In a long and distinguished diplomatic career, Declan O’Donovan served as Ireland’s ambassador to Japan from 1995 to 2001. The film Saipan raised a question in his mind which he is still searching to answer. He tells Dion Fanning what it was.
Fact, myth, and truth blur in the retelling of 2002, but what remains is a revealing portrait of extremism, identity, and belonging.
The former Ireland soccer manager is seemingly unimpressed with the portrayal of him in the upcoming movie Saipan, but there's still a big audience for his plain-talking views – these days via a hit podcast.
The roots of Saipan were not to be found in the decades-long incompetence of the FAI or in the idea that it was a clash between the old Ireland and the new. The roots of Saipan, if there were any at all, could more conceivably be traced to a police cell in Manchester in 1999.
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