Wrexham's James McClean admits he learned to use petrol bombs 'aged 11'

"There would just be riots here nonstop and you'd be involved in the riots yourself," McClean told Kennedy during their tour of the estate.

The former Republic of Ireland international, who earned over 100 caps for his country, admitted: "From the age of 11, 12, 13 - I knew how to make petrol bombs and knew how to throw them and you would."

McClean acknowledged that "times have moved on" since those days.

The footballer's stance on wearing a poppy has brought terrifying consequences over the years.

McClean revealed that after first refusing to wear the poppy in 2012, he faced death threats that left his family fearing for his life.

"People were saying 'he should be shot'... I was getting bullets in the post, bullets sent to the club," he told Kennedy.

The threats reached a frightening peak when his then club Sunderland received warnings that he would be shot during a televised Ireland match.

"The game was on TV. I was going to be shot, this and that," McClean recalled.

His wife Erin was at home in Newcastle watching the match, terrified she might witness her husband being killed on live television.

"She's panicking, she's thinking he's going to be shot on TV," he said.

McClean remains steadfast in his decision not to wear a poppy, despite the ongoing backlash.

He explained to Kennedy that the poppy represents all UK military conflicts, not just the World Wars.

"So for me to wear a poppy in support of the people who carried out those atrocities... it frustrates me how people don't, can't see that... how there is even a debate of why I should wear a poppy," he said.

The connection to his hometown runs deep - six or seven people from Creggan died on Bloody Sunday in 1972.

"Home is home, you don't forget where you grew up... I am going to come back here one day, who am I to betray the people who basically raised me?" McClean told the programme.

He admitted it would have been easier to wear one, but added: "I stayed true to myself."

McClean believes his poppy stance will overshadow his sporting achievements forever.

"I have played in two major championships but I am known as somebody who doesn't wear a poppy rather than what I have achieved in my career," he told Kennedy.

The issue "just doesn't go away," according to the footballer, who has played for clubs including Derry City, Sunderland, West Bromwich Albion and Wigan.

During the programme, McClean also mentioned that a car crash earlier this year while driving to work had been a "wake-up call."

He revealed that being diagnosed with autism at 34 had helped him gain "a better understanding of why sometimes I do what I do."