We asked: How was Italia ’90 for you?

The three winners of last night’s competition to meet Packie Bonner at the launch of his autobiography The Last Line in the Smock Alley Theatre, Lower Exchange Street, Dublin 8 at 8pm next Thursday were:

Rose: “My abiding memory of Italia 90 involved…my mum cutting up every old shirt or bit of fabric that she had with even a hint of green, white or orange in it and making it into lengths of home made bunting to drape the front garden. Best dressed house on the street!!
This ticket would be for her….huge fan!”

Dash Rickwood: “My abiding memory of Italia ’90 was getting Packie to sign my shirt when they were training for the Holland game. I was 13, he was enormous and I knew right there that something great was going to happen.”

Spud1: “Involved me getting my lovely Penneys  ‘Give it a lash Jack’ t-shirt covered in Cavan Cola as we, and my other young cousin, bounced around like mad after Packie saved that peno while watching it in my Grannys house. We were full of sugar and excitement… and it seemed the grown ups dancing around us were too.”

Runners up:

Fluffybiscuits: “My abiding memory of Italia 90 was sitting in the armchair in the shoot outs of the second round against Romania. Daniel Timofte had just fupped up and we waited and waited for what seemed like an eternity. David O Leary took the ball and looked really nervous and smashed it home. My father for one of the few times in his life cried as did I (I was 8) and my mother. Even now I still feel the lump in my throat thinking about it. Our neighbour Nora who lived up the road was in her 70s and she skipped down the road crying. It was like a tsunami of tears. Regardless of not winning tickets or not its a nice memory that I needed on and its just put a smile right back on my face….:)”

The Old Boy: “My abiding memory of ‘Italia ’90 involved a piss-up in a brewery during the Ireland v Romania match. My memory of that evening, however, sadly no longer abides.”

Continuity Jay Z: “My abiding memory of Italia 90 is Pat Bonner’s mammoth fupp up on Roberto Donadoni’s drive to allow Scillachi to deprive us of a semi final place.”

Thanks all.

Packie Bonner At The Smock Alley Theatre

Yesterday: Shake The Hands Of God

Thanks Katie