David Bentley gets warm welcome in Crossmaglen

Crossmaglen native Aaron Kernan has welcomed former England soccer international David Bentley to his home town but admitted that he mightn't have been welcome there 20 years ago.

Ex-Spurs and Blackburn Rovers winger Bentley is in Crossmaglen to play Gaelic football as part of a unique cross-code initiative.

Kernan, who recently retired from intercounty football, will move in the opposite direction to train with Premier League side Sunderland.

Bentley quit football at just 29 last summer, claiming he’d fallen out of love with the game. He arrived in Crossmaglen on Monday night to give amateur sport a try as part of a documentary that will air on TV3 on March 9th.

Exploring town

Kernan said Bentley had been happily exploring Crossmaglen on foot, something that may have been risky for him as an English man in the past. The south Armagh town is a republican stronghold and historically railed at the presence of a British army base there next to the successful GAA club.

Asked if Bentley knew Crossmaglen’s political history, Kernan said he wasn’t sure but insisted these were “changed times”.

“He got stuck into it straight away. Apparently as soon as he arrived on Monday he started walking around the streets, chatted to a few locals, went into the shops and that,” said Kernan.

“These are changed times. I know it mightn’t have been that great for an English man walking around the streets 20 years ago, but we’ve moved on well from that.

“The most pleasing thing from our point of view is the excitement that’s built from him coming and how he’s been welcomed. We want to show the best of what Crossmaglen has to offer and how warm and welcoming we can be as a parish.

“So that’s been brilliant so far. To hear that he has enjoyed his first night with us and that there is that excitement around the town and the club is fantastic.”

Kilkenny's eight-time All-Ireland medal winner Jackie Tyrrell will also team up with a Major League baseball team in Florida. All Star baseball player Brian Schneider will trade places with Tyrrell.

As part of the show Bentley must live the life of a Gaelic footballer and yesterday he worked in Belfast before training with Crossmaglen at 8pm.

He will be part of Crossmaglen’s team for a challenge match against Silverbridge this evening and is expected to play in attack.

Property “He is working for myself actually, as a property, sales and lettings management agent,” said Kernan.

“He basically headed off to Belfast. He has his car and all so he’s off trying to let out a few properties.”

Kernan will team up with Sunderland tomorrow morning. “Sunderland have laid out a good package of what they want me to do, fitness-wise, skill-wise and a bit of media duties for their Premiership game at the weekend,” said Kernan.

“It’s really to look at how I see differences between life as I’m used to it in the GAA and life with a professional spin on it.”