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“THREE LIONS ON the shirt, Jules Rimet still gleaming…”
Regardless of your feeling towards the England football team, the ‘Football’s Coming Home’ song (officially called Three Lions) is a catchy one, indeed.
The song has roared back to the top of the English charts as the country has been swept up in a collective football fever, as their national team has reached the semi-final of the World Cup for the first time in 28 years.
Across the Irish Sea, there’s been a tangible difference in how the public here has responded to the England football team this time around, when compared with past tournaments, with the cheers as loud for the Three Lions in many pubs as their opponents so far.
Even the frenzy over the fashion sense of sudden style icon Gareth Southgate has hit Ireland, as sales of waistcoats like the one the England manager wears at every game have seen an upturn similar to that seen in England.
M&S outlets in England have literally run out of the smart waistcoats, and a spokesperson for M&S Ireland told TheJournal.ie that stores here “are seeing a similar uplift in sales on waistcoats”.
‘Something different this time around’
The British press has certainly backed the new youthful, “likeable” England national team, that largely doesn’t have the weight of previous failures on its backs.
And, as the public has rallied behind the team, it appears that the Irish public aren’t quite so negative about the England team as they may have been before.
Colette Lenihan, general manager at the Woolshed Baa and Grill in Dublin, told TheJournal.ie that there’s definitely been a change in how Irish people have been towards England in this tournament.
“It’s taken a lot to break the connection, but there’s something different this time around,” she said.
You’d have people who’d wear Spurs jersey and support Harry Kane during the year, and then boo Harry Kane when he’s wearing an England jersey. It’s not been like that so much for this World Cup.
Lenihan said that the pub had seen a lot more support for the England team than it has done during previous tournaments.
This was echoed by Gordon Smith, general manager of Dublin city centre pub Sinnotts.
He told TheJournal.ie that “of course” there’s been a lot more following England this time around.
“Whatever happened… it’s all in the past,” he said. “We’re getting a lot of people coming in for the England games.
It’s been about 50-50 in terms of support for them. If England score they’re all up and cheering. If Harry Kane dives, they all start booing.
Good for business
Both pubs have got good crowds in for the World Cup matches, but there has been that extra bit of interest around England games, as people could be supporting them or fervently wanting them to crumble and lose on penalties.
Smith said: “There’s been a lot of support around the England games. Put it this way, England are playing at the weekend either way, but ideally there’d be more interest if they got to the final.”
England play Croatia this evening for a chance to compete in Sunday’s final. If they lose they’ll play on Saturday in the third/fourth place play-off.
“Tonight will be huge,” Lenihan added. “We’ve been getting a good Croatian crowd to the games. But if England got to the final, that would pull in a lot more people to watch it, so we’ll see.”
Despite a general feeling of goodwill towards the England team, the general managers of both bars do get groups coming in with the specific aim of booing them.
Lenihan said: “We had a guy making a booking for the [England] match. He had an Irish accent. I asked him who he was supporting and he said Croatia.
He told me ‘I just don’t want to see the other team win’. He couldn’t say England, I think he was even cringing a bit himself.
As Southgate’s boys take to the field tonight, there’ll be more than a few Irish people watching at home, and in pubs, around the country wanting football to come home, too.
Against a tired Croatia team that have gone to extra time twice in the past two rounds, they could do worse than putting ‘em under pressure.
Still better than half the dumps on daft in Dublin city.
At about the same price and all.
Did ya give her a good wash ?
1500 a month is not bad when you include WiFi, Cable tv and a cleaner/butler. Gym included. This is what our city’s need. They look pretty cool IMO
Swankier and bigger than my first bedsit! lol
I like the way a cleaner comes in once a week as standard.
Was expecting worse, can only imagine what they’ll be like in 20years time
Could do with these in dublin 500 would be snapped up in hours..
Well its official the future will in fact be like The 5th Element…
Exactly what came to mind, haha.
I’d take it if it comes with a Lelu in the shower…
So rich people’s homes are getting bigger and the ordinary everyday person’s home gets smaller and smaller and some people are OK with that? The problem is not with people building them, it’s with people buying them. I hope that if anything like this gets built in Dublin that people don’t buy them. They only serve to maximise profits for the developer and nothing else.
Currently living in NYC and paying $1000 to live with 4 other people in an apartment with no living room and a shared bathroom. I’d 100% be up for living in one of these.
Adly needed in dublin they would be snapped up in hours… look nice for a micro apartment
roof over the head. all the essentials, heat, water, toilet, kitchen, electriciy etc what more do you u need. id be happy out living there. close to work/college etc. this is the way its going to have to go. 7 billion people on this planet and increasing. 5th element is imminent :-)
Great idea, with all that space down by the Dublin docklands these would be ideal for students and those entering the workforce, they would hold there value and always be in demand…
A much better use of space that what you have in the surrounding areas of the city centre, large houses with front and back gardens, usually only 1 elderly person living in them in a lot of the most expensive houses..
You could go a little stir crazy if you did much more than sleep in such a micro apartment.
That’s a burglar in pic 1.
A single’s pad for someone with very little possessions, very few books, no need to entertain visitors and able to manage lean living.
Could be OK if you were just to use it as second residence for the working week or something though?
Jenga with caravans.
Kitchen ‘slash’ bathroom
Bigger than some apts in Seoul
What does Alan Kelly think of these spacious accommodations? That’s the lad to chop off a few metres.
Minister Kelly was genuinely dismissive of these rabbit hutches.
He said that he could do smaller by taking plans of prison cells in Mountjoy and doing a variation on these. He is considering contracting this out to DO B
Minister Kelly explained that the more separate households the more households to pay water charges.
“large windows that slide open on to a false balcony” – sounds dangerous- open door on to what I think is a balcony and put my foot out into open air and fall 10 storeys?
If you were on your own you wouldn’t want anything bigger. It’s only birds that want gaffs so big there’s rooms you don’t even go in to and you spend half of one of your days the weekend cleaning the kip
I have a bigger caravan
In New York?
Yes I pulled in there on top of the trump tower last week. I be selling a few gate tomorrow if your interested sir
1500 is a great price for NYC
Nice.
It’s in Kips Bay :)
City living for singles or first time renters of the future
Now try bringing this concept to Ireland, and everyone loses their minds…
First dates would be most efficient. From popcorn and soda, to making bacon at the switch of a button…
I need to go the toilet
have your say