More than 20,000 people turned out on the streets and stood silently when one of Ireland’s most famous soccer players returned home 67 years ago.
But they were grieving the heartbreaking loss of tragic Manchester United player Liam Whelan, who was only 22 when he died in the 1958 Munich air disaster. And to make sure the legendary striker's legacy is maintained, he will be remembered in Dublin tomorrow on what would have been his 90th birthday.
Liam’s relatives and supporters will gather in his home neighbourhood of Cabra, where a plaque was unveiled by his team-mate Bobby Charlton in 2006 to name the Liam Whelan Bridge. Among those attending will be United fan Keith Norris from Antrim, whose Big Lily flag has been regularly seen at United matches for the past 26 years.
He said: “Remembering Liam on what would have been his 90th birthday, we have United supporters attending from Belfast, Carrickfergus, Manchester, Dublin and Maynooth and beyond. It is important to remember him.” Liam, who was a world-class centre forward, began to hone his gifts as a 12-year-old at Home Farm FC in Dublin.
Current club chairman Eamonn Mahon, 69, said: “It’s important that we remember great players like Liam and George Best.” United’s trainer Bert Whalley travelled to Dublin in 1953 to scout a forward but became dazzled instead by the 18-year-old starlet. They signed Liam immediately and he showed his class within just two weeks of joining.
He scored a goal in both legs of the inaugural FA Youth Cup Final for a 9-3 aggregate victory against Wolves to help his club on their way to winning the first of five FA Youth Cups. He made his full senior debut in 1955 under manager Matt Busby.
As one of the Busby Babes, which included other stars like Charlton and Duncan Edwards, Liam helped the club to the League Championship in 1956 and 1957. He scored 52 goals in 98 matches during the 1956/57 season and set a club record by scoring in eight consecutive league games - a feat that went unmatched for 45 years.
He sent a quarter of his weekly wages home to his mother Elizabeth, who kept a portrait of him with these words from January 7, 1954, written on the back: “To Mammy. Best wishes. From your loving son, Liam.” He won four caps playing for Ireland and was destined to become one of the country’s greatest ever players when his life was cruelly cut short on the icy runway at Munich.
Liam and 22 others were killed when United’s plane crashed on a fuel stop as they returned from Belgrade after reaching the European Cup semi-final for the second year in a row. Just months earlier, Liam, who is buried in the St Paul’s section of Glasnevin Cemetery, wowed fans in Dublin when he scored two goals as United won 6-0 against Shamrock Rovers in Dalymount Park in a European Cup preliminary round.
On Liam’s regular trips home, he would call home to see his family, including siblings John, 83; Rita, 88; and Christy, who died aged 89 in 2020. John said: “It’s good for people to know that an Irishman scored so many goals for the club. It is lovely that so many people still have that interest in Liam.”
Dublin Reds supporters’ club spokesperson Jimmy Rush will be at the birthday service and has helped to coordinate the event with Liam’s family. Jimmy said he met Billy Behan, the Republic of Ireland scout for Manchester United.
He added: “He sent so many great players over to United like Jackie ‘Gentleman John’ Carey, John Giles, Paul McGrath, and many others. But the one he spoke fondly to me about was Liam Whelan. He said he had the lot – speed, balance, and a great eye for goal.”
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