top tier football.

They are one of the country’s most successful football teams, having won the national league on 13 occasions and the FAI Cup 7 times. Dermot Keely was appointed Manager at the start of the 1998/99 season and led the club to the “Double” in the season 1999/2000 for the first time in the clubs 105 year history. Another league title for Keely in 2002, who then handed the reigns to Pat Fenlon who signed striker Jason Byrne and the rest they say is history……..becoming one of the most prolific goal scorers in the league shooting Shels to three championship titles.

Under the direction of the club’s majority shareholder and Chief Executive, the fairly flamboyant Oliver Byrne, the club ran up a huge debt pile chasing European glory, attempting to reach the Champions League but not quite getting there, all leading to a near break up of the club, resulting in the derelict ground and loss of a decent team. In the 2004/5 season they were one game off the Champions League proper, after knocking out KR Reykjavík of Iceland and then Croatian League Champions HNK Hajduk Split in a very memorable 2-0 home victory, they then proceeded to play a very good Deportivo La Coruna team from Spain, going out a very respectable 3-0 on aggregate. In 2006 the club got into serious debt, so Ollie Byrne sold the ground to property developer Ossie Kilkenny to help repay the club’s debts. Pat Fenlon resigned as their manager, and most of the team left. All this leaving them with demotion to the second division by the FAI where they have languished for the last few seasons, with the one exception of a brief appearance back in the top division in 2011 after promotion, but relegation two years after! (They also made the Cup final in 2011, losing to Sligo on penos!).

Since the sale of Tolka Park in 2006, Shelbourne have been trying to relocate to a new ground. Step forward the FAI and neighbours Bohemians with a proposed ground share in a new redeveloped Dalymount, the spiritual home of Irish football. Dublin City Council helped Shels clear their debt, and are providing support in this new Dalymount Park, which will be owned by the council. Things at the moment seemed to have stalled a bit, but it looks like all parties have agreed to it, albeit some Shels supporters are not happy with the whole idea. I can get this as ground shares dont tend to work in Ireland. Dublin City’s ground sharing days with Bohs, Pats and anyone else that would have them, didn’t work out at all, and I think Dublin is too small a city for this to happen. I also see it as another land grand by the property men. Rather than do up a half decent ground, they let it decay, and would rather sell the land than have a football team. But let’s see, I could be wrong………….

In terms of supporters groups and rivalries, ‘Briogáid Dearg’ (Red Brigade) is the clubs “ultra” group. Formed in 2003, they bring a lot of noise and colour to the stands, or stand as it is now! The big rival must be Bohemians, who are not too far away, about a mile away in fact, in Phibsboro.

To the game

Shelbourne 1-1 Cabinteely

12.07.2019 Tolka Park, Dublin

79’ Karl Moore

93’ Shane Barnes

Attendance: 1,159

Got to the game in good enough time to have a pint or two from the club bar.

Atmosphere was building on the lovely summer’s day that was in it, with a decent enough crowd at the game…….took my place behind the goals, standing room only, and near the chippie!

Right from the off Shelbourne were all guns ablazing, nearly scoring with a header from one of their defenders. But Cabinteely were also livewires, getting a shot off the crossbar, unlucky not to score first.

Shels front two, James English and Ciaran Kilduff, both went close, perhaps one of them should have scored a goal.

McGuinness, the Cabinteely netminder, was alert to everything, saving well from a Shels break, a one on one, he did well to keep out.

The ball was in the net just before half time, as Kilduff did eventually score, but it was disallowed, for pushing, I think. I say I think but I wasn’t sure myself. I was a little pissed truth be told!

The early second half saw more of the same, both teams having decent chances to score, but with no luck.

Conan Byrne, ex Pats legend, was introduced just after the hour mark and made a huge difference to the team, bringing more impetus to the attack, nearly scoring as well making McGuinness pull off another one of his saves.

The goal finally came when Karl Moore got onto a shot to guide the ball in for Shels to take the lead. The pressure was building and it was what the home team deserved.

So it was a great surprise when Cabinteely equalised when Shane Barnes cut in from the right to blast home the unexpected equaliser, in injury time.

