Oh My Word!

The last four-and-a-half months have taken a toll on us all. Livelihoods have been toppled, mental stability shaken. But perhaps it is inappropriate to speak of inner turmoil when so many have paid the ultimate price.

Never again should we allow the importance of sport to be called into question, or the flippant "it's only a game" cliché be uttered. Football is lots of brilliant and wonderful things and, perhaps more than anything, it is escapism. If recent months haven't taught us the value of an outlet that offers an escape-of-sorts, it is unlikely anything ever will.

Tonight, competitive football returns to Richmond Park for the first time since the abrupt halt. In normal circumstances, one might say it's great to be back, but that would offer a false impression of the landscape, which remains deeply altered. No spectators are permitted to enter the stadium, but at least we can watch the action unfold on a streaming service, which feels like a belated, quantum leap into the same era as richer, more illustrious yet more detached leagues across the continent.

Nothing beats being there, in one of the most atmospheric venues in Irish sport. Richmond Park is not just a ground where football matches take place. That is merely its base function. It is a unique amphitheatre dripping with tradition that comes into its own once populated by seasoned zealots. It is just one of several iconic places within a short radius: Richmond Barracks, Kilmainham Gaol, the Royal Hospital, and the War Memorial Gardens to name but four. This is a time for renewing our appreciation for live sport and culture on our doorstep. Upon reopening to full capacity, the aforementioned quartet should all be viewable on a day pass that climaxes with a visit to Richmond Park on match-day.