Niall Quinn Part 1 - 35 Years Since Italia 90

Mary McAleese (0:00)

Changing Times, The Allenwood Conversations.

Mary Kennedy (0:04)

Sponsored by The MediLands Hotel in Trilly.

Niall Quinn (0:10)

I got to Dublin Airport Hotel, where the team were. So I'm queuing up to check in, and I was so thrilled, and I said, there I am. And he's kind of looking at me, and I nod. It's the first time, you know, this is it. I've arrived now at the big time, I'm going to play for my country. This is the great Jack Charlton. And he took his glasses, and he stopped the press, he said, hang on a minute, he said, Marys. And Marys said it was the number two. And he said, Marys, we haven't picked him, have we?

Mary McAleese (0:30)

And I was like, ugh.

Mary Kennedy (0:36)

You know, Mary, leadership is something we've talked about a lot on this podcast. And I know it's something that we're both very interested in. We've had wonderful conversations about what makes a good leader, whether it's on the pitch, in politics or in business. And I think we both agree it's not about success for oneself. It's about bringing out the best in others and seeing possibilities where others see challenges and also leaving a lasting impact. Do you think?

Mary McAleese (1:01)

That's exactly right. I think you're spot on. Today's guest, of course, is someone who's left a mark in so many areas of life and has led in every sense of the word. He's been a towering figure in Irish football. I'm sitting here beside him and just looking up at him sitting. I've got a crick in my neck. Not just for his skills and determination on the pitch or the fact that he is about seven foot tall, but for his vision well beyond that, whether it's scoring crucial goals, captaining his country, working to reshape the future of Irish football. He has always been about more than just the game.

Mary Kennedy (1:39)

Starting off in his youth in Cromwell and then heading off at a very young age to Arsenal, Manchester City and Sunderland and then on top of all of that, those are kind of dream gigs, aren't they? Dream teams.

Mary McAleese (1:52)

For sure.

Mary Kennedy (1:52)

And then becoming a national hero in a green jersey. His career has been extraordinary, but what's also impressive is what he's done since hanging up his boots. He's worked in football administration, in business and has a real drive to improve opportunities for young players in Ireland.

Mary McAleese (2:09)

But we know him as a man of deep, deep passion for progress, a commitment to doing things the right way in a way that makes us all so proud as Irish people that he's one of us. He has a belief in the power of sport to bring people together. And we're just thrilled to have him with us today.

Mary Kennedy (2:27)

We are. Do you recognize yourself and all that, Niall Quinn?

Niall Quinn (2:31)

I'm just grateful but mortified. I've gone a little bit red here.

Mary McAleese (2:34)

And that's the Irish.

Mary Kennedy (2:37)

Now, you're very welcome to Changing Times, The Allenwood Conversations. And you're welcome to Allenwood. And it's not too far from where you live. Sure, it's not.

Niall Quinn (2:44)

No, I'm in Strathen right now. So I know the area quite well. First got to know the area playing Gaelic football for Eadstown, coming down playing junior beam matches. And I'll always recall being told to, I brought three or four of the lads down, gave them a lift, being told to park the car just outside of Great Facing Home in case things got rough after them.

Any time I passed through Allenwood, I remember that. But no, they were great times. I came home and settled in Kildare. Nobody wanted me in the soccer world. No League of Ireland club came in and offered me a kind of, I suppose, a nice retirement. Instead I played for the local Gaelic football team and it was brilliant because I got to know the whole county. We were traveling every week or so to play a game and I had great teammates. So it was a new dressing room for me, but it had all the old characteristics of the dressrooms I've been in, if not better. And you develop a sense of character as a team. Your team character comes out and we, same highs and lows, just different league, different time, different sport. And great friends for life as a result from it, you know.

Mary McAleese (3:46)

How did you morph from that then? You have a very familiar background, don't you? For most of us, your background is in GAA. A strong GAA background. But what we all know you for, of course, is the sheer excellence of your career in soccer.