Time was nearly up but yet there was still more drama to follow, a handball in the box resulted in a penalty to Shelbourne. Conan Byrne took the penalty but wouldn’t you know it, McGuinness again saving it to round off a top rate performance in goals for Cabinteely, saving the point for the Blackrock team.

The result meant that Shels are still out front at the top of the First Division while Cabinteely further strengthened their chances of getting a play off position. Both teams played some good football at times and it was refreshing to see the ball played around the park a sight not too often seen in this division!

Have to say Tolka was in bad enough shape. I was surprised to see the Drumcondra Stand behind the goals closed off. This is where the Shels ultras and diehards congregate. For this game they were situated far off at the edge of the main (and only) stand, the Richmond Road Stand, which was full for the game. Still though a good atmosphere in the old ground.

Interview

Had the pleasure of having a short chat with long time Shels fan, Aidan Geraghty (@Aido1895)

So, my name is Aidan Geraghty and I have been a Shelbourne fan since 1999, first game I came to was the 9th of August 99 against Manchester United, Greg Costello scored and we won 1-0 and I have been coming home and away ever since.

Who brought you to that first game?

My da and my uncle brought me down. At the time I was coming to watch United. As there is Shelbourne history in my family but been a kid at the time I didn’t know that. I came down because I wanted to see Man United, they just won the Treble and little did I know at the time my dad was bringing me down because he wanted to get me into supporting Shels. And I came down, sitting in the Riverside Stand over there, dont know what it was but from the first time I was here, something about the kit just caught my eye and I was hooked. The whole place like, the kind of atmosphere, the ground, the kit…just….I dont know, I can’t really put my finger on what it was but something just kind of caught my eye as a kid at the time and I was hooked, and I have come ever since.

Excellent. So there is something in those pre season friendlies then, yeah?

Ah yeah there is, I suppose it depends on the opposition we play, we played Hearts (Scotland) last week, you probably won’t get too many young fellas from Dublin coming down to watch Hearts and getting hooked but if you get the right opposition, like I know that Shower down in Phibsboro (Bohemiens) played Chelsea the other night, unfortunately they might get a few fans out of that, you never know.

So generally, is it hard to get people out to Tolka Park then?

I think it depends on how the team is doing to be honest. I think Irish people in general when it comes to sport are very fickle, I think as a nation we find it hard to support a team week in week out over the course of a 25/35 game season but as you will see tonight, the place is heaving tonight, there is about 1,200 people here and that’s because it’s coming towards the business end of the season, the team is doing well, there is something to play for, so I think with a bg club like this, a historic club like this, when things are going well on the pitch people will come.

And all that time you were following them what was the highlights for you?

The obvious answer is Deportivo (D La Coruna from Spain) in 2004, or that and that whole European run, that was unbelievable, it was a moment you were proud to be a Shels fan, we played Reykjavík, Hajduk Split (Croatia), Deportivo and Lille in the Champions League and the Uefa Cup.
But to be honest with you my proudest moment was the very first game in the 2007 season. We were champions in 2006 and then we were demoted at the end of the season to the First Division. We were Premier Division Champions but playing in the First Division in 2007, and a week before the season the club hadn’t got two pennies to rub together, and a week before the season it looked like we weren’t able to field a team.
Dermot Kiely, fair play to him, came in and brought a bunch of young lads in. I remember being at a meeting down at the bar there and I was only a teenager at the time and my dad brought me down to this meeting and I remember Olly Byrne (Chairman at the time), God rest him, saying if we do field a team this season it could be just a load of lads wearing red jerseys with Shels on them and we could be getting hammered every week. And at that time we were afraid we wouldn’t have a club so we said “yeah that’s fine”, as long as there is a team out on that pitch and they are wearing red jerseys, fine, and credit to Dermot Keely, he came in, brought in a bunch of young fellas, and a weeks notice before the start of the season.
And we played Kildare County here, we went 2-0 down, and then Darren McKenna scored a last minute equaliser to draw two all. And our previous game was like here against Bohs, and there was about 7,000 here to win the League, and then we played Kildare County and probably about 3,000 here, it was probably the biggest crowd Kildare County had ever played in front off, and they were so close to beating a bunch of kids that had Shels on their jerseys. And to see a team like that, a bunch of young fellas who were playing for the shirt, they weren’t playing for money or whatever, and to see a club rally together, to keep the club, at that time the club was a 112 years old, and was very, very close to dying, a lot of other clubs like Cork City, Derry, Limerick, Galway….they all let their clubs die and reformed in difficult circumstances, that didn’t happen here……….. so that was my proudest moment supporting Shelbourne.

