– Niall Kelly reports from Paris
LONG BEFORE YOU could see them, you could hear them.
Paris’s packed weekend, with the Stade de France and the Parc des Princes sharing three Euro 2016 games in the space of four days, left Saturday as the city’s only night off. Stepping out onto Place de Clichy in the heart of the historic Montmartre district, it certainly seemed that way.
The corner bistros were just starting to hum with the first of the evening’s trade; no suggestion that there was so much as tiddlywinks contest taking place in the French capital, never mind the opening notes of a 51-part continental epic.
And through that moment of stillness, their voices carried, Pied Pipers rounding up anyone and everyone who would come and join them for a session.
COME.
ON.
YOU.
BOYS IN GREEN, COME ON YOU BOYS IN GREEN…
Around the corner, the crowd spilled through the front door of the tiny Harp Bar and out onto the street. Yards away but worlds apart.
With arms raised, plastic glasses raised, shoes raised, they bounced their way through every song in the book. The deity that is Gary Breen was worshipped, Will Grigg tossed aside in order to spread the word that it is, in fact, Shane Long who is on fire.
Wander a couple of hundred yards down the street to Le Chat Noir, the famous cabaret bar, and you can enjoy a soulful rendition of Peggy Lee’s classic, Fever — but honestly, where would you rather be?
The locals kept a safe distance, dotted around the edges of the party. Curious enough to stop and watch this scene unfold before them, not quite so curious that they would run the risk of being showered in the blend of sweat and half-drunk lager that inevitably comes with such overexuberance.
Even the Parisian bin men wanted in on the action, slowing their trucks to a near-crawl so that they could dish out high fives to the Irish fans closest to the road.
Meanwhile on the TVs watched by nobody, Wales marked their major tournament return in the best possible fashion — with a late winner and three points that will go a long way towards ensuring that they can stick around for the last 16.
Oh for a similar result on Monday night.
Then, for 90 minutes, the Irish and Swedes will be sworn enemies. We’ll even temporarily suspend our love of Zlatan.
But that’s then and this is now, so when a few pockets of Swedish supporters tried to weave their way through the crowd and back to more neutral territory, it was all hugs and no hate.
In that very moment, the contrast with events 750km south in Marseille was so striking that it hardly needs to be mentioned. For a third day, the tension between English and Russian hooligans and French police flared into street violence, and later carried over into the Stade Velodrome stands as the teams played out a 1-1 draw.
Here, the closest thing to a diplomatic incident came in O’Sullivan’s, another Irish bar a few doors down which sits in the shadow of the iconic Moulin Rouge windmill.
There, a half-dozen fans had passed up on the sing-song and sat perched around a small screen fixated on O’Moore Park and the only match that truly mattered.
So when an over-zealous staff member switched off Kilkenny v Dublin to take in the pre-match build-up ahead of England and Russia… well, that just wouldn’t do at all now, would it?
A compromise reached and the hurling restored, the bar started to fill in the minutes before the day’s final kick-off. Irish shirts of all colours and codes — don’t think we didn’t see you, Connacht Rugby and Kerry GAA fans — side-by-side with the Northern Irish, the Welsh, the Swiss and the Swedish.
The final notes of God Save The Queen were the cue for a renewed chorus:
COME.
ON.
YOU…
Truth be told, there was only a passing interest in the football, its cause not helped but a fairly pedestrian first half and the creeping sense of inevitability that one of England’s many chances would eventually crack the Russian resistance.
At the bar, there were some bewildered faces as the staff insisted that no, there hasn’t been a mistake with your change and yes, it does cost €7.50 for a pint.
It’s nearly enough to make the €12 burger and chips look like a steal. When in Paris, eh?
As Eric Dier finally gave England the lead, only to see Vasili Berezutski respond for Russia at the death, the Irish party raged on, many oblivious to the drama.
It’s the first night for a lot of these fans but there’s no holding back. It could be the start of something special.
The42 is on Snapchat! Tap the button below on your phone to add!
