Hannigan Dave: We Need to Talk About Roy [2026]

NO IRISH SPORTSPERSON IS MORE TALKED ABOUT THAN ROY
KEANE.
None has had more of substance to say for himself. Across nearly
four tumultuous decades, from callow teen prospect to grey
bearded influencer, Roy Keane has transcended sport, redefined
the parameters of fame and captivated the nation. Our hopes,
dreams and sometimes our despair have been wrapped up
in him, his exploits and outbursts. Oscillating between national
treasure and national argument, he put the manic in talismanic,
bestriding Lansdowne Road one minute, getting booed there the
next.
If the sporting heroes of every era offer a window into a society,
We Need to Talk About Roy is a fascinating portrait of who and
what we were in the age of Keane, showcasing our vices and
virtues, our fortunes and foibles. The best of us, the worst of us.
Drink. Religion. United. Begrudgery. The Celtic Tiger. Tabloidization.
Saipan. Touching on all the major themes and teams, this
remarkable book is a refreshing and entertaining look at how
the life and times of our greatest footballer is the story of modern
Ireland itself. His progress and pitfalls, revolutions and evolution
uniquely intertwined with those of the country that made him.
He is of Ireland. Ireland is of him.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS: Dave Hannigan is a professor of history at Suffolk County
Community College in New York, a weekly columnist with The Irish Times, and
author of several non-fiction books, including The Big Fight: When Ali Conquered
Ireland, and Muhammad Ali: Fifteen Rounds in the Wilderness. A native of Cork,
Dave currently lives in East Setauket, Long Island, with his sons Abe, Charlie and
Finn.