So rivals then, Bohemians it must be, they are not that far off……

Yeah, maybe a mile, mile and a half…………the three biggest rivals are Bohs, Rovers and Pats. For me that’s the order. Bohs first, Rovers second, Pats third. For some people that would vary I think, some older fans and some fans from Ringsend might have Rovers first…some people who started coming round the mid 90’s might have Pats first but I’d say for the majority of fans I’d say Bohs are probably the main rival.

I will do my best to answer it. Olly wasn’t perfect and he is probably the main reason we are in the First Division now. But I have to say, in fairness to him, any mistakes he made he wasn’t doing it for personal gain, he was doing it because he was trying to make Shelbourne Football Club be the best that they could be, because he loved Shelbourne Football Club as much as anyone here, if not more. So, did he make mistakes, absolutely yes, he made mistakes that almost killed the club, and I have no problem saying that. But the reason he did it was because he had such ambition for this football club, he wanted this football club to be at the top table of European football.

And I am sure I will find fans that will have an opposite viewpoint.

Yes, absolutely, yeah without a doubt. You wouldn’t even have to ask that many people, he definitely is a controversial figure around here. There is some people that won’t have a bad word said about him and there are some people who will only say bad words about him. The reality is somewhere in the middle, I think he definitely did things that could have killed this football club but he was doing it for the right reasons.

I agree with you, as far as I am concerned if we do go to Dalymount the club will most likely be out of senior football within 50 years and that’s probably being optimistic. The reason that Dalymount is being developed and not Tolka is because Bohs spent the last ten years lobbying Dublin City Council, the FAI and all the relevant bodies, Bohs got their house in order a long time before we did, and they were lobbying to get their ground and their history preserved.
Meanwhile we were kind of scrambling about, going from year to year with no real long term plan. And I still think if we had have bothered to look for alternatives they would have been there. I dont want to dwell on it too long as it’s a subject that gets me angry!

But could it work?

No, the concept of ground sharing I am not completely opposed to, but it’s the location that is the problem. Bohs have been in that area for over a hundred years. Shelbourne are never going to attract fans in Phibsboro, Cabra, Stoneybatter, and that area, its just not going to happen.

So where do you think that Shels could go?

I dont know to be honest.

There is nothing wrong with here (Tolka Park) if they developed it, maybe?

Yeah, Dublin City Council own this ground now, that was the deal, you mentioned the debt earlier, Dublin City Council took over this ground and cleared our debt in the process. I think Dublin City Council could be open to redeveloping this on a smaller scale and maybe knocking down a house or two for housing, I dont know but I think until you explore those options I dont think it does justice to this football club to just say well Dalymount is the only option and that’s the end of that. I think we owe it to the 125 years of this club to explore other options.

And anyone coming to see Shelbourne play for the first time, just coming up the road and just walking into this club, what should they expect, what’s it like here?

Well for me it just gets in on you, it’s just an addiction, no matter what’s going on in your life, you could be after losing your job, you could have a bereavement, you could be after breaking up with your missus or whatever and when you come down here and The Reds score a goal, for 10 seconds that doesn’t matter, nothing else in your life matters for that 10 seconds after a goal goes in and that’s just it, there is no way to describe it other than its a drug and you have to keep coming back for more and it’s an addiction.

So are you positive for the future then?

I dont know to be honest, if the move down the road happens then there is no future but if something can be arranged in the meantime whether it is to stay here or to move to a greenfield site or whatever then this football club has massive potential. The only club in this country that has won more trophies is Rovers (Shamrock Rovers) so there is absolutely massive potential in this football club but the people who are running the football club now have a duty, not just a responsibility, a duty to make sure this football club stays alive and thrives and if we move to Dalymount that won’t happen.

