The 30th anniversary of Ireland's historic win over Italy at the 1994 World Cup passed earlier this week - though the memory of the Loughinisland massacre is a constant whenever one things of that match.
While the Irish team were recording one of the most famous wins in their history, a large crowd had gathered in O'Tooles Pub in the County Down village to watch from afar.
A few minutes into the second half, two UVF members stormed into the pub, which was almost entirely packed out with Catholics. Bullets sprayed through the pub, killing six of the patrons in O'Tooles and injuring a further five.
The massacre, a symptom of the tension and violence bred during the Troubles, remains one of the darkest events in Irish sporting history, with six innocent lives taken.
Events in the years since have commemorated the shocking events of Loughinisland in 1994, with the Irish team wearing black armbands at EURO 2012 when they once again faced Italy at a major tournament.
18 June 2012; A general view of the black armband worn by the Republic of Ireland players, in remembrance of the Loughinisland Massacre, which took place on June 18th 1994. EURO2012, Group C, Republic of Ireland v Italy, Municipal Stadium Poznan, Poznan, Poland. Picture credit: David Maher / SPORTSFILE
Tuesday marked the 30th anniversary of the massacre, and an amazing video posted to social media showed former Ireland player Niall Quinn visiting the pub, which still operates today, and singing for the patrons.
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Poignant video shared of Niall Quinn in Loughinisland pub
Twitter user Keith Gray shared a video this week taken on Wednesday night in O'Tooles Bar in Loughinisland.
Fair play to big Niall Quinn…Turned up Wednesday night in O’Tooles Bar Loughinisland Co.Down on the 30th anniversary of 6 innocent catholics slaughtered by the UVF..on the very same night Ireland v Italy USA 94 World Cup 💚☘️ pic.twitter.com/uZNZTPoXGZ
— Keith Gray (@TailorQuigley) June 21, 2024
The poignant video showed Niall Quinn engaged in a sing-song in the cosy County Down pub, almost exactly 30 years to the day since the horrific events of 1994.
Though Quinn was not part of the squad for the 1994 World Cup, he did play over 90 games for his country, and appeared at the 1990 and 2002 editions of the tournament.
Quinn's visit to the pub is a lovely gesture from such a legendary figure in Irish footballing spheres, on the anniversary of such a black day in the history of this island.
In the video, Quinn can be heard singing the Irish folk ballad, 'The Ferryman,' famously recorded by the Dubliners among many others.
The scenes of Quinn and the entire pub singing together on the chorus are a poignant reflection of the resilience shown by the people of Loughinisland in the years since the massacre.
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