Something special has been brewing in Irish football. On Thursday, Shamrock Rovers have the chance to become the first Irish side to reach the last 16 of a European competition since 1980 when they host Molde in their Europa Conference League playoff second leg, with a 1-0 advantage.
On Sunday the League of Ireland’s attendance record was smashed, as more than 33,000 people watched Bohemians v Shamrock Rovers at the Aviva Stadium. Last month Mason Melia, a teenage St Patrick’s Athletic striker, was signed by Tottenham for an up-front fee of €1.8m (£1.5m), tripling the transfer-fee record from the League of Ireland (Liam Scales’s €600,000 move to Celtic in 2021).