And just before we finish if anyone wants to follow, is there a supporters club that is for Shelbourne or anything we can follow online?

There is no kind of official supporters club, there is the official club twitter page is @shelsfc, the official facebook page is Shelbourne Football Club, the instagram page is @shelsfc as well, and there are some other unofficial pages as well, there is a Shels fans group on facebook, We’re Not Barcelona page, there are a lot of channels online that they can follow the club, yeah.

Ok, Thanks very much Aiden, I know the game is on now

Your grand, alright………

Overall

Good fun on another day out in Dublin, the pints were aflowing, the craic was to be had and the bars and pubs all interesting in their own unique and splendid ways. The game was good fun, decent atmosphere, another great time had in Tolka, will miss the old place when, and if, they do move up the road to Dalymount…………..

Video of the day out

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Lucerne, Swiss football away days 10

The beautiful city of Lucerne (German: Luzern, French: Lucerne), was to be the next destination on my Swiss football groundhop. The German speaking city, the gateway to central Switzerland as they say, is pretty much smack bang in the middle of the country, with a population just over 81,000 people. Lucerne is the capital of the canton of Lucerne and a nexus of economics, transportation, culture, and media for this region.

The cities foundations are owed to the Benedictine Monastery of St. Leodegar founded in 750, later acquired by Murbach Abbey in Alsace in the middle of the 9th century, and by this time the area was called Luciaria, later to be known in Latin as Lucerna “lantern”, but why so no one exactly knows. In 1178 the city was independent and doing quite well, with a good economy and a rising population (3000). The Habsburgs, one of the most influential and distinguished royal houses of Europe, looked on and decided they would like a piece of the action. In response the residents of Lucerne along with the cantons of Uri, Schwyz and Unterwalden formed the Swiss Confederacy, on November 7, 1332 as a bulwark to an attack. Later the cities of Zürich, Zug and Bern joined the alliance, and thus ending the Austrian rulers influence in Switzerland. This resulted in Lucerne expanding even more free from the fear of an attack from outside forces. The city developed its infrastructure, raised taxes, and appointed its own local officials.

Owing to its location on the shores of Lake Lucerne and within sight of the famous mountains of Rigi, Pilatus and Stanserhorn in the Swiss Alps, Lucerne is truly a city with one heck of an amazing setting. Add to this its well-preserved medieval Altstadt (Old Town), its souvenir and watch shops, which are always full of Chinese visitors, the many high quality restaurants and top of the range bars, and beautiful waterfront promenades. the town is for sure a top destination for many travel groups and individuals on their journey through central Switzerland.

One of the city’s famous landmarks is the Chapel Bridge, a wooden bridge first erected in the 14th century, and hard to miss once you exit the train station, but be forewarned it is always bustling with tourists eager to take the best photo of the bridge. Not like anything I would do at all!! Other things to see and visit is the Lion Monument, or Löwendenkmal, found in a small park just off the Löwenplatz. The carving commemorates the hundreds of Swiss Guards who were massacred in 1792 during the French Revolution. The Swiss Museum of Transport is also well worth a visit, a large and comprehensive museum exhibiting all forms of transport, including locomotives, automobiles, ships, and aircraft. It is to be found beside the lake in the northern-eastern section of the city. but generally the best thing to do in Lucerne is just to walk around the lake shore and take in all the breathtaking views. Or you could also take a boat trip on the lake itself. I have done both options numerous times, and it is great for rebalancing the mind and spirit when the fresh mountain air runs through your nostrils and into your body energising you at the same time. Nothing like it. Love it. Love Lucerne.

Getting to the city is very easy, its central location means it is never too far from Switzerland’s other main cities, either on the motorway or by the extensive rail network in the country. Roughly 40 minutes by car from Basel, Zurich and Bern, and by rail about an hour from these same three cities, showing just how central Lucerne really is.

