A mixture of "history, coincidence and fan engagement" have led to a historic friendly soccer match between Drogheda United and Turkish side Trabzonspor in Turkey this evening.
The Drogheda side have travelled to Trabzon to play the match in the 40,000-seater Papara Park.
A similar attempt to play the Black Sea club in Dublin 13 years ago was cancelled due to rain.
This is the first time Drogheda United will have played in Turkey, and a special commemorative jersey will be unveiled to mark the event and the ties between the two regions.
Chairman of Drogheda United's Advisory Board, Conor Hoey, said while there is history between the two nations dating back to famine times, the links between the clubs go back nearly 20 years.
"As clubs, we've really come together over the last 20 years. We share the same colours, the claret and blue. The fans met on the internet and built up a relationship.
He said that Drogheda United is one of three clubs "adopted" by Trabzonspor as one of their "sister or brother clubs".
"Around 2009, when we were in financial difficulties, we got envelopes over from fans in Turkey, with money literally falling out of them, trying to help us out. That was the start of the relationship between us."
"It was very much built online. The majority of our followers online actually are based in Turkey, which is extraordinary."
Mr Hoey said the club wants to build on that relationship.
"We see commercial opportunities off it as well, which will help to be the foundation for this club as we move hopefully to a new stadium in the coming years," he said.
"It's a mixture of actual history and coincidence and fan engagement and online engagement and it's all coming together for this match," he said.
The star and crescent
The star and crescent emblem of Drogheda United, which is also found on the town's crest, give us the first clue about a possible link to Turkey, as it is also on the Turkish flag.
However, its origins date back to medieval times.
According to community historian Brendan Matthews, the town crest, which features the star and crescent, was given to Drogheda when it was founded in 1210 under the reign of King John.
He had adopted the symbol from his brother Richard I, who obtained it from an expedition to the island of Cyprus, and today, it is the crest for Drogheda United FC.
By coincidence, hundreds of years later during the famine, three ships from the Ottoman Empire sailed up the River Boyne and into Drogheda in May 1847, to deliver grain to merchants there.
One of the ships stayed in Drogheda for three weeks.
This commercial activity happened during famine times, and at a time when Brendan says the records show many people from the west of Ireland had descended on the port town for help and onward passage.
It is from this event that stories about these ships started, with many believing that aid was delivered to Drogheda in the form of grain.
Brendan says it's a "long standing local tale" that first emerged in the 1930s, when "rumours came from older people that we got help from Turkey in the famine".
"The tale is that the food was sent by the Sultan Abdulmecid, because he wanted to contribute to the Irish famine. He wished to contribute £10,000, and that's a known fact, from his aid who did his memoirs in 1851. He was told he couldn't give any more than £2,000 because Queen Victoria had given £2,000. So, he gave £1,000 sterling and there is a hint that he gave more. There are little hints he gave more. People say it was food, others say it was money, but it was undocumented."
"Perhaps as little as 20 bags of grain, fed among 100 people could be enough to start that tale that we were fed by the Turkish people," he said.
Brendan says that reports in several newspapers, including the London Morning Post in 1847, record the Sultan's £1,000 donation and his wish to give more, while an account by his aid in 1851 also mentions food coming to Ireland.
A report in the Belfast Newsletter in 1853 credits the Sultan for contributing "to the relief of our famine-stricken countrymen".
"In my opinion, was food delivered to Drogheda? Yes. Was food delivered by the Sultan on the 'QT'? I can't say that. But then again, if the document doesn't exist, and it was on the 'QT', we're probably not going to find the document anyway," said Brendan.
"It's a belief held locally. Local people are adamant their grandparents had related that story back," he said.
The match
All that history and legend is the backdrop for tonight's match in Trabzon.
It's Edwin Agbaje's first season playing for Drogheda United, and he says the game is "very exciting".
"It's a long time coming. Now it's finally set, everyone is excited for it to happen," he said.
They're now faced with the prospect of possibly playing against international football star and former Liverpool player Mo Salah, who recently signed for Trabzonspor.
"It would be a really good challenge. They have a lot of top players. It's going to be a challenge for all of us. If Mo Salah was playing, it would be a good test for all of us, specifically the defenders."
As a right-back, does he think he can take on Mo Salah?
"I back myself! You have to be confident, and we can enjoy the experience," he said.
The match is taking place during a three-week international break this September.
It is ideal timing, according to club CEO Rían Wogan.
"We're in the middle of a pretty hectic schedule for the Leage of Ireland season. They players have been focused on the League fixtures and making sure we retain our position within the premiere division of the League of Ireland.
"It's only now that they're starting to get their heads around this three-week break; we need a game anyway, as three weeks is too long without a competitive game."
He said it was a great opportunity for the players to play Trabzon, a team with "international stars", and in a 40,000-seater stadium.
Business opportunities
The fixture is being used as a chance to kickstart some economic and business opportunities.
Hubert Murphy, CEO of the Drogheda District Chamber of Commerce is also travelling to Turkey for the match, but has some meetings lined up too.
"For us, it's about flying the flag for the town and the M1 corridor. Getting the name out there," he said.
Mr Murphy will be meeting with the Trabzon Chamber of Commerce and the Black Sea Exporters Association.
"To link in with them is significant. For us, it's a fact-finding mission to get into the area and see what opportunities are there for us and our members."
In terms of the types of business or trade he would like to see grow from the area, Mr Murphy said it was "very open".
"Tourism, business; we'd love to see Drogheda as a base for European and worldwide companies," he said.
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