Italia 90: Colm Tóibín, Eamon Dunphy and Mark Duncan

Ireland’s participation in the soccer World Cup in Italy in 1990, 30 years ago, was a defining time for the country, leading to community bonding, national pride and general elation.

Jack Charlton, alas no longer with us, became an object of national veneration for getting us so far in the competition before Italy put a stop to our gallop. The Irish fans distinguished themselves as fans and revellers; even when we lost, we won.

Colm Tóibín and Eamon Dunphy were there as journalists, and they had an interesting time!

In this episode, Colm and Eamon are interviewed via video by Mark Duncan, Director of Century Ireland and co–curator of the forthcoming exhibition on Italia 90 at the Little Museum of Dublin. 

This First Thought Talk was presented in September 2020 as part of Galway International Arts Festival's once-off Autumn Edition.