I,Keano stages a comeback

THERE is something about Roy. It’s nearly a decade since Roy Keane last kicked a ball in professional football. Still, he holds our attention.

I, Keano — the musical about his epic fallout with Mick McCarthy (or General Macarticus) on the eve of the 2002 World Cup, which, as a line from the show has it, “divided a nation like a referendum on abortion” — returns on Wednesday for a run at Dublin’s Olympia Theatre.

Gary Cooke, one third of the Après Match trio, will reprise his roles, including Fergie, from the original 2005 production. He explains why the war on Saipan addled so many Irish people, and why most people continue to be fixated with Keane.