For many Irish kids who loved sports growing up, supporting Manchester United or Liverpool is a rite of passage. Players like John O'Shea, Roy Keane, Ronnie Whealan, Steve Finnan, and others all helped attract a huge Irish following in those areas, and with that, many memories have and will be made at these grounds.
Many Irish kids will fondly remember their first time walking up the steps to see the Old Trafford pitch get wider and wider with every step. They'll imagine a scenario where one day they might score a feature for the famous club in Manchester.
However, the dreams often get dashed and rarely ever become a reality, but for some, the reality of being involved with United manifests itself in different ways.
Alan Keegan may be a name that is unfamiliar to some, but for many, he is a name and a voice that are synonymous with the famous ground in Manchester and around the world
Keegan, known as "The Voice of Old Trafford," has been working as the club's official stadium announcer for 25 years and has become a voice that every United fan will recognise as they sit in the stadium.
The Old Trafford legend has seen the club's highs and lows and, like many living in Manchester and the UK, has an Irish background he's proud of.
This month, the Irish Post sat down with "The Voice of Old Trafford" to discuss his heritage, his start at Old Trafford, and his experiences living his dream working for the famous football club.
The voice of Old Trafford - Alan Keegan announces the team line-ups to the fans. #mufc pic.twitter.com/D48UwWBr7z
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) August 26, 2013
Irish Post: What was your upbringing like, coming from an Irish family and moving to the UK?
Alan Keegan: "I had the most amazing upbringing. My parents came over from Leitrim in the 1960s to make a better living for themselves, and from a farming background, they came over here with four children. We were very lucky because my dad got a job, as most men did in those days, on a building site.
"My mom always worked in the shop, as they did in Leitrim, Ireland and when they came over here, they managed to buy a shop in a part of Manchester called Chorlton-on-Medlock and that's where I was raised in a shop with my brothers and sisters.
"Obviously, I was brought up with a lot of Irish accents and influences in a big Irish area, and obviously close to that was the local church, where I was an altar boy. The community was fantastic."
Irish Post: What was it like going back in the summer during the holidays?
Alan Keegan: "When I was back in Ireland, my six-week holidays would be spent on the farm with my aunts and uncles. Going back to Ireland was a great experience. I was milking cows and bringing in the hay. It was a totally different life from what I was used to living in the inner city in Manchester.
"I grew up very proud of my Irish roots, something that I've never forgotten about or denied. I was always very comfortable with it, and going back to working in the shop with my mom, she would say, 'If I was walking through the shop, speak to the customers, because they are putting food on my table.'
"It was a very working-class area, so whenever I would go through the shop, I would always say, "Hello, Ms. Murphy, or hello, Ms. Smith," and I think that's where I developed the people's skills or the "gift of the gab," as they say.
"My granddaughter's name is Clodagh, and I am very proud of my Irish background. I pioneer where I have come whenever I can. It's all come from my Irish roots."
Credit: Alan Keegan.comIrish Post: Was ending up at Old Trafford something you'd always planned?
Alan Keegan: "I wouldn't say it was always something that I wanted to do. It was something that I became aware of later on.
"I suppose if you were to condense the journey, back in the day, I used to do a bit of DJing at particular Irish weddings. Not everyone wanted Irish bands, but they wanted Irish music.
"Because of my upbringing and my Irish background, I could incorporate into my sets the likes of Brendan Shine or the waltz for the old-timers and the communities.
"I established myself quite well in the Irish community as a DJ, and I had a brilliant name called AK-OK. It sounded good in the 80s, but maybe we should have changed it."
Irish Post: What happened after that?
Alan Keegan: "So, what happened was that the BBC in Manchester gave lots of different communities their own slot, and I got one with the Irish community with a man named Eamon O'Neill. He moved on to bigger and better things, and I became the presenter, and I found myself on another radio station.
"This led me to speak at events and other things. I eventually found myself working at Manchester City because, when you have a mortgage and kids to feed, it's important. But because of this, I got a foot in the door, and because of this, I ended up at Old Trafford as the stadium announcer."
Irish Post: Talk to me about how you got the gig and how you felt.
Alan Keegan: "I still have two season tickets with my wife, and we used to go before we had kids, and we sat in the Stretford End. As the years developed, while working at City, I thought to myself, "I'd love to do that; I'd love to be the announcer."
"I had started working at United at Old Trafford, doing corporate hospitality, doing welcomes, and speaking gigs in a suite with executive members. I was in and around the club.
"I was put forward, and I had two interviews with the assistant secretary and the secretary at the club, and this was in the summer of 2000.
