From The Emerald Island To The World: Mark Shanley's Creative Touchstone

This is a very old football signed by World Cup winner and Ireland football team manager (from 1986 to 1996) Jack Charlton that my Dad got for me when I was a kid.

Before Jack came along and guided us to two consecutive World Cup finals appearances nobody believed Ireland could compete on an international stage. Not just at football, at lots of things. Too small. Not ambitious enough. No self belief. We were just a little country on the edge of Europe full of unrealised potential.

Ironically these days the football team can’t really compete on an international stage anymore. But look at all of the other stuff we’re the best in the world at. We’re smack bang in the middle of a cultural and economic renaissance, I think, in a big way inspired by Jack’s Army’s exploits in the early nineties.

Having relocated to Dublin from London last year, this magnificent artifact reminds me every time that I look at it that you don’t need to be in London or New York or wherever else people think the centre of the universe is these days to compete internationally. You can do anything from right here in Ireland.