THE GRAPES AND Molly Malone’s Tavern are city centre pubs only a two-minute walk from each other.
But they could not be more different.
One belongs to the Irish diaspora of Sheffield, and those locals who simply enjoy decent porter.
The other is the kind of themed-bar happier to find a stag party a home.
If you’re from Ireland and have started to make a new life in the Steel City, you know that The Grapes is a safe refuge.
John Egan does, too, and in the years since his then club-record £4 million signing from Brentford in 2018 he has come to understand the nuances of the city.
Not to mention growing into a leader for club and country.
He turned 30 on Thursday and, with his fifth season at the club well underway, Egan would not have been in the mood to mark the milestone after Sheffield United gave up a late goal to lose away to Coventry City the night before.
Maybe victory at home to Norwich City this afternoon – which could take them back to the top of the Championship depending on other results – will put him in the form to hit the town.
Although with a new-born at home that might not be feasible anyway.
But the pull of The Grapes, and the people there, is strong.
Ann Flynn and her family have run the pub since 2001 and her two passions are on show: music and John F Kennedy.
One of the snugs off the bar has memorabilia lining the walls of the 35th President of the United States.
The other is ‘The Trad Room’, where musicians from all around the city and further afield will come for a nightly ceol sessions – with matinees on the weekends.
Egan, along with Enda Stevens and former Blades midfielder Stephen Quinn are no strangers to The Grapes.
Either are the Arctic Monkeys, who played their first gig in the pub in 2003, in the upstairs room which is now where Ann lives.
It is a celebrated Irish institution, a place that relies on word of mouth more than marketing.
If you play for Sheffield GAA club St Vincent’s, for example, The Grapes is the venue for the post-match fallout.
It is the ‘Trad Room’ where Egan has been known to frequent, mingling with members of St Vincent’s who, no doubt, remind him of his own community at home in Bishopstown.
He has lent support to fundraisers and while some club presentation events have fallen during international windows – his 26 caps for Ireland make him the club’s most capped international player in history – he has always backed them when he could.
He is now the regular captain of United (Billy Sharp remains club skipper) and it is a role he has taken on with Ireland under Stephen Kenny now that Seamus Coleman’s playing time has been reduced.
“John’s level of consistency goes unnoticed in my opinion, during my time as manager of the football club he has been a rock, more so when you take into account his availability and reliability,” Blades manager Paul Heckingbottom tells The42.
“On top of that, his leadership qualities have grown, both in terms of leading by example and being vocal. He’s been a top quality performer for this club and Ireland for a number of years and hopefully it continues.”
Egan is a man of his community in Sheffield, but not just with his occasional presence in that city centre pub enjoying a sliver of home comfort among those who also love to sing and play music.
Move west, out to the suburbs and closer to the Peak District where he is fond of hikes and walking his dog, Egan can be found enjoying pick-up games of basketball with George Baldock and Sander Berge, teammates who have also become close friends.
Sheffield is a city that also has a village feel, so while shooting hoops on a public court doesn’t go unnoticed it also doesn’t cause a stir.
That friendship with Baldock blossomed early into their time together, when Egan would arrive to the training ground with his car loaded full of O’Neill’s Gaelic footballs as well as hurleys.
Old habits die hard, after all.
The full back got a feel for the ash quickly, while following Berge’s arrival at the start of the 2020/21 season, in which they were relegated from the Premier League, the midfielder also struck up a friendship with Egan.
It has even been noticed around the club, on occasion, that the Norwegian has developed a Cork-Kerry tilt to his accent – one example being that his pronunciation of ‘shite’ sounds like ‘shoite’.
Coincidentally, Egan will likely come up against his friends for their respective countries – Ireland face Norway in a friendly next month while Baldock, who has become a Greece international after declaring through a grandparent, is set to be part of Gus Poyet’s squad during next year’s Euro 2024 qualifiers.
Football is Egan’s livelihood, GAA his first love and basketball a fun hobby.
He also has a grá for golf and there is a burgeoning relationship with reigning US Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick – the Englishman hails from Sheffield and is a die-hard Blades supporter who has enjoyed chats about their respective careers over coffee.
Fitzpatrick also lives in the same Florida complex as Shane Lowry so do not be surprised if that trio enjoy a casual round together at some point in the future.
It’s one which, had the summer transfer window gone differently, could have ended with Egan returning to the Premier League.
A deal to West Ham United worth in the region of £12 million was rebuffed by the club as they attempted to maintain a strong core in order to push for promotion.
Egan didn’t kick up a fuss and, given loyalty to those he works for is a value of utmost importance, he has got down to work.
Not that the relationship between player and fans has been without its bumps in the road. When they secured promotion to the Premier League under former boss Chris Wilder, Egan showed his musical side by coming up with songs to celebrate the achievement.
The Grapes, you will not be surprised to hear, was one port of call.
There was also the moment to confirm his hero status when a new mother introduced her son and revealed he was named in the defender’s honour – somewhere in Sheffield there is now a toddler in pre-school with the first-name Egan.
When Wilder ear-marked his signing from Brentford five years ago it ended up being a club record – the £4m deal putting the pressure on to make an instant impact.
That he did, becoming the lynchpin in the centre of a three-man defence that captured imagination by having the overlapping centre backs either side – fitting as they galloped towards the Premier League.
And as Egan has become a more dominant presence at the club, carved in steel with a heart of gold, he has joined Sharp and Ollie Norwood in the club’s leadership group.
“He is probably the most undervalued and underappreciated player there is,” Sheffield Star reporter Danny Hall explains.
“No one really talked about him when [Chris] Basham and [Jack] O’Connell were going forward but he (Egan) was the one who made it work. He organised it all.
“Now, when he has bad game, it is highlighted because he has been so consistent, and his performances have been so good than when he falls below an eight out of 10 fans notice.”
Last weekend against Blackpool at Bramhall Lane was a prime example, a madcap game that ended 3-3 and saw the visitors reduced to nine men.
Egan inadvertently directed an attempted interception into the path of a Blackpool player to score in the first half and when he later responded by trying to gee up the crowd it did not quite get the reaction he was hoping for.
“I think it will be one of those where the fans won’t know what they’ve got until he’s gone,” Hall reckons.
“They could soon be listing out all these traits they need in a centre back – commanding, consistent and someone who drives the team on – and they will be listing all the things John Egan does for the team.”
Club legend Tonny Currie – who has a stand named after him at Bramall Lane and will also be speaking to fans in a suite bearing his name today – has seen it all at the club since first playing for them in 1968.
“He’s the name you want to see on the team sheet,” Currie tells The42. “Along with three or four more, John is always on the team sheet. He is Mr Reliable, Mr Consistent, and the fans love him too.
“He can hit some great passes too. I would put him up there with Chris Morgan who was our Captain Fantastic [under Neil Warnock] and we had Phil Jagielka of course too. Paul Stancliffe was another great centre back.
“John is on a par with those names, he has been excellent. All the fans want here is for you to give everything you have and work hard. John does that, and he has quality too.”
Sheffield has been the making of him, but at 30 there are still challenges to be embraced.