Sunderland fans in visit after Stadium of Light friendships forged

A chance meeting in a Sunderland pub culminated in a recent visit to Meath by a group of supporters from Sunderland FC. During their stay in Navan, they visited Trim Castle and the Hill of Tara as well as several well-known hostelries in the area. Some of the group also attended the Meath senior Hurling Final in Pairc Tailteann. In February 2007, brothers Sean and Malachy Kelly from Navan attended the home match versus Southend Utd in the Stadium of Light, along with their children, Niamh, Fiona, Aisling and Ross. They had been attracted to the football club by the then manager, Roy Keane. Sean said he has a very vivid recollection of that first visit to the Stadium of Light. "My initial memory is the extreme cold of the day but that was more that compensated for by the atmosphere in the stadium and the friendliness of the people," he said. "We waited outside after the match in freezing conditions for what seemed like hours and met Roy himself, together with chairman, Niall Quinn, and this only added to the whole experience," he added. Later that evening as the brothers were sampling the local brew, they met up with three local lads and were immediately struck by the genuine warmth of their welcome to the city. Sean added that, within minutes of meeting up, they noticed how impressed these local fans were that somebody from Ireland would travel over and support their football club. By the end of a really fun night, an invitation was extended to return for another match and this was cordially accepted. The rest is history as this chance encounter has been the catalyst for a friendship to be created with an extended group of Sunderland FC supporters. Sean and Malachy still regularly attend Sunderland's home matches at the Stadium of Light.