"There were four days of waiting in between the interview and the confirmation of getting the job, and it was the longest four days of my life, and I wanted it so much.
"I was over the moon to hear I'd gotten the job. I've been living the dream, and I can't believe it's been 24 seasons of an amazing journey, and I hope to get to 25 because I never thought in the beginning I'd be there 25 years later."
Irish Post: What was your first game like?
Alan Keegan: "My first game was Denis Irwin's testimonial against City. It was quite funny how I'd come from City and was doing the testimonial for Denis, and you know it was an amazing experience.
"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous. I was. I wanted it to be safe and simple, and I took on the words of Ken Ramsden, who was my boss at the time, and he said, "Remember, you're an information service; you're not playing in a red shirt, and the crowd has to come to see them." I've always remembered that.
"However, my first real game was against Newcastle in 2000 at Old Trafford, where Andy Cole and Ronny Johnsen scored, and it was an amazing night."
Irish Post: How has having one of the best jobs in the world affected your life?
Alan Keegan: "Getting the announcer's job has definitely changed my life. United have taken me all over the world. I've come from a working-class background—an Irish family in working-class Manchester. I've been everywhere with United, places I could only dream of: Japan, Hong Kong, China, Australia, Canada, and America. My life is so varied; it's unbelievable."
Irish Post: How does it feel to be recognised as the voice of one of the biggest clubs in the world?
Alan Keegan: "Yeah, it's an interesting scenario because I host a lot of events, so people do get to know you. I could also walk down the street, and some people wouldn't know you.
"However, when I am hosting an event, you will get people to come up to you and say, 'Hey, mate, are you the announcer at Old Trafford? I hear you every other week. I hear you, but I'm never close enough to see what you look like.'
"It's a nice feeling, but it just goes with the territory. I just love what I do."
Irish Post: What was your relationship with Roy Keane like?
Alan Keegan: "I was very lucky that I I met Roy on a couple of occasions. I wouldn't say I got to know him really, but I did events with him, and I have to say he was brilliant with anyone involved with the event and with me. I've since met him a few times and done stuff with him outside of United.
"He is one of my all-time favourite players, the Irish connection and I think he's a fantastic person who is very witty. You are now seeing that on TV. This wasn't seen on TV. He would have been a big favourite of mine."
Irish Post: Who was your favourite player you met while working at the club?
Alan Keegan: "Well, Keane would have been up there, and I'm not trying to say that I am a friend of his. I couldn't call myself that. He was always brilliant and professional with me.
"However, if you are looking at a player when it comes to an appearance event with sponsors and stuff like that, the best player for that was Juan Mata. He was just incredible. He was so polite, a lovely fella, had a fantastic personality, could speak well and was a great footballer."
Irish Post: What's your take on a former United player, John O'Shea, taking the Ireland job?
Alan Keegan: "Well, for one, I've always had a great relationship with John. There aren't many players to whom I would say, "I am a friend of theirs." However, if you did say that to John, he'd say the same.
"I was on the committee of the Manchester/Irish festival, and I needed someone to open up an event in Manchester.
"I approached him through the club and said, "Will you open it?". He did, so rocked up, shook hands, met everyone, etc. He's brillant.
"I suppose he's been cutting his teeth in that sort of environment. I think he suits it. Who else is there.? I just wouldn't want him to ruin his legacy."
Irish Post: What has been your favourite game while being the club's stadium announcer? Would the Liverpool 4-3 be up there?
Alan Keegan: "Well, listen for the atmosphere and for the sort of way it happened and how it panned out; that was an amazing end. It's definitely in the top 10. Everybody was celebrating in the dugout, going crazy.
"I've had some great memories over the years. Unfortunately, I missed the final in 1999. However, I had been to a load of away games that year but missed the final. I always vowed that if the opportunity came again, hail rain or shine, I wouldn't miss the next one.
"For me, in 2008, I was in Barcelona. We drew 0-0 in the first leg, and in the second leg, Paul Scholes hit a rocket into the east stand goal. It was just a great moment to announce that, but it was the longest 70 minutes of my life after that because Lionel Messi did everything, bar scoring.
"It was tough, but we held on, and announcing to the crowd that night, "We will see you, Moscow," was just an amazing feeling.
"I've had some memories: Rooney's debut hat-trick, Robin van Persie volleying the ball from Rooney's cross, and Michael Owen's winner against City. There are just too many to name."
Alan Keegan is a proud ambassador of St. Anne's hospice. A hospice in Greater Manchester that provides specialist palliative care for people with cancer and non-cancer life-limiting illnesses at all stages of their illness.
Follow the writer on @ConorDunIP on X
Credit: Alan Keegan.com