Never Ignored: Ollie’s Reds

10 years on from the original release, we are delighted to bring you a chance to hear ‘Never Ignored: Ollie’s Reds’ once again. This documentary from award winning producer Eoin Brennan brings us the story of one of Irish sports’ most remarkable figures, and perhaps the most dramatic tale of rise and fall in Irish sporting history...

This is the story of Shelbourne Football Club’s rise from a destitute club in the 1980s to coming within 30 minutes of the Champions League group stages in 2004, before an unprecedented, rapid fall in 2006 left the club drowning in debt and struggling for survival.

The programme examines how Shelbourne’s fate was intertwined to the bold, revolutionary and ultimately doomed vision of Ollie Byrne – the club’s owner, one time saviour and its most passionate supporter.

Going beyond Byrne’s time in football, ‘Never Ignored: Ollie’s Reds’ also tells the life story of Byrne, from his time managing bands, including Phil Lynott’s Skid Row, on the Dublin rock scene of the 1970s, to running nightclubs and a spell in prison.

A parable of Ireland in the Celtic Tiger years, Ollie Byrne and Shels displayed unbridled ambition and fuelled it with borrowings far beyond their means, and this story tells us not only about sport, but also wider Irish society during those years.

Through interviews with former players, managers, Shelbourne board members, staff and supporters, and Ollie Byrne’s family, this documentary brings us the story of one of the most colourful characters ever to grace Irish sport.

‘Never Ignored: Ollie’s Reds’ was written and produced by Eoin Brennan. Presented by and sound design by Neil Kavanagh. Edited by Eoin Brennan and Neil Kavanagh. Additional research and reporting by Shane Dawson.

The project was supported by a grant from the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland, as part of the Sound And Vision Scheme.

Archive audio supplied by RTE Archives and Libraries. The documentary originally aired on Newstalk in August 2014