Roy Keane shouts out famous Cork sweets in World Cup podcast

A lovely bit of international attention for one of Cork's most well-known family businesses

Roy Keane has been a busy man throughout this year's World Cup, from his punditry duties with ITV to the special run of Stick to Football podcasts, which are being broadcast from New York for this year's tournament.

However, if there's one thing you can say about Roy Keane, it's that no matter how busy or glamorous the life he's built for himself becomes, he's never forgotten his roots - and during a recent podcast, one beloved Cork business was put front and centre on set.

As Keano, Gary Neville, and Ian Wright discussed the latest results of the knockouts and the red card scandal that rocked the tournament, tubs of treats from Cork's oldest sweet shop can be seen on the table - a lovely little nod to one of Cork's most well-known family businesses.

A long-standing northside institution, there are few Rebels who grew up in the city centre who haven't tried the lovely offerings from Shandon Sweets. As a Mayfield man, Roy will have been no stranger to them growing up, and when he returns to Cork, he often quietly pops in to restock his supply.

Now, more than 5,000km away in New York, Roy was sent a refill of his favourite treats, and he once again brought them onto the podcast set to share them with his fellow hosts. As he arrived, Roy commented, "Sweets from Ireland, Shandon Sweets, the best, someone has sent me some."

Before they got down to discussing the events of the tournament, the trio had a casual chat about what England does better than any other country. It'll be no surprise that Keano took issue with the Englishmen's suggestions, and when Gary tried to claim the crown for the world's best sweets, Roy picked up a tub of Shandon's best and said: "You don't do these, though, do you?"

The family-run shop on John Redmond Street in the shadow of Shandon tower has been a landmark in the area for years, managed by father-and-son duo Dan and Tony Linehan, who make their own treats in the traditional way, using the simple ingredients of just sugar, sucrose, water and natural flavours. Shandon Sweets is now approaching its 100th birthday, as it was launched way back in 1929.

It's not the first time Roy's brought their sweets to the Overlap studio. Last year, he passed them around as they prepared for another episode of Stick to Football, and the treats received good reviews from his fellow hosts.

Handing them over, Roy explained: That's a famous shop in Cork. It's a proper old-fashioned sweet shop. Oh, it's class. I remembered speaking to [the owner] years ago, and he says, 'If we ever get too big, we lose what we are.' It's nice and small, a bit different."

While they all enjoyed the sweets, Jill Scott did take the opportunity to have a cheeky pop at Keano, commenting: "Established 1929. Same year as you, Roy."

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