Harry Kenny
Encyclopedia
Harry Kenny is a retired Irish
football
er who spent 13 seasons playing for Shamrock Rovers
.
Harry, or 'H' as his friends nicknamed him, came to Milltown
in September 1978, one year after Johnny Giles
had been appointed player/manager. He was a number of full-time players who Giles signed up as part of the policy to develop a full-time professional set up at Milltown. Other players who were involved in the scheme at the time were Pierce O'Leary
, Alan Campbell and Ritchie Bayly.
Harry made his Rovers debut on the 20th of December 1978 in a Leinster Senior Cup quarter final win against Dunleary Celtic at Tolka Park. His league debut came on the 3rd of April 1979 in a 4-0 win against Cork Celtic at Milltown. Along the way to senior status Harry picked up a few honours. He was capped for the Irish schoolboys at U15, U17 and youths level.
In his only his second full season at Milltown H won the Player of the Year award Shamrock Rovers#Player of the Year Award recipients
When he became a regular in the first team, Harry proved to be quite impressive but just when everything was going very well he broke his leg against Sligo in a league game at Milltown on October 11, 1981. It was a major setback for H and it took a long time for him to return to his original form. One man's loss is another man's gain, the injury to Harry opened up an opportunity for Peter Eccles
who then claimed a regular spot in defence keeping H out of the team.
Harry didn't get much of a look in in Jim McLaughlin's first season in charge, 1983/84, he only made a total of five appearances but he admitted himself it was his own fault. He stalled in renewing his contract and although he had played quite well in a few pre-season friendlies he had kept McLaughlin waiting and that led to H losing his place to Anto Whelan
.
If H missed out on a league winners medal in 83/84 he made up for it the following year when he won 2 league medals! With both the first and second teams winning their respective leagues Harry had made enough appearances for both teams to claim a medal for both. To add to that he won two more league medals and three FAI Cup
's as Rovers continued to dominate the league right through to 1986/87. In addition to schoolboy and youth international honours Harry has also been capped by the League of Ireland at Inter League and played in 7 1988 Summer Olympics
qualifiers.
Perhaps the shortest game of his entire career happened at Dalymount Park
on January 19, 1986 when he was red carded after just 4 minutes after a brief altercation with Tom Conway (footballer)
.
He scored his first goal for the Hoops on the 3rd of December 1980 in a Leinster Senior Cup semi final loss to UCD. He also scored the first goal from the penalty spot in the 1987 FAI Cup Final. http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/archive/1987/0427/Pg003.html#Ar00300:06C2020C421805026C0942814C03424FF3574714524AD4613CA1F03F42053F51EF3F82053152C33402D83402C23442D709317315E1DF15E1721A71DD0CE20210B21809D26C0CD2810FF2C51292DA0983640C237913E3A41683B917244219E4572331FE25F21421028F23A2A41BA33B1E53503AC4333D744850D34253A3574B44524E0461
In 1982 Harry spent 6 months at Vancouver Whitecaps
.
On the 3rd of June 1990 Harry had a testimonial luncheon in his honour which was attended by members of Ireland's UEFA Euro 1988 squad which included ex teammate Liam O'Brien
.
Harry's final appearance was at the RDS against Dundalk on the 15th of April 1991. It was his 300th competitive appearance in the green and white.
He then joined Drogheda United where he played for 2 seasons before retiring. The move was not without controversy however http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/archive/1991/1119/Pg017.html#Ar01703:0BB8500C68650C78540F88650F98510FD8660FC8511028660C267910F6D51116801DB6D204D6ED08D70508E6ED0B37050BE7870C879C0C97870FA79C0D97BD0FB7D20FF7BD11D7D204D88405889905988806D89806D8840888991377BC1477D11487BE1727D104D78607079B0BF6ED0EC7051E76F220F7071BA8351E384A0787860A079B05B84F082864
His first game against Rovers resulted in a win and the subsequent sacking of Noel King
. http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/archive/1991/1230/Pg029.html#Ar02901:61044565445C6C041E7264456CD85070985F5D75D76025EC6035D66065EB62E5F56596056595F265C60762566A65067F65066A65467F6526BA67F6CF67E6BA6816CF68371A6A272D6A37186A872D6A871A6AE72D6AE7176B172C73D64F76966476A64F76E6647477907667A57677907727A577278F7757A566044569045C5D853560854D6138036348186338036408186888386A784E6A88386B284E72C41E7764457304A475B4B96C45456EF55A75058776F59C77158777B59C74682377183870F85073C85F]
Harry'sfamily are steeped in Rovers tradition. His father in law is Hughie Gannon who won the FAI Cup with Rovers in 1955 and his younger brother Mark Kenny
played for the Hoops in the late 90s.
