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Shades of Green: A Journey into Irish Football
Join acclaimed football writer Chris Lee on a journey of discovery around Ireland to learn about one of the world’s oldest soccer cultures.
How did Association football – denounced as a ‘foreign game’ by some – fair after the traumatic split of 1921?Who were the pioneering Irish players and coaches that helped spread the game around the world?What is the matchday experience like for groundhoppers?What’s happening in Irish women’s football today?Eager for answers, Chris travels around the island in search of historical stadiums, lost clubs, vibrant fan cultures, symbolic murals and more. From the tifos of Dublin’s oldest derby to George Best’s living room, Chris talks to fans, historians and academics to get the inside track on the Irish football story.
Along the way, Chris uncovers a complex tale of politics, identity and division, but also one of hope, reconciliation and glory.
How did Association football – denounced as a ‘foreign game’ by some – fair after the traumatic split of 1921?Who were the pioneering Irish players and coaches that helped spread the game around the world?What is the matchday experience like for groundhoppers?What’s happening in Irish women’s football today?Eager for answers, Chris travels around the island in search of historical stadiums, lost clubs, vibrant fan cultures, symbolic murals and more. From the tifos of Dublin’s oldest derby to George Best’s living room, Chris talks to fans, historians and academics to get the inside track on the Irish football story.
Along the way, Chris uncovers a complex tale of politics, identity and division, but also one of hope, reconciliation and glory.
272 pages, Paperback
Published September 2, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
March 22, 2025
Another fantastic book from Chris Lee.
Thoroughly researched, a very interesting and enjoyable read.
All his books are great and among the very best on football history.
Thoroughly researched, a very interesting and enjoyable read.
All his books are great and among the very best on football history.
March 19, 2025
Brilliant book,highly recommend it to all football fans, I support Cliftonville, a team in Belfast, which is mentioned in this book, love all the different stories football and non football related ones to ,some of the stuff I know ,some I didn't
April 27, 2025
The League of Ireland, frequently known by its acolytes by the only partly self-mocking label of “The Greatest League in the World ™”, has been enjoying an upsurge in popularity over recent years. With this new-found (and, arguably, long overdue) attention, the league surely merits football reportage of a comparable quality. That’s what Chris Lee is seeking to do in “Shades of Green”, a book which is half a potted history of Irish football since its foundation in the late nineteenth century, and half a groundhopping travelogue traversing Ireland.
Chris Lee does state at the outset of “Shades of Green” that the book is written with a non-Irish audience in mind, so much of the history of Irish football related here will be familiar to hardcore League of Ireland /Irish League fans. That’s why I – as a long-suffering Bohemians fan – found the strongest sections of “Shades of Green” to be those where Lee visits football grounds across the island of Ireland and talks to the fans who have kept their clubs alive during frequent spells of financial turmoil.
“Shades of Green” doesn’t merely focus on the League of Ireland; there is a compelling and comprehensive section on the Northern Ireland Football League, and Lee skilfully and sensitively deals with the impact of The Troubles on Irish football on both sides of the border. The oft-overlooked area of the Women’s game in Ireland is also examined by Chris Lee.
On the downside – and this was also an issue I had with Chris Lee’s previous book on anti-fascism in football – the book doesn’t have an index, which seems a perplexing oversight for a book so obviously steeped in historical research. But for anybody trying to get an understanding of Irish Football in all its chaotic, ramshackle glory, “Shades of Green” is a welcome introduction.
Chris Lee does state at the outset of “Shades of Green” that the book is written with a non-Irish audience in mind, so much of the history of Irish football related here will be familiar to hardcore League of Ireland /Irish League fans. That’s why I – as a long-suffering Bohemians fan – found the strongest sections of “Shades of Green” to be those where Lee visits football grounds across the island of Ireland and talks to the fans who have kept their clubs alive during frequent spells of financial turmoil.
“Shades of Green” doesn’t merely focus on the League of Ireland; there is a compelling and comprehensive section on the Northern Ireland Football League, and Lee skilfully and sensitively deals with the impact of The Troubles on Irish football on both sides of the border. The oft-overlooked area of the Women’s game in Ireland is also examined by Chris Lee.
On the downside – and this was also an issue I had with Chris Lee’s previous book on anti-fascism in football – the book doesn’t have an index, which seems a perplexing oversight for a book so obviously steeped in historical research. But for anybody trying to get an understanding of Irish Football in all its chaotic, ramshackle glory, “Shades of Green” is a welcome introduction.
August 30, 2025
All you need to know about football in Irish Isle. The book has a chapter dedicated to each province ( Connacht, Leinster, Munster, and Ulster). In those chapters the author talks about the most important teams, their history, ground and achievements. He also talks about his visits to tournaments and the atmosphere. There is s chapter on the influence of Irishmen on football around the world and women's football in Ireland. makes you want to visit a game.
June 5, 2025
Really fantastic book on the history and current state of Irish football. Chris really takes you on a journey and speaks to the right people to give their stories the true care they deserve. Loved it. A must for all football fans.
August 11, 2025
Comprehensive and insightful - learned a lot from this about a football culture I didn't really know much about before.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews