I was there…

THERE WERE MANY more glamorous and high-profile sporting events that took place in 2012.

Of course, it would be nice to have been there for Katie Taylor’s gold medal win or Leinster’s Heineken Cup triumph.

But it’s important to savour the small moments in life too.

Cork’s 0-0 draw with St Patrick’s Athletic in the Airtricity League last summer may not have been the most incident-packed game in the world, while there have been many matches this year where moments of sublime skill and technical virtuosity were in far greater supply.

However, I was happy to be there nonetheless.

There’s a special level of intimacy you get from League of Ireland matches that’s impossible to replicate on supposedly grander occasions.

If you arrive early at the stadium, as I did that day, you may well run into some of the players who will be taking part in the game.

If you’re sitting near the touchline, it’s possible to clearly hear nearly every word a manager says to his players.

Moreover, it’s been well documented that, in recent years, the League of Ireland has helped develop several players who have gone on to thrive in Premier League football.

So there is the added excitement of assessing the merits of certain footballers at these games, and speculating as to which individual could one day get a shot at the big time.

Indeed, one such player was on show during the Cork-Pat’s game on the occasion in question.

While Pat’s in general were not especially brilliant that day, Chris Forrester was on top form, justifying the hype that I’d previously heard from others, as the game at times felt like a private duel between himself and the Cork keeper.

So while I’ll never be able to say I was there for Leinster’s historic Heineken Cup win, perhaps one day I can recount how I watched Forrester before he was famous.

I wish I was there…

Some people may express relief that they refrained from travelling to Euro 2012, or regret that they attended it.

I, however, am sad to have missed it.

While Roy Keane would obviously disagree, I’m more than happy to adhere to the inherent Irish mentality of being happy just to be there (even though I’d like the team to adopt a different attitude).

There was something immensely heartening about the sight of thousands of Irish supporters singing passionately in unison during the Spain game, in spite of the fact that the team were on the cusp of exiting the competition prematurely and in ignominious fashion.

The defiance in the face of defeat shown by those eternal optimists covered in green paraphernalia was enough to move not just the people back home, but foreign onlookers too, who were amazed by the Irish fans’ uncanny ability to accentuate the positives of a situation come rain or shine.

And these moments are ultimately the reasons why people watch sport – that shared experience. The camaraderie that a game instills, irrespective of its outcome, is something for which the vast majority of us crave.

And at Euro 2012, these aspects of the game were illustrated in a truly spectacular manner.

2012 in general has reflected pretty poorly on football fans, with numerous high-profile incidents involving racism or spectators illegally entering the field of play during games.

We should be grateful, therefore, that the Irish team’s followers are a wonderful anomaly amid an increasingly toxic overall atmosphere.

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