TO BEST understand what the League of Ireland is, it makes sense to understand where it has been. That was the goal of author Chris Lee, who penned the book Shades of Green: A Journey Into Irish Football. The book seeks to tell the story of Irish football in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland from an outsider's perspective. Lee, a lapsed QPR fan from Kent in south London, first delved into the history of the game on this island when writing his first book - Origin Stories: The Pioneers Who Took Football to the World - in 2021. Intrigued by how the journeys of the League of Ireland, NIFL, and the respective national teams are tied to the very history and identity of the two countries, Lee wanted to go further. He explained to SunSport: "It came from a trip I made to Dublin in May 2023. I was long overdue a trip. "There were friends that I had made through researching the first book and through social media. "I went to Bohemians vs Shelbourne on the Friday night which blew me away. "Bohemians, what they do is a really important part of the world game to know what the League of Ireland is, because of the shirts and the supporters ethos. "There are a lot of magazines covering them now and of course Copa90, the YouTube channel, did something on the derby with Shamrock Rovers about ten years ago. "A lot of what was at Dalymount appealed to me because it is an old school ground. "I went to Tolka Park the following day for Shelbourne women's team against Peamount and that was quite interesting. "I certainly believe the League of Ireland right now is having a moment. I think people are sitting up and taking notice of that." Over the course of 2023 and 2024, Lee's journey through Irish football took him around the country in 145 years. From John McAlery founding Cliftonville in 1879, to the establishment of Kerry FC in 2023. From the resistance to association football south of the border by way of the GAA's Rule 27, to record-breaking attendances across the island 120 years later. He ground-hopped from The Oval of Glentoran and Windsor Park of Linfield; to Dalymount Park of Bohemians and Tallaght Stadium of Shamrock Rovers; to Turner's Cross of Cork City and The Showgrounds of Sligo Rovers. Lee maps out the relationship between both footballing fraternities, including the split in the 1920s that ended with the establishment of the League of Ireland in 1921. He explained: "It didn't seem like there was a very good relationship between Belfast and Dublin at this point in terms of the clubs and football associations, so I guess that is why those in Dublin felt that they wanted to do their own thing, especially if their movements were restricted "Culturally, they are very different. "I found the Northern Ireland experience didn't have the same ultra culture which you get in the south. "You have had a number of people going abroad expriencing Germany and Italy for themselves and thinking I would quite like to have some of that here. "I think Shamrock Rovers, the SRFC Ultras, were the first or claim to be the first and the other three Dublin clubs' fans jumped on pretty quickly. "It comes with competition in terms of who can do the best tifo. That in turn growing with the rise of social media in recent years. "It is very Instagrammable content, isn't it? Very YouTubeable content, so I think that has in turn helped people to come along." 'GREAT PRODUCT' Lee's book details the League of Ireland's renaissance in recent years, particularly since the Covid-19 pandemic. The 2023 campaign, for instance, say an increase of 22 percent in average attendances in the Premier Division. Notably, the 2023 FAI Cup Final between St Patrick’s Athletic and Bohemians at the Aviva Stadium drew a record crowd of 43,881. He puts this down to a number of factors particularly appreciation for live football borne out of the pandemic days, as well as a disillusionment with the Premier League in England. He added: "A lot of people used to, ànd still do, travel over to watch Manchester United or Liverpool but that has gone very expensive. "There is this great product on your doorstep and a lot of people are going along to it and embracing it to the point that now they are sold out. "Here I am, kind of, 'hey guys, check out the League of Ireland' but actually if you go, you might not even get in because it is sold out! "It is a good problem to have but then the challenge then is to scale up and make sure they can get that extra revenue. "I think here, over in England, you see a similar trend where people are disillusioned with the sort of perceived excess of the Premier League so, therefore, are drifting down to what we could consider a more authentic experience in lower leagues and non-leagues. "If you have a look at what Bradford City have been doing recently, selling out 23,000 tickets in League Two and they are getting a very good atmosphere as well. "Smarter lower league clubs over here will see what is happening in the League of Ireland and go we have a product we can offer and get people interested in who are also being priced out, or have had enough, of the Premier League." For every success story, there is a tale of past turbulence. Linfield - the world's most successful domestic league side with 57 titles - have called Windsor Park their home since 1906, having been established in 1886. However, Shamrock Rovers - the LOI's most successful side with 23 league honours - have only been playing out of Tallaght Stadium since 2009. Prior to this, the Hoops played at Glenmalure Park in Milltown from 1926 to 1987, after which they turned out at Tolka Park, Dalymount Park, the RDS, and Richmond Park, among others. The story of the league's most successful club is in keeping with a nomadic theme that is not as comparatively present in Northern Ireland. Lee added: "That does seem to be a common theme, stability, in the League of Ireland that isn't the case in the Irish League. "You look at Cork with its 10 or 11 iterations of the club and the current one has been going since 1984 but it is still had its trouble in that time. "It has suddenly become very popular but before that you had decades of various challenges like the GAA ban and the popularity of rugby in some places and then also just perhaps a general lack of interest since the 1950s certainly. "I think there was a maximum wage in England. There wasn't as many people or players going over and once that went it did make sense to go over and make a career our of it so you lost a lot of good players. "At the same time TV was coming up so Match of the Day in the 1960s. "The other factor we haven't mentioned is there is not as many Irish players in the Premier League as there used to be going back ten or 15 years. "Manchester United and Liverpool, for example, there was an Irish player. "I think that is why now you have suddenly got a lot more interest in the League of Ireland. "It is noticeably young in terms of the audience and the players as well because, obviously, a lot of them can't leave now until they are 18. "I think now it has turned that corner that for decades wasn't there in terms of marketability and the actual market itself but now the market is there." ALL-IRELAND Since partition on the island of Ireland in 1921 and the subsequent founding of the League of Ireland, shared club competitions north and south have been rare. The Setanta Cup was run from 2005 to 2014, with Republic of Ireland clubs winning all-but two editions - Linfield in 2005 and Crusaders in 2012. Women's football, meanwhile, has had the All-Island Cup since 2023, offering a glimpse into what could be achieved. From his numerous interactions with fans, politicians, stakeholders and others, Lee has not inferred much enthusiasm when it comes to a potential cross-border league. But the potential of a cup competition involving clubs both sides of the border is a different matter. He said: "People I spoke to definitely thought there was scope for a cup competition. "To be able to visit different places and experience different things. "I think geography would make that league financially prohibitive for a lot of clubs whereas the cup would provide a different kind of interest."