Aldo meets his new cousins

John Aldridge represented Ireland 69 times and played 104 games for Liverpool in a professional career that incorporated 889 games. He scored 19 goals at international level and 476 career goals. On the field he has seen it all. Off it Aldridge probably thought that he had seen most of it as well.
He must have felt that a bus journey around Clare for a week, as the FAI prepare for this weekend’s AGM, would hardly prove too taxing. That was until the Liverpool-born ex-centre-forward visited Kilrush on Wednesday.
Having stepped off the mini bus that was transporting the FAI delegation, ‘Aldo’ headed for Crotty’s bar for lunch. On his way he met Roy ‘Modda’ Danagher, who introduced himself as a distant cousin.
This came as quite a surprise to the Scouser, who thought his Irish connections were all on his mother’s side.
‘Modda’ was armed with a detailed family tree, which suggests that John Aldridge’s great-grandparents, Maggie Aldridge (McCarthy) and Walter S Aldridge are buried in Old Shanakyle Cemetery in Kilrush.
Roy said the Danaghers are related to Aldridge through marriage.
“It’s through my great-grandfather Michael Danaher, who on September 5 1919 married Kate McCarthy at St Senan’s Church in Kilrush,” he explained. “Then on April 5, 1920, Walter S Aldridge married Margaret McCarthy, who was a sister of Kate McCarthy,” he added.
Roy says John Aldridge’s grandfather John Francis, who was Maggie and Walter’s son, was born on April 7, 1926.
“It’s something new to me on me Dad’s side,” John Aldridge commented. “I played for Ireland from me Mum’s side. It was quite interesting to hear from Roy. The other interesting part is all my Dad’s family, his father and grandfather, were all sea men. And that’s where the link comes into it,” Aldridge added. “I have to commend Roy on that. It would be interesting to find out more.”
Walter S Aldridge died in 1946 and his wife, Maggie died in 1963. She lived in St Patrick’s Terrace, Kilrush with her son, Flannan.
Roy says that while he believes he was a very talented soccer player as a youngster, his soccer talents never managed to reach Aldo’s level.
“When I was very young I used to be known as Diego Maradona and that’s where I got the name ‘Modda’ from. My brother, Stan got a good reputation as a soccer player so maybe it has filtered down through the genes somewhere along the line,” ‘Modda’ suggested.
New cousins weren’t the only things weighing on Aldridge’s mind. He was enjoying his week in Clare as an FAI ambassador but felt some of the county’s roads were a bit tricky.
“Some of the roads we’ve had to travel, it’s like being on the big dipper at Blackpool,” he laughed.
Aldridge spoke to The Clare Champion at Moneypoint’s soccer pitch in Kilrush, where a large crowd had gathered, beneath the searing afternoon sun, to meet the FAI visitors.
“To be fair we all love the sun but the air conditioning is not great on that bus, along with the roads. It’s better when you get out and you get among the people. That’s the one good thing about it,” Aldridge added, getting another thing off his chest.
Roads and air conditioning issues aside, Alridge was more at home talking to the soccer people of the county.
“It’s great to see what people are doing at grassroots level. A lot of effort and a lot of time goes into it, unknown to a lot of people. The FAI are going out and are showing their appreciation and people are showing their appreciation to the FAI for their backing as well,” he said.
At home in Liverpool, Aldridge has plenty of work on.
“I do a lot of work for the newspapers and magazines, as well as Radio City in Liverpool, home and away. I also work for the club on the corporate side and Liverpool FC TV (LTV) along with Sky. And I get my golf in, which is important,” he smiled.
The former Liverpool striker didn’t deny that he has an ever so slight leaning towards Liverpool FC.
“I’m very biased but I think I’m honest as well at the same time. When certain players don’t play well, you’ve got to say it as it is. But I love Liverpool. Even when I wasn’t at the club I followed them. Now I’m doing the radio, I do get carried away a bit because I want to see them to do very well,” was his explanation.
Aldridge approves of Liverpool’s new signings but feels that up to 10 players must be shown the door.
“It’s looking a lot better. We’re buying players now that are good players. Too many players over the last 10 years have come, who would never have got in our reserve side. They shouldn’t get any where near a shirt and we’ve still got 10 of them, maybe more, to get rid of,” he maintained.
“It’s been left on Kenny’s (Dalglish) doorstep and they’re going to be tough to shift. Andy Carroll will come good I’m sure. Luis Suarez has been a dream to watch. Jordan Henderson is a good player but has got a lot to prove. And, obviously, Charlie Adam has got quality as well,” he said of the recent signing from Blackpool.
Reflecting on first lining out for Ireland in 1986, John Aldridge said that ending up an FAI ambassador 25 years later is a huge honour.
“It’s great of John (Delaney) to have asked me to come along last year. I’m privileged to do it,” he said before heading off into the crowd, perhaps to meet some new cousins.

Delaney delight at Clare welcome for FAI

Bringing the FAI AGM ‘down the country’ has to rank of one of John Delaney’s most inspired moments at the helm of the national soccer body.
While this weekend’s AGM will be the main focus of the week in Clare, the FAI have utilised the week to pay their respects to every corner of the county where a soccer ball is kicked. They have also availed of the chance to embark on a proactive public relations offensive.
The FAI bus, which had Delaney, Ray Houghton and John Aldridge among its regular occupants, has driven up and down every highway and byway of the county.
Everywhere they have stopped the delegation have been met with impressive facilities and an even more impressive passion for the game.
“I knew it would good but it was better than we thought it was going to be,” John Delaney said in Kilrush of his visits to places like Lisdoonvarna, Liscannor, Ennistymon. Killaloe, Cratole and Tulla.
“It’s our fifth year doing it,” he said with reference to moving the FAI AGM out of Dublin. “It’s an idea I had. The old FAI AGMs used to be a rule change on Saturday in City West. We’ve had AGMs in Kerry, Mayo, Monaghan and Wexford in recent years,” he added.
John Delaney’s family connections with Clare probably did the county no harm when the 2011 AGM venue was chosen.
“I’ve a very close connection with Clare. My wife is from here and my grandmother is from Ennis and I spent every summer in Kilkee for 18 or 19 years. So I know the county very well and I’ve a special affection for the county to be honest with you. But even by the standards of what we thought it was going to be like, it has been great,” he reflected.
An enthusiastic crowd met the visitors in Kilrush on Wednesday, with people like Peter ‘The Cat’ Keating posing for a photograph with Ray Houghton in front of the town hall.
A large crowd also congregated at the grounds of Moneypoint AFC, which overlooks the town on the Cooraclare road. Quality playing facilities was what seemed to have most impressed John Delaney.
To underline his admiration for what is going on in Clare soccer, the FAI CEO said that North Clare will stage under age internationals if he gets his way.
“You can see what Burren United have got up there. It’s great and we’re going to bring an underage international match probably to Tulla and to Lisdoonvarna. We’ll definitely do that. No doubt about that. We’re going to Newmarket on Fergus on Thursday and they’ve got great facilities and I believe St Pat’s (Kilmihil) have got great facilities as well,” he said ahead of the FAI trip to Kilmihil.
Talking under a blistering sun in Kilrush, John Delaney did his best to suggest that he has a tough gig, travelling around Clare.
“They’re hard hours. We’re going full time but if this is work, I’ll do it every day,” he laughed.