I find it interesting how the public perception of what happened as opposed to what actually happened, even on very recent events (ie within the last three years) is often very different.
For instance, Roy Keane did not, in the final analysis, leave Saipan from choice. He was in fact sent home by Mick McCarthy. Despite this, a survey for the Sunday Independent shows that 55% of people believe Keane walked out on the squad (he had walked out – then been talked around into staying).
Another instance is a couple of comments in the Irish Times about the retirement of Cardinal Connell – Patsy McGarry comments on the row a couple of years ago about the Taoiseach and Ms Larkin hosting a reception in his honour. A lot of people seem to forget that the original instigators of that row were two clerics from the Church of Ireland who objected to the Taoiseach’s private arrangements, and said publicly that they had no intention of going to the reception in order to make the point. Seems a little unfair to blame the Cardinal for starting that particular row methinks!