When novelist, poet and playwright Dermot Bolger asked me to write a chapter, for a New Island publication, on what it’s like to be a fan of Derry City FC, I suggested he ask someone younger. Dermot insisted.

He knows my work. He added his name and the word ‘vibrant’ to the cover of my first novel, The Greening of Larry Mahon. He also knows my interest in Derry City FC. He’s a Shels supporter.

At the launch in Chapters Bookshop, off Parnell Square in Dublin, I met supporters of other clubs. Samantha Libreri, of RTÉ, writes about her family and Shamrock Rovers. Declan Lynch revisits St Mels Park in Athlone and recalls a near miss with AC Milan in 1975.

My chapter on Derry City FC starts with fans of AC Milan, Il Rossoneri.

Dave Duggan (second from right) in attendance at the Brandywell when Derry City FC knocked IFK Göteborg (Gothenburg) of Sweden out of the UEFA Cup in 2006.

placeholder image — Dave Duggan (second from right) in attendance at the Brandywell when Derry City FC knocked IFK Göteborg (Gothenburg) of Sweden out of the UEFA Cup in 2006.

The Italians can’t get over the fact that we’re not segregated. The game starts.

- Ref, you blind?

The referee is not blind. He’s Welsh. The four Italians, men and women, get wound up and shout.

- Chiavare, arbitro!

A dubious off-side decision leads to a kerfuffle on the pitch. A man in front of us turns around and calls

- Any of them Italians speak Welsh? Tell them to go out there and sort that ref out!

Something about that game goes to the heart of my experience as a fan of Derry City FC: the warmth; the fun; the welcome; the multi-lingual European dimension; a 2-1 defeat With applause, back-slapping, cheek-kissing and handshakes to end.

The Italians head to a B&B in Monaghan, en route to Dublin for a flight home. They have stories to tell other Rossoneri.

Dave Duggan has contributed the Derry City FC chapter to Glory Nights and Heartache, edited by Dermot Bolger.

That was a special occasion, even in defeat. The glory days are always special. Every trip to the Brandywell connects us to family, friends, to each other and to the city, in a form of local and universal exuberance. We go to the Brandywell in order to experience something ‘bigger’ than the day-to-day. And to do so with neighbours and fellow citizens.

Derry City FC provided an outlet, complicated, but generally safe. Bus runs to away games got families involved. Early in the 1990s, I took my children on a ‘Fanta Bus’, the designation for a no-alcohol bus. There was a sing-song. The front of the bus formed a singing team.

The back of the bus formed a singing team. Singers took turns to sing against each another. Frank Sinatra, Doris Day – Deadwood Stage. Thin Lizzy – whack fol me daddy o. Back and forth. Suddenly, we’re in Dublin.

The exuberance connects with a sense of liberation. We all like to step out of our day-to-day selves. Derry City FC provides a joyous vehicle for exuberance. It also connects with the concept of national liberation. It is truly liberation only when it is mindful of others. That means more than narrowing down to two flags, the Irish tricolour and the union flag, thus challenging racist flag-wavers of any ilk.

The city goes large on match day, especially for a big one.

Cars stream past me from the right, coming from the northern and western areas of the city – Shantallow, Galliagh, Foyle Springs, Whitehouse Park, Ballmagroarty. Cars with Donegal number plates pass too, bearing family groups wearing Derry City FC colours.

These Donegal supporters are from Inishowen, a natural hinterland of Derry, across the border. Finn Harps, the Donegal team, is further west.

I always favour local players. I’ve seen plenty. Felix Healy, Paul Carlisle, Harry McCourt, Kevin Mahon. You’ll have your own list of favourites. I wouldn’t be alone I saying that Liam Coyle is the best player I’ve seen in candy-stripes at The Brandywell. I remember a time when local children knew little about the club or about the players.

Four boys kick a ball about the maze of alleys, cut-throughs and small squares between my house and SPAR. It lands with a sullen bounce, then rolls to me. I trap it, pull off a modest Cruyff turn and chip it back to them, calling

- Back post.

The tallest boy nods it between the legs of the boy who doesn’t even know he’s in nets.

- Goal!

Cries go up. Arms rise. Questions come.

- Who do you support?

- Derry City.

The youngest two look blank. The keeper and the header have pity in their eyes.

- Who’s your favourite player?

- Liam Coyle.

These days, such a four are wearing Derry City FC shirts with ‘Michael Duffy’ on the back.

At the recent launch of the book, in Chapters Bookshop, Dublin, I was struck by the variety of stories from across the country. And by their similarities.

Historians, journalists and writers recount tales of attachment and the pleasures and pains of victory and defeat. A common lore, yet as varied as the club colours. I’m glad Dermot insisted I write the Derry City FC chapter. I’m in good company. His own introduction is a fine read. Individual club pieces are informative and engaging. A perfect winter read, for the off-season.

Enjoy it.

Glory Nights and Heartache, edited by Dermot Bolger, is published by New Island Books (2026, ISBN 978-1-83594-058-7) is available from Little Acorns Bookstore, Waterstones (Foyleside) and direct from the publisher.

Novelist and dramatist Dave Duggan lives in Rosemount. Journeywork, a creative life, a collection of essays (Nerve Centre, 2024, Spotify, 2025) was described in The Irish Times as ‘a celebration of resilience and artistic bravery’.