And the problem? For a large part the insatiable appetite of England and Scotland for the cream of Irish players, and Sky TV’s saturation of Eire with English and European football.

So far this year I’ve watched games in the Malaysian Super League and now a game at an Eircom League of Ireland club and seen the same thing, the locals hooked on the English Premier League and turning their backs on football in their own country. Lack of quality is often the reason given by locals, but if these people put more support into their local club, watched games, bought merchandise etc, the leagues would become stronger.

In Cork I drank in a pub that was the HQ of the Cork branch of the Chelsea Supporters Club, and had a long chat with a member of Cork West Ham supporters. These people watch up to 30 games a year travelling to the UK, so there is money in Eire for football, but it is landing in the FA’s pockets, not the FAI. This is in no way a dig at the good people of Cork, they love the game and have done all they can as individuals to raise the money to save their club, and in many cases these allegiances to English clubs formed when Ireland offered no real alternative. The blame lies in the modern game, slick marketing by UEFA and the FA, the excessive use of foreign players robbing smaller nations of their rising talent, too much football on the television when people should be at games, investors who know nothing about the history and culture of the sport, the list goes on.

Good luck Corcaigh and the Rebel Army.