He was there to draw eyes away from the constant thrum of negativity, to deflect from the Irish performance and spin out a positive, breakthrough narrative. That social contract the Irish team had with their fans was sundered. Those defining qualities of this Irish team were missing. When people put their trust and ambitions into something larger than they are – such as an Irish team – the fall is hard. The hope is that of all the voices heard this week, Conan’s certainty was on the mark and that the character of this Irish team won’t fail again.

Source: The Irish Times February 13, 2026 07:30 UTC