Cork In 50 Artworks: The inside story of how Roy Keane was photographed with a rotting raven's head

To mark the legendary sportsman's 50th birthday, we look back at the story of how Scottish photographer Murdo Macleod captured an iconic image that now hangs in the Crawford Art Gallery 

Mary McCarthy, director Crawford Art Gallery, viewing Murdo Macleod’s portrait of Roy Keane at the gallery in 2019. Picture: Michael Mac Sweeney/Provision

It was late August 2002. Roy Keane’s name was everywhere, not only in the pubs and on the streets of his home city, but in the world of football, which was immersed in two divisive controversies involving Cork’s erstwhile golden child.

In May, the notorious Saipan incident saw Keane walk away from his position as captain of the Irish World Cup team. Then there was the publication of an autobiography of uncompromising, almost reckless candour, amongst whose revelations was the deliberate nature of Keane’s vicious tackle against Man City player Alex Haaland.