From the time I was a small child I've always had a tremendous interest in sport. With two older brothers, sport was always a regular topic of conversation at the dinner table in our family.

Both my parents were from Cork and were keen GAA followers. My father played hurling for the Tracton GAA club and my mother, a Bantry woman, was a keen Bantry Blues fan. As a child my father was a huge influence in my love for sport. He brought me to matches at county and club level every week from an early age. We followed the St Patrick's College students' team, Erin's Hope, and St Vincent's as well as St Margaret's as my Dad had many friends involved with St Margaret's in north county Dublin.

We also went to the games in Croke Park when at that time it was acceptable for children to be lifted over the turnstiles by their fathers and I can recall getting such a lift from my Dad many times.

It was a huge bonus to live in Drumcondra as I was close to Croke Park, Tolka Park and Dalymount.

This gave me the opportunity to regularly see my heroes live in action.

And sport was a big part of your school days?

My first sporting influence in school was Mr Frankie Byrne, a teacher in St Patrick's Boys National School in Drumcondra. He won an All Ireland medal with Meath and he was a real hero in our eyes. From there, I went to school in St Aidan's CBS in Whitehall which, like all Christian Brothers Schools, had a very strong emphasis on sport. Liam Brady was a few years behind me and played GAA with Whitehall Gaels, now Whitehall Colmcilles. He, of course, went on to have a fantastic soccer career and became one of the finest players of his generation.

What sports did you play, and how well did you play them?

I played a lot of sport, but in particular GAA and soccer. I played with Whitehall Colmcille and also played soccer in the Amateur League with AllHampton, which a group of friends, including Senator Tony Kett, and myself established. There was always plenty of sporting activity in Drumcondra and I did some cross-country running with Clonliffe Harriers and was also involved in the Ierne Sports Club on Richmond Road.

What are your earliest memories of The Dubs and your favourite games and players?

My early memories and heroes stem from the Dublin team of the late 1950s. Even though I was very young, I can still remember Kevin Heffernan in 1958 and Des Foley in 1963 lifting the Sam Maguire. But obviously, the '70s was the prime time for Dublin fans like me with the great successes of 'Heffo's Army' and 'Hanahoe's Army'. The DublinKerry games of the 1970s are now part of GAA folklore and the Dublin team of that particular era are still household names . . . men such as Paddy Cullen, Sean Doherty, the Hickeys, Bobby Doyle, Anton O'Toole, Kevin Moran and Brian Mullins influenced a whole generation of young Dubliners.

The winning teams of 1983 and 1995 would also be remembered with particular affection.

I think my most memorable match would feature in many people's all-time list . . . the Dublin and Kerry semi-final of 1977. Dublin were just at their peak and already had beaten Kerry in the previous year's final. The action was fast and furious and the level of skill from both teams was breathtaking.

In his commentary of the game, the late Micheal O'Hehir famously said "29 minutes still remaining in this game, hallelujah". That reflected everyone's feeling that day. The game was nip and tuck but two goals in the last six minutes by David Hickey and Bernard Brogan ensured victory for Dublin.

My favourite trip was before the qualifiers when we had to travel to Cork for the 1983 All Ireland replay having got out of jail with a very late goal in the first game in Croke Park. Dublin were not given much of a chance for the replay but they played some brilliant football to record a famous win. The amazing amount of fans travelling to Cork that morning, a packed house of red and blue, a glorious summer's day and some tremendous goals made for a truly memorable occasion.

And Manchester United?

I think it's well known that I am a fairly keen Manchester United fan. My early memories are sad ones and date back to the Munich tragedy in 1958.

I vividly remember Liam Whelan's funeral in Dublin. Liam had previously played for Home Farm, my local schoolboy team. I used to go up and watch their under-8s and under-10s. When Liam's body was brought home, his funeral procession came from Dublin airport through Home Farm and I watched as the cavalcade came past. My father explained to me what had happened and that made a huge impact on me. Like a lot of people in Ireland, that was the catalyst for me becoming a United fan. My first hero was 1963 FA Cup captain Noel Cantwell, but I think George Best has to be the greatest I've ever seen . . . he was just a wizard with a football at his feet.

The two European Cup wins have to be the highlights of my time watching United. In 1999, I was lucky to get across to the first two parts of the famous treble. I went to the Spurs game to see United clinch the Premiership title. I joined Tony Blair in Wembley for the last FA Cup final in the old stadium when United beat Newcastle, Tony's team, to lift the cup. Unfortunately, the demands of office kept me away from Barcelona. Instead, I watched it on my own in my constituency office in Drumcondra. I went back there because I'd watched the '68 final at my mother's house up the road and I thought it would bring us luck . . . and maybe it did!

How do you summarise the importance of sport to Ireland and Irish people?

There is no doubt that Irish people certainly know and love their sport. Our contribution on the world stage has seen us punch well above our weight.

Sport has a great capacity to bring people together and is a great outlet for people whether they are playing or spectating. Over the years, sport has given me hours of enjoyment and many great memories. Please God the years ahead will give me many more.

In conversation with Colm Greaves