Ireland’s Troy Parrott of Republic at the final whistle of the World Cup 2026 Group F qualifier win over Hungary at Puskás Aréna in Budapest. Photo: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
The only tedious bits of the last 48 tingly hours are the various pontifications from our most erudite citizens, stroking their chins on social media and announcing that the international football team are, in fact, the one entity that unites our nation.
Bigger than rugby. Bigger than Gaelic games. These are the same sort who might tell you that bananas are a great source of potassium.