Ronnie Whelan shares his remarkable League of Ireland upbringing as he followed his dads career

Ronnie Whelan can still remember the sounds and smells of a League of Ireland dressing room in the 1960s and 70s. His passion for the game was fuelled by his experiences as a young boy, when he followed his dad Ronnie Senior around the country.

Whelans access-all-areas lifestyle even extended to the great Manchester United side of that era, when they came over to Dublin for a friendly against a League of Ireland XI.

He later starred for the legendary Liverpool side of the 1980s, winning six league titles, three FA Cups and two European Cups. But the 53-time capped midfielder never forgot his roots in the Irish game, and the role his dad played in gently steering him towards stardom.

My Dad was playing for Drogheda at the time, he recalled. So I'd go on the bus, me and (brother) Paul would go on the bus to watch him play, the team bus, yeah.

You could feel all the things that were going on, fellas moaning after the game, the atmosphere in the dressing rooms. We'd be in the dressing room, me and Paul.

I'd had it for years watching my Dad in the playing League of Ireland and I wanted to be there. I remember he got me into the dressing room when Man United played at Dalymount. Man United played a League of Ireland team.

My Dad had been in a couple of Ireland squads and he knew Shay Brennan and Tony Dunne. That's when they were all in there. (I got into) the best areas, good moments.

At the time, Whelan was playing schoolboy football for Home Farm. There were other clubs between his Cabra home and Whitehall, but his dad felt Home Farm was the best place to play.

Speaking as Home Farm prepare to re-enter the League of Ireland in the new third tier, with Whelan coming on board as the clubs global ambassador, he recalled how life at the famous Dublin club was about more than just developing footballers.

I went about six years of age when I went up and started doing the mini-leagues in the summer. Then I signed in and stayed with them until I went away (to Liverpool at 18 years of age), he said.

I played for the first team. I made my debut when I was 16.Home Farm was a great learning ground. I mentioned it earlier. They tried to look after kids to make them better kids.

Football was part of it. We did training, we did everything like that. But they always wanted you to be a better person. It was Thank you. Everything was usually they tried to look after you as a kid and make sure you made the right decisions. That's why I love Home Farm.

I remember going to see them as a 14 or 15 year old on a Friday night under the lights and Tolka Park. That's where I wanted to be, that's what I wanted to do. I wanted to play under the lights. So we had good times.

His first taste of English football came while he was at Home Farm.

My first time in England was at Maine Road. Home Farm took us away at 12, Whelan recalled. "You come up the steps and then you're in the stadium. That's something thats always stuck in my mind. It's magnificent. It's Saturday afternoon. The lights are on. That was Maine Road.

That just builds everything up into you. I want to be here. It was always my ambition to go away. My mam and dad knew from very early that I wanted to get away.

Not to get away from home, but I wanted to play football. Fortunately I got the chance.

Whelans dad played for St Patricks Athletic as well as Drogheda, while he was capped twice by Ireland - in a European Championships qualifier against Austria and a friendly against England.

Everything that I did in football was because of my Dad, said Whelan Junior. He never pushed me madly into it. I'd have a ball, I'd go to the garden, I'd come in and say, Dad I did great, I kept it up 10 times. He'd go, Okay, go do that with your left. I'd have to go and do it on my left.

I'd be out there for hours trying to keep it up for 10 on my left. But it meant I was comfortable on either foot. My Dad always had me playing with both feet. I was always comfortable on either right or left.

That worked out well - as it was off Whelans left side that he scored his spectacular volley against the USSR at Euro 88.

Me Dad taught me that, he said with a smile.

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