Spanish people in Ireland are preparing to watch Sunday’s World Cup final between Spain and Argentina, with Leo Messi set to be at the center of the occasion. The match gives the country’s Spanish community a shared moment to rally around, while also reflecting how much that community has grown in recent years.
That growth is clear in the numbers. The Spanish population in Ireland rose from 6,794 in 2011 to 17,953 in 2022, a jump that has helped create a more visible and connected community. According to musician Gon Massey, who is from Barcelona, that support has become much easier to see. “We now have a great following from the Spanish community in Ireland,” he said. “We sold out 10 nights in Whelan’s over the last year.”
A growing community with its own gathering points
For many Spanish fans, the final is not just a match to watch at home. It is a chance to meet in familiar places across Ireland, including pubs and live music venues where the Spanish community has already built a presence. Massey said the group’s support has spread widely: “Now they’re everywhere.”
That spread has been helped by the wider appeal of Ireland as a place to live and work. Massey pointed out that some people come for jobs, but also because “Ireland is a great place to be. You get a good salary, but it is also a nice experience.”
His bandmate Anxo Silveira, who arrived from Galicia three-and-a-half-years ago, said the country also offers room for musicians to develop. “There are great opportunities for music here. There’s more of an underground vibe,” he said.
History in the background of a modern sporting moment
The final comes against a backdrop of shared Spanish and Irish history that has long linked the two countries. On Thursday, a replica of Christopher Columbus’s flagship, the Noa Santa Maria, arrived into port at Fiddle Case Pier in Drogheda, Co Louth. It is due to remain there until July 26th.
That arrival fits neatly with the historical frame around Spain and Ireland. In 1492, Columbus’s flagship discovered the Americas for the Spanish Crown. In 1588, three Spanish Armada ships were shipwrecked off the Irish coast, and 1,100 men drowned off Streedagh Beach, Co Sligo. The Nine Years’ War ended at the Battle of Kinsale in Cork in 1601-1602.
The modern connection is different, but no less striking. Spain beat France 2-0 in the semi-final last Tuesday to reach the World Cup final, where Argentina will stand in the way. Leo Messi’s presence gives the game even more weight, and for Spanish supporters in Ireland, it is a chance to watch a major final together while reflecting on how far their community has come.
That broader sense of connection has also shown up in culture. Baliza, the act formed by Gon Massey and Anxo Silveira three years ago, sold out 10 nights in Whelan’s over the last year, another sign that the Spanish community in Ireland now has a clear and growing audience.
For fans across Ireland, Sunday will be about the football first. But it will also be about identity, community and the simple act of gathering around a final that means a lot to the people watching it.
