
Why some people fail and some succeed. The story of Roy Keane and Ireland
From Free State with Joe Brolly and Dion Fanning by Gold Hat Productions
April 18, 2026 · 55 min · Episode 372
About this episode
The episode explores the motivations behind Roy Keane's success and his relationship with Ireland, featuring insights from author Dave Hannigan.
As a young Roy Keane headed on the train to Dublin from Cork for a coaching course, he saw some railway workers toiling by the track. ‘Look at them fuckers out there and they’re going like the hammers,’ he said. ‘I have to make it as a footballer.’ On Free State today we look at what drives a man like Roy Keane and how is the boy the father of the man? Dave Hannigan, author of We Need to Talk About Roy, discusses how Ireland and Keane have got along and not got along. He explains the force that took him from Mayfield to England when many expected he would soon be back. But Keane stayed and succeeded in ways nobody could have imagined. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
People in this episode
Hosts: Joe Brolly, Dion Fanning
Guest: Dave Hannigan
Topics covered
- success
- failure
- sports
- Roy Keane
- Ireland
- coaching
Keywords
- Roy Keane
- success
- failure
- Ireland
- coaching
- sports
- Dave Hannigan
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Ireland, Gold Hat Productions
Places: Cork, Dublin, Mayfield, England
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