Darren Randolph’s father had a very close encounter with the IRA in the 1980s

Darren Randolph's da is a bit of an unknown sporting legend.

Ed Randolph played basketball for years in this country and was a well known figure across the country shooting hoops before his son ever came onto most Irish football fans' radar. The 55-year-old is still playing club basketball in the second division of the amateur leagues in Dublin, and he's given a brilliant interview about his time in Ireland, and some of his more interesting experiences, to Kieran Shannon in today's Irish Examiner. The American moved over to play basketball initially with Sporting Belfast, and wasn't too aware of the delicate political situation in Northern Ireland at the time. He decided he'd help out with Dundalk in 1987, and as he was crossing the border to give a coaching session in Crossmaglen, he and his passenger were stopped by an IRA patrol who were more than a little bit curious about the the six-foot-plus black man sitting in the front seat of the car,

“Out of nowhere on this country road two guys in balaclavas step out. One has a broken double-barrel shotgun and the other guy clicks his shotgun up and I’m thinking: ‘Would they have come across any black soldiers in and around Dungannon? Better put on your deepest American accent here, bud. “They come over to the car and my life flashes in front of me. The States. Hanging out in Doolin. Anne. But then we roll down the window and they go, ‘Oh, good evening, Father Sweeney!’ And Father Sweeney explains where we’re going and they shine their torchlight in on me. ‘Right, basketball? A coach from America?’ I’m there in that deepest American accent: ‘How you doing?’ So that was it. ‘Okay, Father, sorry for disturbing you. Good night.’”

Ed doesn't say if he changed his underwear before he gave the training session to the youngsters, but we know we would have.