JUST ONE BIG PARTY (1994)
| Currently out of print |
It was – as the New York Irish Echo put it – a “Pizza Cake”. At 4.10pm on June 18 1994, Ray Houghton scored the most glorious goal of his career, when he lobbed Italian keeper Pagliuca to give Ireland World Cup victory over the mighty Azzuri.
Amid the screaming and leaping (and singing and shouting and stomping) Giants Stadium crowd was Irish News reporter Garbhan Downey, whose mission was to send home a fans-eye view of the biggest party every staged.
This new book – drawn largely from Downey’s snappy American Log in the Irish News – follows the Derry hack as he experiences the joys of New York, the lows of Orlando, and the public houses of both.
If you enjoyed USA ’94 first time round, you’re sure to enjoy it again from Downey’s sharp, satirical and (mostly) lucid perspective.