McCann has campaigned for decades against injustice and fought for civil rights in Derry. On Sunday he will travel with thousands of others for the FAI Cup final at the Aviva Stadium
Eamonn McCann remembers the first time. “The team that won the Cup in 1954: Heffron, Wilson, Houston, Brolly, Curran, Smyth, Brady, Delaney, Forsythe, Toner and O’Neill,” he says.
Read next: All-Ireland finalists set to clash in Allianz League opener while Division One champions Derry face Ulster rivals “I don’t know how important the men’s retreat is where you come from, but it was very important in Derry!The religious event, usually a time of prayer, reflection and reconnection with the almighty, was suddenly in competition with the Candystripes and the Cup.
Mahon would go on to star in goals for the Candystripes and is a regular with McCann at games these days.“I’m not able to walk all that far these days, so Eddie comes around in the car and picks me up in the car. Derry City were forced to leave the Irish League in 1972 over safety concerns as violence raged and the club was left in limbo for 13 years.“It wasn’t paranoia. Derry city the place was systematically discriminated against.
“If you kicked her, she would shout, ‘You’re kicking a wee girl!’ And this might be after she kicked you three times. So there was no equality of the sexes there!”They shared many of the same values and fought many of the same battles and McCann read a eulogy at McCafferty’s funeral last August.“At times she wouldn’t talk to me and at times I wouldn’t talk to her… because she was giving me such grief.
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