Emerald Exiles: How the Irish Made Their Mark on World Football
Emerald Exiles: How the Irish Made Their Mark on World Football
by Barry Landy
Follow the stories of the Irish footballers who journeyed beyond the UK and Ireland in search of opportunity and adventure.
ISBN: 9781848408180 | 224pp | Paperback | Publication date: 15 October 2021
When football players leave Ireland behind in the hopes of carving out a future in the professional game, they often end up plying their trade in the UK –competing for a chance in the Premier League, the Scottish Premiership, or the numerous leagues below them.
For decades, this has been the most attractive and obvious career path for Irish players. But what of those players who ventured further afield in search of glory, adventure, or simply their next touch of the ball?
Since the dawn of the men’s professional game well over a century ago, and up to the more recent expansion of women’s football, Irish players – and coaches too – have made their mark on clubs and nations around the world. For the first time, Emerald Exiles brings together the stories of these pioneering players, who pursue football wherever they can, venturing beyond tradition and navigating the personal and professional highs and lows that journey brings with it. Charting the careers of players and managers such as Liam Brady, Robbie Keane, Anne O’Brien, Stephanie Roche, Frank Stapleton and a host of others – and featuring exclusive first-hand interviews with numerous players, Emerald Exiles is a unique analysis of Ireland’s mark on world football and the individual stories behind it.
Praise for Emerald Exiles
“Barry Landy explores unchartered territory in search of the wild geese of Irish football and has come back with some startling findings from both the men’s and women’s game.”
“In a year that was pretty light on left-field ideas, Emerald Exiles will have had a few authors smacking their foreheads for not thinking of it first.”
“Definitely would recommend to any Irish football fan.”
“Top three Sports Book of the Year”
“Original and entertaining, deftly written and with obvious regard for its subjects. Recommended.”
BARRY LANDY is a freelance journalist, based in County Louth. He is the editor of LouthNow.ie. His football reporting appears in the Irish Independent, Irish Daily Mirror, Irish Daily Star, The Irish Sun, The Irish Times, The42.ie, and RTÉ.ie among others. Barry is the former editor of The Emerald Exiles, a website dedicated to following the fortunes of Irish footballers plying their trade outside of the UK and Ireland. Emerald Exiles is his first book.
Follow the story @emeraldexiles
“Following Irish footballers - both male and female - around the world has been a passion of mine for years now and to have the opportunity to document just some of their stories in this book is a thrill. Choosing to pursue dreams of a professional football career in far flung corners of the world often speaks to these players commitment to what, as readers will find, is truly the global game.
Their journeys often make for fascinating insight into what drives players to move away from Ireland and the UK and to broaden their horizons in both a sporting and personal sense.”
