The greatest number of Irishmen I’ve ever seen in one place.

Loftus Road stadium 30 years ago for the world title fight between Barry McGuigan and Eusebio Pedroza. In 1985, boxing was huge and the troubles in Northern Ireland were at their worst. Yet McGuigan, from Ulster but resolutely non-sectarian, was fanatically supported by Catholics and Protestants alike. Loftus Road isn’t far from Kilburn which had the biggest Irish population in Britain. 27,000 people were crammed into QPR’s tight little stadium, half of whom had come over from Ireland. The noise was like nothing I’ve ever heard before or since. Pat McGuigan, Barry’s father, in the ring singing Danny Boy, had hardened Irish navvies weeping into their Guinness. Fifteen rounds later when McGuigan was declared the new World Champion, you knew this wasn’t just a sporting occasion but a real moment in history. And because the Barry McGuigan united both sides of the sectarian divide, this celebration of violence was, ironically, a celebration of peace.