‘I don’t feel the glass because of the calluses’ – meet the Dubliner running a marathon barefoot in memory of his brother

Philip Byrne is tackling the full Dublin Marathon to raise funds for youth mental health charity A Lust for Life

Philip Byrne, from Finglas, who will run the Dublin Marathon barefoot in memory of his brother Ger, who died last year. Photo: Frank McGrath

Of all the chants I’ve heard in my years following football, “Shoes off for the Boys in Green” has to be one of the most unusual.

Gaining prominence at Euro 2012 in Poland, following an infamous incident where now-disgraced former FAI CEO John Delaney was filmed shoeless in one night Sopot, it’s not uncommon on away trips to see groups of Irish fans waving their runners in the air and belting it out.