"My childhood was like every other Irish kid of my generation," the film maker said.

He was a good-looking Irish kid with a nice smile and an engaging boy-next-door manner.

She wanted him to have contact with other Irish kids and families, as a sort of bulwark against the swamp of English culture.

These are not just Irish kids who want to go there.

"The Irish kids used to come here, work very hard and party hard," he said.

Some bright spark always says racism, and the Irish kids start thinking.

When I got a little bit older, I met loads of Irish kids who were into it.

To an Irish kid from the Bronx like me, it was discovering a world I'd just heard about.

"I wonder what would have happened if a black officer had killed a 15-year-old Irish kid?"

My son conforms perfectly to the stereotype of a Irish kid who loves to play football.