Sports Letters: Irish conflict

Sir: I am amazed at you repeating Danny Blanchflower's assertion that when Northern Ireland played the Republic of Ireland in Dublin it was 'a first-ever fixture' (Sports Letters, 16 December).

For years and years, the two leagues played each other twice each season, both at Dalymount Park, Dublin and Windsor Park, Belfast.

Certainly, at Dalymount Park, Dublin, always played in March, the game attracted crowds of thirty thousand of so. The return game at Windsor Park was always played on an Easter Monday.

By Danny Blanchflower's own admission, in his book, he never considered himself good enough as a player to be selected for the Northern Ireland League] I am speaking of his time as a Glentoran player of course.

For your correspondent Mr Peter Hughes' information, when the Northern Ireland League played in Dublin they played in white shirts and black shorts.

By all means let's have Danny Blanchflower's anti-Irish quips, but try at least to keep them factual.

Yours,

JAMES GORMAN

Dublin