Pub watch

Anfield Pub

Address: Seehofstrasse 7, 6004 Luzern

www.anfield.ch/

https://shamrock-luzern.ch/

First pub of the day for me was to be the Anfield Pub, not that far from the main bridge of the city,crossing the street and down an alley. The exterior of the pub is pretty bland. I actually walked past it looking for it, I figured owing to its name it might have some red colouring, but no a boring black and grey and easy to pass by.

Normally I am mad early for these trips but here I was at the bar and it was 1.30 midday and the whole bar was EMPTY!!!! Just me and the two friendly bar ladies. A Saturday, midday, in a pub with live football on the box, empty. Wow, that’s just crazy to me!!!!

Sat down and ordered an Eichhof beer, a local brew I have tried and liked before. Served quickly (no shit!), from the friendly bar lady, I enjoyed the good pint and took in all the Liverpool themed football memorabilia to which there was a lot, and the bar is quite big.

They have 21 flat screens on the go all the time, showing round the clock football action, darts and table football if you get too bored with all that, they also do food. It’s a good place I guess if you are looking to watch the football for sure.

The bar is fine but something must be up if you can’t entice customers in on a Saturday midday, considering all the people just off the main drag around the corner. It is also a bit cheesy as well, calling a bar after the home ground of an English team considering you are in one of the most scenic cities in Switzerland. Use your local history? No connection, just looks silly, in my opinion.

Anyway pint was good, nice and cold, and service was friendly and fast.

Shamrock Irish Pub

Address: Wagenbachgasse 3, 6004 Lucerne

Next pub was to be the Shamrock Irish Pub not too far from the Anfield, and the differences in size of crowd and atmosphere was very apparent. Two screens for the football here, not 21, with people eating food, others drinking and chatting, and a bit of a midday atmosphere building up. Takes an Irish pub to show you how it is done!!

Could have went for the usual suspects you can get in an Irish bar, Guinness, Smithwicks, or even a Kilkenny, but wanted to try something different so I went for an ale called a Braufrisch from the Feldschlösschen brewery in Rheinfelden. It looked lovely in the glass, and went down better. Very good beer.

Sat down, not at the small bar which was full but at a side table, and took in the scenery. Most people were looking at the football, but there were a few Americans across from me eating some grub. Have to say it looked pretty good, and they were happy for sure, fish and chips all round. Must get food in here the next time I am in Lucerne.

Small, cozy, Irish bar with the usual style one expects from these kind of places, bar man was ok, pint was good, all is well and onto the next bar….

Pickwick Pub Luzern

Address: Rathausquai 6, 6004 Luzern

www.pickwick.ch

Again another surprise from one bar to the next. Ventured into Mr Pickwick’s pub, a familiar pub name in Switzerland as this chain is dotted in a few of the nation’s biggest cities. They are British style pubs offering a lot of good beer on tap, with tasty food to boot and football on the TV in the settings of an authentic English pub with added atmosphere. Pub has a great location as it is right on the promenade near the the Chapel Bridge, and offering seating outside with a river view.

Good crowd building up, and many were kitted out in Dutch regalia, as apparently it was the national day of the Netherlands. Kind of interesting to see. But surely they should be all doping up rather than downing the pints?

Sat at bar, got a good seat in the front and ordered a “Fursty Ferret“, an interesting amber ale they had on show. Well poured and looked very appetising, dived in and sure enough it was lovely. Well worth the try, so, so tasty and one to look out for again in the future.

Now I have to say the service in the pub was atrocious, and not just to me. Paying for the pint, the bar man barely noted my service, didn’t even look at me, took my money and that was that. But it wasn’t just me, he did it to every customer I saw. And his wife, I take it it was his wife, wasn’t much better. They looked like they had their minds on other things, absolute zero interaction with customers, stiffness and slightly rude. Did something happen previously with the happy but noisey Dutch drinkers? Either Way, it’s nothing to me and every customer should be made to feel welcome in a bar. Are they even British? A fucking joke. If you can’t run a good jovial and happy pub you have no business in this game my friends. Go to the Irish bar and take notes on how it is done!!! Pathetic.

Found it quite funny to be honest. Amazed on how not run a pub. but still the pint was excellent. Drank up, and out the door I went.

