Barry Landy is a freelance journalist from Ardee with a passion for Irish football. So, when he pitched the idea of writing a book about how Irish footballers have made their mark on the international soccer scene, it was more a gesture of hope than expectation.
Needless to say, when New Island Books took him on to write the book, he was over the moon. Today the book, it’s called “EMERALD EXILES, How the Irish Made Their Mark on World Football”, has been published.
“Following Irish footballers – both male and female – around the world has been a passion of mine for years now and to have the opportunity to document just some of their stories in this book is a thrill” he said.
“Choosing to pursue dreams of a professional football career in far flung corners of the world often speaks to these players commitment to what, as readers will find, is truly the global game.”
From Miami to Myanmar, North Carolina to Cyprus and all points in between, Irish professional footballers – male and female – have enjoyed success and adventure far beyond the traditional route of the Irish and British leagues.
Emerald Exiles is the first book to chart the careers and gather insights from the Irish players and coaches who have made their mark on Continental, American and Asian football.
For generations, Irish footballers would leave Ireland behind in the hopes of carving out a future in the professional game, with many finding an opportunity – in the Premier League, the Scottish Premiership, or increasingly, in the numerous British leagues below those.
In recent years a new group of players – lead by elite women footballers – have looked to the United States, the Benelux countries, and as far away as Asia, to secure first team football, earn their living and advance their careers: Denise O’Sullivan and Diane Caldwell both starring in NWSL in the US, and Josh Cullen is with Anderlecht.
Profiling the careers of players and managers from the turn of the twentieth century to the modern day – including Jack Kirwan, Anne O’Brien, Liam Brady, Claire Scanlan, Robbie Keane, Cillian Sheridan, Stephanie Roche and Louise Quinn – Landy’s book delves deep into what drives the Irish to take their careers abroad, whether that is in elite European leagues, emerging global markets or far-flung outposts on the fringes of world football.
Emerald Exiles shows the impact of the Irish footballing travellers on the global game, looking at pioneers like Kirwan, a Dublin inter-county GAA player who became Ajax’s first ever manager, Barcelona’s saviour Patrick O’Connell, ground-breaking professional star Anne O’Brien, and on to more modern heroes like Brady, Keane and O’Sullivan.
Featuring exclusive first-hand interviews with over a dozen key players, Emerald Exiles, a unique analysis of Ireland’s mark on world football and the individual stories behind it, is published today by New Island Books.
Barry Landy is the editor of LouthNow.ie, his football reporting appears in the Irish Independent, Irish Daily Mirror, Irish Daily Star, The Irish Sun, The Irish Times, The42.ie, and RTÉ.ie among others.
