Keeping home fires burning

THE Queen might not have made it to the Aviva Stadium — or even to dear old Dalyer to doff her crown to the Jodi Stand — but Irish football had its own reasons to feel the hand of history on its shoulder this week.

It could hardly have been otherwise when a figure as beloved as Philip Greene was being laid to rest on the morning of the day that the capital city hosted its first European club final.

That would have been out of the question just a decade ago and certainly unimaginable back when Philip’s was the voice of the football nation, although packed houses were the norm for even the domestic game in those far-off days, the faithful in regular and overflowing attendance at holy grounds like Milltown, Tolka, Dalymount, Oriel, Flower Lodge, Kilcohan Park and the rest.