Five things my kids have learned going to Ireland soccer matches this year

If loyalty depended on winning, every child in Ireland would support France or Argentina. Loyalty is choosing to keep showing up — even when the results don’t. It’s understanding that sometimes the journey home is quieter than the journey in, and that’s okay

Ireland fans celebrate after Troy Parrott's goal. Picture: INPHO/Ryan Byrne

We went to matches all year... Tuesday nights, Saturdays, qualifiers, friendlies... the whole lot. And somewhere between the floodlights, the queues, the chants, the traffic, the cold, the shouts of 'press him!' and the half-time chips, my kids learned things I wish I’d learned at their age.

1. There will be more frustrating nights than glorious ones — which is exactly why the glorious ones matter