When Niall and Kevin O’Brien were going to school in Dublin in the 1990s, they kept their love of cricket to themselves.
For seven decades, cricket suffered under a ruling by the Gaelic Athletic Association that prohibited the playing or watching of “foreign” sports.
And whilst “The Ban” was finally lifted in 1971, the stigma surrounding what was perceived to be an English sport remained so acute that the O’Brien brothers’ trips to the Railway Union cricket ground in the Dublin suburb of Sandymount remained clandestine throughout most of their formative years.
Fast forward to this Friday, at a ground just 20km up the road from Sandymount, Niall and Kevin will be parading their skills at the highest level of the game as they line up in their country’s inaugural Test match against Pakistan.
On the eve of this historic occasion in Malahide, the BBC World Service’s Stumped programme has been charting Ireland’s journey to Test cricket and talking to Niall and Kevin about their starring roles in two of the team’s most significant victories.
But before we hear from them, let’s travel back to 1969 and an unforgettable day in the little-known Northern Irish village of Sion Mills.
The Miracle of Sion Mills
Midway through their tour of England in 1969, the West Indies travelled to Sion Mills for what should have been a routine hammering of a part-time Ireland outfit drawn from all corners of the Emerald Isle.
Instead, what transpired on that damp morning has become part of the folklore of Irish cricket.
Wicketkeeper Ossie Colhoun, a fitter at the local mill whose 700 employees were given the day off to watch the match, picks up the story.
“The West Indies arrived in a bus and went in to our pavilion, which was tiny, with one toilet and no showers,” the 79-year-old tells Stumped presenter Alison Mitchell.
“The two captains went to the wicket and agreed that whoever won the toss the West Indies should bat. Everyone thought the Windies would get three or four hundred for six and bowl Ireland out for about 30.
“But they had just been playing on a hard track at Lord’s and this track was damp and slow. So, when the two opening batsmen came out and tried to play their shots, they were through the shots too early.
“Three of them were out cheaply, then there was a run out, and then Clive Lloyd holed out. They just kept hitting the ball in the air and before we knew it we had them 12 for 9. It was hard to believe and even harder to explain.
“The last pair put on 12, so maybe we let them off the hook a bit, but I suppose 25 all out wasn’t bad!
“I think the local people wanted to see the West Indies putting the ball into the river. They had long poles and nets for fishing the ball out of the river. We didn’t know how many balls we were going to need, but in the end one ball did the trick.”
One of the legends around the match is that the Irish players plied their guests with Guinness the night before. But the truth, according to Ossie, is far more prosaic.
“Two or three of the Irish players were staying in the same hotel as the West Indians so as the local guy I agreed to take them to their hotel,” he says.
“When we got there the bar was closed, there was a night porter on and the West Indies boys were nicely tucked up in bed.
“There wasn’t any alcohol involved at all. It was a miracle, that’s what it was.”
Pakistan pummelled
If qualifying for their first World Cup in 2007 put Irish cricket on the launch pad, then it was their group stage victory over Pakistan that had them shooting off towards the stars.
After bowling out Pakistan for 132 on St Patrick’s Day, Niall O’Brien’s 72 helped Ireland to the finish line in a nervy chase at Jamaica’s Sabina Park.
“We were a bit of a motley crew,” recalls O’Brien. “We had a farmer, a painter, a decorator, a postman and I was one of only three or four professional cricketers. But we were a very talented bunch with a great work ethic.
“On that day there were grey skies and there had been rain around. When the covers came off, we couldn’t believe what we saw – it was just like playing at home.
“Their total was a low score, but we knew it would be a tough chase because they had a classy bowling attack.
“We just needed a good start and unfortunately we didn’t get that, but thankfully things clicked into place for myself.
“When I got myself stumped for 72, I thought I’d let the side down. Then back in the dressing room I heard a couple of roars because Kyle McCallan and Andrew White were both out cheaply.
“We still needed 18 to win and I was really struggling with nerves. Our coach Adi Birrell was too nervous to go out on the balcony, so he just watched it on the TV in the dressing room.”
Niall’s brother Kevin joined forces with captain Trent Johnston to take Ireland to within a single of the line. And the skipper decided to finish things off with a flourish.
“When Trent hit that six it was euphoric. I imagine it was like someone scoring the winner in the World Cup final, or FA Cup final,” continues O’Brien.
“You are so drained from the previous 45 minutes, to an hour. It was a class moment, an iconic moment, and it’s kind of set us up for where we are today.”