In 1969, Star of the Sea from North Belfast were the best youth football team in Ireland. The team is made up of Protestant and Catholic players from the mixed local community of Rathcoole.By 1972, the team had been torn apart by The Troubles. Loyalist paramilitaries have taken over Rathcoole and Catholic families are forced out.
Among them, the family of Star of the Sea’s full back, Bobby Sands and his best friend Tommy O’Neill, Star’s striker. Bobby joins the IRA, while two of his teammates, Michael and Terry join the loyalist UVF. The team’s star centre back, Raymond McCord is scouted and has a spell at Manchester United but returns to his home club and a very different Belfast. He is the last Protestant player to leave the Star of the Sea club as Northern Ireland descends further into bloody chaos.
Despite all of the horror, the surviving players maintain that the ethos of Star of the Sea rings true today and is the way forward for the next generation. This is the story of the talented players of Star of the Sea – who once represented everything that was great about Northern Ireland.