Ireland less keen to see England progress

While many people in England are keen to wave their green, white and orange tricolours to spur on the Republic of Ireland, the Irish are less keen to cheer for their English cousins.

In Dublin the World Cup dream is over and the team is home after losing to Spain on penalties at the knock out stage.

The players were welcomed home by around 100,000 supporters in the capital’s Phoenix Park on Tuesday.

Just a handful of Irish men and women visit Dublin’s pubs and bars to watch the England team play and even fewer are expected to turn out to watch England play Brazil today.

There has been no demand for time off from work for the 7.30am kick-off as there was during the Ireland matches - when Mick McCarthy’s men took to the pitch around 90% of the nation’s businesses ground to a halt.

Andrew Prior, a manager at the fashionable Allsports Cafe Bar in the Temple Bar district, said: ‘‘When England play we are still busy but that is mostly from English people living in Dublin.

‘‘I would say that only about 10% of the customers are Irish.

‘‘Many Irish people would be keen to watch the performance of individual players such as Michael Owen or Rio Ferdinand, because nearly all support English Premiership teams.

‘‘I do not think that people would wish England ill - at least not most people - but there is not the same support as the English give the Irish.

‘‘It would be a historical thing, about past relations between the two countries.’’

Despite poor relations due to British rule and the Northern Ireland crisis over the centuries, Mr Prior said the new generation, combined with the peace process, was changing attitudes.

‘‘It has changed a lot in the last five years there is more interest than there ever was before. There is a new generation but I cannot see them cheering on England as they do Ireland.’’

The Irish Small and Medium Enterprises group said there had been no demand for time off to watch England play Brazil.

Chief executive Mark Fielding said: ‘‘There is no rush at all. If there were a good number of people wanting time off we would have heard so the fact that the telephones have stayed silent tells the story.

‘‘The emphasis and the major interest on the Irish team has drained people and they have seen their team play well and come home.

‘‘In one way I suppose people do not want to watch because it is a harsh reminder of what could have been.

‘‘If we hadn’t lost to Spain on penalties we could still be in Japan and South Korea now.’’