French tourists are ready to come back to Ireland in their droves, because we’ve finally got over the infamous ‘Hand of Henry’ incident from nearly three years ago.
It seems that it wasn’t the miserable weather or the exorbitant prices that stopped our Gallic brethren from visiting these shores in the last couple of years; they stayed away out of a fear of some sort of vengeance over one of the darkest days in the history of Irish football.
So says Pierre Josse, editor of well-known French travel guide Le Guide du Routard, but Josse says that since all that Henry business is forgotten about, he is encouraging a Gallic invasion of sorts over the coming years.
“I am urging French readers not to dwell on the Thierry Henry incident at all,” Josse is quoted as saying in the Irish Times.
“I think many changed their travel plans immediately after the World Cup play-off and went elsewhere.
“But time is a healer and besides that my message is that Irish people are extremely fair and forgiving and will not hold a grudge.”
Following that moment of injustice in Paris in November 2009, Henry was something of a hate figure amongst Irish supporters, and judging by the vitriol spewed on Liveline in the days afterwards, the ill-feeling spread to the ordinary members of the Irish public with little or no interest in the fortunes of Trap’s Army.
As Roy might say, all credit to Josse as he admitted that had the roles been reversed, a reaction stronger than the sneering and aloofness often associated with the French would have been expected.
“I want French people to know they needn’t worry in the slightest about it,” he added.
“If the situation was reversed, though, I have to say that I think French people would still be upset and angry about it.”
French visitors are the fourth most common tourists to this country; indeed, Josse himself has been here over 40 times, although he did admit that we were a little stuck up our own behinds during the good times.
“I personally love Ireland and know the country very well,” he said.
“But I found people, particularly in Dublin, pretty rude and vulgar during the Celtic Tiger. They lost their spirit.”
Being called rude and vulgar by a Frenchman? God, we must have really lost our way.