Rathaus Brauerei Luzern

Address: Unter der Egg 2, 6004 Lucerne

www.rathausbrauerei.ch/

Next pub wasn’t too far to find as it was right next to Mr. Pickwicks, Rathaus Brauerei also on the promenade near the Chapel Bridge.

Plenty of seating outside but I went right into the bar, got a seat at the highchair, and ordered one of the Brauerei’s own onsite brews, a Weissbier, not my favourite kind of drink but luckily enough this one was fresh and tasty straight from the tap and tasted so good. Excellent stuff.

The place was quite busy, and people were not only drinking but eating from the extensive menu on show. Food served looked good coming hot from the kitchen, but I was happy enough with the nourishment I was getting from the beer, going down well. Had a nice chat with a lovely gentleman who was telling me that there is actually a 70-meter long underground line through the Rathaus to the fermentation and storage cellar in nearby Eisengasse, piping the wort through. Cool. The copper brew pans are also on show behind the bar and restaurant and there are lots of cellars to be seen on your travels to the toilets!!

Nice friendly ambience, good efficient service, and a lot of history on show in the old Rathaus. Not surprised to learn the place is a listed building, with the date of the build going back to between 1602 and 1606 in the style of the Italian Renaissance.

Read after their sausage’s are to die for. Ah well, missed that, next time so……….

Restaurant/Bar St.Magdalena

Address: Eisengasse 5, 6004 Luzern

www.magdalena.ch/

Had read that the bar called Hard Rock Down Town on Eisengasse street was meant to be a cool enough place to hang out, so had a look and it was closed. A bit annoying as it was the afternoon but anyway a kind man who noticed that I had tried to open the door suggested St.Magdalena as a good place for a drink, a bar two doors down.

Took his advice and ventured in. Small enough place, really just a tiny circular bar with a few tables and chairs and not much else. Sat at the bar and ordered a Eichhof from the very friendly bar man.

Got chatting to two Lucerne FC supporters, and enjoyed the casual atmosphere in the place, a good friendly vibe to the place, very chilled. Seemed it was made up of mostly locals, which is cool.

They do food here, but it’s on the small scale here, nothing too pretentious all ordinary ware.

One major issue is the hard core porn images they have in the toilet. I do wonder why a certain community always need to appeal to the lowest common denominator, it’s not cool or “edgy”, but crass and I can’t for the life of me see what’s the point of it. Anyway judge for yourself, see pic!

Oops Cafe Bar

Address: Zentralstrasse 10, 6000 Lucerne

Got a bit lost and tired so popped in here to charge the phone and recharge my own batteries. Nice enough place, kind of a cafe type bar, easy going relaxed atmosphere building, with a nice modern interior. Sat at bar and ordered a Feldschlossen beer, just a regular lager on the tap, served fast and with a nice smile by the friendly bar lady.

Not much else to say really, a place for a quick pint and that was that really.

Schützenhaus Allmend Luzern

Address: Horwerstrasse 93, 6005 Lucerne

Followed the music that was coming from afar, it was pumping from the entrance to this bar and restaurant. A DJ was playing some great dance tunes from the 90s and early 2000’s, banging them tunes out. Brilliant.

Food on the barbecue was also on offer, and good beer, Eichhof although in plastic cups, but heh beggars can’t be choosers, right?

The place is situated very close to the football ground, and is the perfect location for a few beers before I head into the arena.

The place is pretty big inside, they do a lot of food and have enough room to pack out a big crowd. I decided to stay outside and have my hot food and beer and enjoy the music from the DJ. Later I read they do good pizza’s, perhaps next time I am this side of the world.

Liked this bar/restaurant, it had a great atmosphere abulding, the bar man and DJ were very friendly and chatty, and the place was well set up with tarpaulin to shelter us from the rain. Definitely worth a visit if here for a football match, recommended.

FC Luzern

Arena/Stadium: Swissporarena

Location: Horwerstrasse 91, 6005 Luzern

Capacity: 17,000

Manager: Thomas Häberli

Founded: 1901

League: Swiss Super League

Honours:
Swiss Championships: 1 (1989)
Swiss Cup: 2 (Last 1992)

info@fcl.ch