Ireland v England, Dublin

Friendly
Ireland v England
Aviva Stadium
Dublin, Ireland
7 June 2015

This was the first meeting between the two nations since the abandoned game of 1995 and the first meeting at the new Aviva Stadium. There is no doubt that tension is not quite what it was: the removal of British troops from Ulster, the Good Friday agreement and many other symbolic gestures have all helped to reduce it .  Regardless of the healing process, there had been a recent upsurge in Anti IRA chanting from some of the English faithful which had made the FA a bit twitchy about this fixture. On the day, the only chanting that could be heard from the English concerned a certain FIFA president and the financial sweetener he endorsed to help pay for the Aviva.

The price of these tickets were outrageous for a friendly match and easily the most I have paid for non tournament football following England. Despite this the away end had been sold out for months due to the low allocation of 3000 tickets, but this had more to do with the poxy away end. The North Stand is a strange little stand that was limited in height to protect access to light for  the terraced housing behind.

The Aviva Stadium. Amazingly we have only played the Republic of Ireland 9 times, all in Dublin

Dalymount Park, Dublin (Bohemian FC since 2001)

10 Feb 1912, Home Championship, Ireland v England (1-6)

30 Sep 1946, Friendly, ROI v England (0-1)

19 May 1957, WC Qualifier Gp 1, ROI v England (1-1)

24 May 1964, Friendly, ROI v England (1-3)

Landsdowne Road, Dublin

17 Mar 1900, Home Championship, Ireland v England (0-2)

25 Oct 1978, Euro 80 Qualifier Gp 1, ROI v England (1-1)

14 Nov 1990, Euro 92 Qualifier Gp 7, ROI v England (1-1)

15 Feb 1995, Friendly (Abandoned), ROI v England (1-0)

Aviva Stadium, Dublin

7 Jun 2015, Friendly, ROI v England (0-0) 

Ross Barkley could have been playing in the Czech republic for the U 21s this summer but instead he is looking to add to his 12 caps and even bag his first goal

From the North stand

Ireland 0 England 0

Attendance: 43486

Taken from Beaty's Avenue across the river Dodder. 
The away end is the low stand.

Enroute to the game we have a look 
around the marina on the Grand Canal

The Garda are in full force as we enter the junction 

with Bath Road and Shelbourne Road. 

The pub opposite is the Chop House.

Bath Avenue entrance to the away end

All the flags are getting checked for inflammatory slogans.

The atmosphere is utterly drab and the English away support is the quietest that I have ever heard. The only bright note was the chant "Sepp Blatter, he paid for your ground". This, following revelations by the FAI that £5 million had been deposited into their accounts in order that they did not lodge a formal complaint about the Thierry Henry handball which knocked the Irish out of South Africa World Cup in 2010. 

We were stuck behind the most annoying camera 

in the history of football, glad the game was shite.

On Day One we visited Trinity College and Temple Bar in Dublin. This is Campanile at Trinity College built in 1859 and is currently hosting Irish dancing tonight.

A frenzy of trumpeters on Dame Street entitled 

"You're a Nation again", but nicknamed "Urination again".

O'Connell Bridge North to South across the Liffey

Butt Bridge from O'Connell Bridge.

Red post-boxes were painted green 
following the Anglo-Irish treaty of 1922.

First night and we end up in the Temple Bar on Temple Bar.

On Day 2 we head to the Jameson Whisky Distillery via the DART and LUAS red line.

Custom House

Enroute we managed to pick up our tickets at the Jury Inn, just by the stop at Georges Dock.

The Jameson Whisky Distillery on Bow Street, 
just off Smithfield Square.

Now that's a lantern

A spot of whisky tasting.

St Paul's Church on Arran Quay going towards 

the Guinness Storehouse from the Jameson Distillery.

We have arrived in the land of Guinness.

The tasting room - Sue getting a whiff of Hops!

Enjoying a pint of the Black stuff at the Gravity Bar.

The view from the Gravity Bar.

Neddies outside the Guinness Storehouse.

The back streets near Baker's Bar where 

we had a slap up meal of Sausage, Mash and Gravy.

The bridge from Dublinia to Christ Church Cathedral 

(the original Viking cathedral dates back to 1030).

Heading south down Patrick Street we come 

St Patrick's Cathedral, Ireland's largest church.

A statue representing the struggle of the poor 

during the Great Potato Famine (1845 - 52).

The famous doors of Georgian Dublin (Ballsbridge).

Ballsbridge

Day 3 - Matchday and Smithfield Square. Heading back to the hotel after the dullest game of football I can remember

Schoolhouse Hotel for a post match Guinness

The Bar

The Cobblestone on Smithfield Square is a gem of a boozer with traditional folk band and 'public singing class' in an adjacent function room.

We stayed all afternoon and Tommy, Cockney Pete, Jo 
and mad Steve from QPR joined us.

Sue is on the Jameson and Ginger 
and the night is still young.

Day 4 - Aviva Stadium Tour and Lunch in Temple Bar, after sleeping in remember that we have booked a Stadium tour 

The tour proves a good way of sobering up. We had a video of the demolishing of Landsdowne Road and the construction of the Aviva on the same site, quite good really.

The away end is ugly and does nothing for the atmosphere.

The home end is the South stand that 
runs adjacent to Landsdowne Road

Sue posing in front of the East stand.

Exiting the tour on to Lansdowne Road.

The Sandy Mount Hotel houses the 'Line Out Bar' 

(closest bar) to the Aviva.

Taken from the DART station at Landsdowne Road

An alternative way to see Dublin. This picture is taken outside
 Clery's department store on O'Connell St.

The Spire on O'Connell St is a monument to light rising to 120m. It sits on the same site as the former Nelson's Pillar 

which was blown up by the IRA in 1966.

From Grafton Street looking down towards St Ann's Street 

South with St Ann's Church in the background.

 Sweet Molly Malone and her cart in Suffolk Street.

Just before we leave Dublin on our afternoon flight we race to 

Temple Bar to get a traditional meal in the Boxty restaurant.

I settle for a Dublin Coddle which is a Potato based stew 

made from left overs, which is very wholesome and delicious. Sue has a Boxty (Potato pancake).

The pub where we had our first pint of Guinness, but now it's time to go home. A great trip regardless of 90 minutes of the worst football match ever played.