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Superstars Brought Fame And Glory To Newry Street


WHAT an exciting prospect loomed for Newry’s two soccer superstars, Peter McParland and Pat Jennings, being re-united for the first time in decades, as present and former residents of the Chapel Street area gathered for a very special re-union, a few years ago.

The mutual admiration between those sporting heroes and neighbours has been evident from their pride and pleasure at each other’s achievements at FA Cup and World Cup Level. They not only put the frontier town on the sporting map, but brought fame to that historic thoroughfare.

'Big Pat' Jennings stated: “Peter McParland brought glory to his hometown, starring in an FA Cup Final, scoring both goals as Aston Villa beat Manchester United. I idealised Peter, just as much as the rest of the kids, especially as he lived close to me at Upper Chapel Street, and we had played on the same street side.

“There was terrific excitement in our hometown, when Peter played in the Cup Final,” the legendary goalkeeper wrote in his autography. “I watched the match on my aunt’s TV set, - she could have sold tickets, so great was the interest.”

And Pat Jennings recalled: “The same level of interest was generated, when I went to Wembley with Spurs and Arsenal. I was bombarded with telegrams, letters and phone calls, all expressing good wishes. When the final whistle sounded, I could imagine all of Newry heaving a sigh of relief. And they were the best occasions in my life, as the open-air buses edged through a sea of cheering fans.

“But nothing in soccer gave me such satisfaction as the victory in Valencia, when Northern Ireland beat the home side, Spain, to win our Group of the World Cup. I didn’t want to leave the pitch when it was all over. Rank-outsiders, we had our flights booked and bags packed before the match!”

And Pat, whose mother died recently, added: “The cream was put on top, when I was made an honorary member of Warrenpoint Golf Club. It was an unexpected gesture as, next to football, I rate golf as may favourite sport.”

But back to Peter McParland. Tremendous scenes of celebration marked the return of that lanky, lethal left-footed wing-forward to the frontier town, following Aston Villa’s shock victory over Manchester United in the 1957 FA Cup Final, in which he had scored both goals. Controversy arose over a collision between Peter and the United goalie, Ray Wood, who was carried off, amid booing.

Travelling from Paris, where the Villa side had finished a triumphant European tour, the Newry hero arrived at Belfast airport, expecting to meet his father and travel home by bus. But his friends and supporters had other ideas. Taken home by car, he was transferred to an open tourer at the outskirts of Newry, the streets thronged by cheering fans, eager to shake the hero’s hand and gain his autograph.

Chairman of Newry Urban Council, Max Keogh officially welcomed the honoured guest, who held the coveted FA Cup medal aloft as St Catherine’s Band led a parade to Abbey Yard, near the Mc Parland family’s new home at Courtney Hill. Hundreds had assembled, including former neighbours and school friends.

The council chairman stated: “No matter what kind of sport people may follow, Peter’s career, especially the FA Cup matches, has been keenly followed. It is the sporting instinct of every young man to acclaim a real sportsman. The people of Newry have a real sportsman in Peter McParland.”

In response, Peter declared: “I was never more thrilled than when arriving in Newry, and seeing the wonderful welcome, for which I thank you most sincerely. It is every footballer’s ambition to get to Wembley, but to score the two winning goals in an FA Cup Final is just something I cannot put into words.”

Of course, the Chapel Street hero gained International acclaim the following year, when scoring the most goals of any player in the 1958 World Cup, ensuring that Northern Ireland progressed to the final stages of that prestigious competition in Sweden.

Meanwhile, Pat Jennings referred to the sports complex called Jennings Park, stating: “ I am very proud that the council named it after me. Nothing I may have achieved in football has given me more pleasure. It was on that site, - a meadow without any dressing-rooms, - that I played my most competitive games.

“But I still remember the tears that I shed when my team reached a Cup Final, and I was dropped because I was to young and too small. In fact, I was only 11, playing in a league for boys under-18. I was the regular goalkeeper for Shamrock Rovers, - size was my only handicap.

“Sometimes a thousand people turned up for a match, so you can see how I felt when the two men who ran Shamrock Rovers, Ritchie Hollywood and Frank O’Hanlon, left me out of the team for the final, after I had played in all the previous rounds. I felt let down, not dreaming that there were Wembley triumphs ahead. I turned to Gaelic football, playing for my school and Newry Shamrocks.”

Pat Jennings reported that his brother, Brian, was responsible for his soccer comeback at the age of 16. Brian was playing for Newry United, the reserve team of Newry Town. During the 1961/62 season, they had a goalkeeper problem, so Pat was offered a game, which they won. The side went on to collect the Irish Junior Cup.

“As the new season progressed, I was promoted to Newry Town; and the club chairman recommended me for the N. Ireland youth team, competing in the European Youth Championship. Though flattered, I was not interested. I had never travelled out of Ireland, and didn’t relish the thought of leaving home.

“I was working with my father for a local timber firm, earning under a fiver a week. I had failed the 11-plus, left school at 15, worked as a bobbin-boy at a spinning mill, but was made redundant. My father then got me a job in a timber-yard.

I enjoyed the open air, “Swinging a hatchet to trim branches on a summer’s day seemed a good way to earn a living. But the job could be dangerous, as a tree could slip its chains. My positional sense kept me out of trouble. I benefited from a job which was ideal for body-building, as well as sharpening the reflexes. I wasn’t fired by any ambition, to do anything else, and never thought that I would be good enough to make a living, playing football.”

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© Fabian Boyle 2001-2008