Enda McEvoy: Nothing came to a standstill. In 94, America went about its business

If Italia 90 was a competition with a country attached, USA 94 was a country with a competition attached.

BOYS IN GREEN: Ireland fans below the scoreboard at half-time during the World Cup 1994 Group E match against Mexico in Orlando. It proved to be a tough game for Ireland. Pic: David Maher/Sportsfile

As holidays went it couldn’t have had much more. We had free bed and board with someone’s uncle in New Jersey. We had a car. Prices were not exorbitant. People seemed to find our accents cute. 

Penn Station was 50 minutes away and on our first day in Manhattan we encountered a ticker-tape parade to mark the Stanley Cup victory. The Rangers were having a homecoming, not in Harlem late last night but on Broadway right now.