bluewonder
Well-Known Member
The amazing story of Glentoran's triumph in the Vienna Cup on the eve of the First World War will be retold in a BBC One Northern Ireland programme on Monday night.
'Belfast's Victory in Vienna: A Footballing Odyssey', which airs at 22:40 BST on BBC One NI and will be available on BBC iPlayer, is presented by Holly Hamilton and Glens historian Sam Robinson.
East Belfast, in the past a place of industry and from where some music and sporting greats hail, played a key part in promoting the city on the world stage.
The terraced streets of east Belfast were also home to a close-knit working-class community and the less familiar story of Glentoran's battle against the odds to be crowned Europe's first champions.
In 1914 the team - a group of part time footballers working men who worked in the city's shipyards and - were one of the most successful teams in Ireland.
The team left home in May to play in a tournament against Europe's leading football teams. Most had never left Ireland before this once-in-a-lifetime trip to Vienna, the cultural and entertainment capital of Europe.
IMAGE SOURCE,BBC SPORT
Image caption,
Holly Hamilton returns to the Austrian capital with the Vienna Cup
Over 100 years later, Holly and Sam retrace this incredible journey and explore how nothing, from an infamous pub crawl to a missing goalkeeper, would stand in their way of lifting what was arguably the first European Cup.
Glentoran's tale of the underdog going all the way in Europe's top competition barely registered in the newspapers of the day back in Belfast, but the Vienna Cup still has pride of place in the Oval boardroom.
The achievements of these men, some who then left Belfast for the trenches of the First World War, remains an important part of the club's history and folklore.
'Belfast's Victory in Vienna: A Footballing Odyssey', which airs at 22:40 BST on BBC One NI and will be available on BBC iPlayer, is presented by Holly Hamilton and Glens historian Sam Robinson.
East Belfast, in the past a place of industry and from where some music and sporting greats hail, played a key part in promoting the city on the world stage.
The terraced streets of east Belfast were also home to a close-knit working-class community and the less familiar story of Glentoran's battle against the odds to be crowned Europe's first champions.
In 1914 the team - a group of part time footballers working men who worked in the city's shipyards and - were one of the most successful teams in Ireland.
The team left home in May to play in a tournament against Europe's leading football teams. Most had never left Ireland before this once-in-a-lifetime trip to Vienna, the cultural and entertainment capital of Europe.
IMAGE SOURCE,BBC SPORT
Image caption,
Holly Hamilton returns to the Austrian capital with the Vienna Cup
Over 100 years later, Holly and Sam retrace this incredible journey and explore how nothing, from an infamous pub crawl to a missing goalkeeper, would stand in their way of lifting what was arguably the first European Cup.
Glentoran's tale of the underdog going all the way in Europe's top competition barely registered in the newspapers of the day back in Belfast, but the Vienna Cup still has pride of place in the Oval boardroom.
The achievements of these men, some who then left Belfast for the trenches of the First World War, remains an important part of the club's history and folklore.
next year maybe .
