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London publican bans Irish drinkers from cheering against England in World Cup

None of that, now.

A LONDON PUBLICAN has banned Irish customers from cheering against England in the World Cup.

Galway native Ambrose Gordon has been living in London since 1961 and currently operates The Man of Aran in Harrow, London, a popular pub with Irish emigrants.

He explained to DailyEdge.ie that the ban stems from a desire to respect the English regulars that frequent his pub.

“I just want respect for the country we’re living and working in. We get paid in sterling every week and live in this country,” Gordon said.
There are about 40 English customers that come in here every evening, so I just laid down the law with the Irish and said, ‘Listen, lads. Nobody shouting for Italy or anything like that.’

Gordon has long been heavily involved with the London GAA scene, having worked with Robert Emmets GAA Club and screening GAA matches. But he has fond memories of the World Cup, including “Italia ’90, Jack Charlton and all that”.

Asked about the behaviour of Irish fans over the years and whether he had encountered much anti-English sentiment, he stated that they were mostly “well-behaved” and “respectful,” but that some of the younger Irish have “a chip on their shoulder”. He stated that this ban was mostly just a preventative measure, though.

And how did last night’s match between England and Uruguay go?

Last night, one guy got drunk and sang some song for Uruguay. He was a Liverpool fan. I quietly asked him to leave and there was no hassle after that.

A stalwart of the London Irish scene, Ambrose Gordon may be best known as having run an operation that involved smuggling VHS tapes of The Sunday Game to London in the 1980s.

Last year, it was the subject of a documentary on RTÉ Radio One entitled, “Sex, Flights and Videotapes”, a story that it is hoped will be adapted for the big screen.

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