As Messi hoisted the Cup into the air and Argentinians all around the world danced in elation, in Ireland we were chiming in between cheers to say “and did you know Mac Allister is from Fingal?”
If the ginger-tinged beard and tidy fade didn’t give it away, the buzz around Donabate last night certainly would. The North Dublin village which has been temporarily christened ‘Little Argentina’ was awash with blue and white as the Donabate Mac Allisters hunkered down to watch the final.
As you may have heard over the course of the tournament, Argentina star Alexis Mac Allister has roots in Ireland, as confirmed by his father and fellow professional footballer Carlos.
In an interview with The Athletic a couple of years ago Carlos spoke about the family’s Irish roots,
According to our family, we came from Ireland, rather than Scotland.
We came to Argentina, to a place called Pergamino, but that was three or four generations ago, and later my father and mother married and moved to a different place — Santa Rosa in the Province of La Pampa, which is where Alexis was born.
Speaking later to Argentinian publication El Grafico, Carlos said “I would love to see Ireland. Some day I will go.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/CluPvOgs7g0/
Alexis knows all about his Irish heritage too, as confirmed by RTÉ during the tournament.
On RTÉ’s Prime Time, distant cousin of Alexis Noel Mac Allister and another cousin Dickie McAllister in Buenos Aires spoke of their shared lineage with the star.
Mac Allister’s are in this area (Donabate) since 1690. Joseph was the first to go to Argentina in 1865.
Then he sent back for his two nephews John and William. One was eight and one was ten and we can never understand at that young age, how they got to Buenos Aires.
They settled in Pergamino because the Irish always clamped together up there and they still do.
Fingers crossed we see Alexis flashing a gold card to get himself into the Coppers VIP area sometime in the not-too-distant future. He wouldn’t look in any way out of place, let’s be honest.
Header image via Instagram/alemacallister
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