At the 2007 Shamrock Rovers Player of the Year Awards Harry Kenny was the Hall of Fame recipient.
H now manages Phoenix F.C. in the Leinster Senior League (soccer) and is the assistant manager of the U17 Republic of Ireland women's national football team
.
League of Ireland
: 4
FAI Cup
: 3
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
er who spent 13 seasons playing for Shamrock Rovers
Shamrock Rovers F.C.
Shamrock Rovers Football Club are a professional football club from Dublin, Ireland. They compete in the Premier Division of the League of Ireland and are the most successful club in Irish football history. The club have won the League of Ireland title a record 17 times and the FAI Cup a record 24...
.
Harry, or 'H' as his friends nicknamed him, came to Milltown
Glenmalure Park
Glenmalure Park, often simply known as "Milltown", was a football stadium on the Southside of Dublin city in Ireland. Located in the suburb of Milltown, it was home to Shamrock Rovers from 1926 to 1987, when it was sold to property developers by the club's directors...
in September 1978, one year after Johnny Giles
Johnny Giles
Michael John "Johnny" Giles is a former association footballer and manager best remembered for his time as a midfielder with Leeds United in the 1960s and 1970s...
had been appointed player/manager. He was a number of full-time players who Giles signed up as part of the policy to develop a full-time professional set up at Milltown. Other players who were involved in the scheme at the time were Pierce O'Leary
Pierce O'Leary
Pierce O'Leary is an Irish former professional footballer. Pierce is the brother of former Arsenal star and fellow Irish international David O'Leary....
, Alan Campbell and Ritchie Bayly.
Harry made his Rovers debut on the 20th of December 1978 in a Leinster Senior Cup quarter final win against Dunleary Celtic at Tolka Park. His league debut came on the 3rd of April 1979 in a 4-0 win against Cork Celtic at Milltown. Along the way to senior status Harry picked up a few honours. He was capped for the Irish schoolboys at U15, U17 and youths level.
In his only his second full season at Milltown H won the Player of the Year award Shamrock Rovers#Player of the Year Award recipients
When he became a regular in the first team, Harry proved to be quite impressive but just when everything was going very well he broke his leg against Sligo in a league game at Milltown on October 11, 1981. It was a major setback for H and it took a long time for him to return to his original form. One man's loss is another man's gain, the injury to Harry opened up an opportunity for Peter Eccles
Peter Eccles
Peter Eccles is an Irish former professional soccer player.He played for Shamrock Rovers for many years as a centre back and was part of their successful teams of the 1980s. He won a record five league championships with the club, in 1994 captaining the Rovers side to win the League...
who then claimed a regular spot in defence keeping H out of the team.
Harry didn't get much of a look in in Jim McLaughlin's first season in charge, 1983/84, he only made a total of five appearances but he admitted himself it was his own fault. He stalled in renewing his contract and although he had played quite well in a few pre-season friendlies he had kept McLaughlin waiting and that led to H losing his place to Anto Whelan
Anthony Whelan
Anthony Gerard "Anto" Whelan is a former Irish soccer player who played during the 1970s and 1980s.He made his league debut for Bohemians on 9 September 1979 and made twenty five league appearances and two appearances for Bohs in European competition before transferring to Manchester United in...
.
If H missed out on a league winners medal in 83/84 he made up for it the following year when he won 2 league medals! With both the first and second teams winning their respective leagues Harry had made enough appearances for both teams to claim a medal for both. To add to that he won two more league medals and three FAI Cup
FAI Cup
The Football Association of Ireland Challenge Cup, known as the FAI Ford Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a knock-out association football competition contested annually by teams from the Republic of Ireland...
's as Rovers continued to dominate the league right through to 1986/87. In addition to schoolboy and youth international honours Harry has also been capped by the League of Ireland at Inter League and played in 7 1988 Summer Olympics
1988 Summer Olympics
The 1988 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad, were an all international multi-sport events celebrated from September 17 to October 2, 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. They were the second summer Olympic Games to be held in Asia and the first since the 1964 Summer Olympics...
qualifiers.
Perhaps the shortest game of his entire career happened at Dalymount Park
Dalymount Park
Dalymount Park is an Irish football stadium situated on Dublin's Northside. It is the home of Bohemian F.C., who have played there since the early 20th century. Affectionately known as 'Dalyer' by fans, it was also historically the "home of Irish football" holding Irish internationals and FAI Cup...
on January 19, 1986 when he was red carded after just 4 minutes after a brief altercation with Tom Conway (footballer)
Tom Conway (footballer)
Tom Conway was an Irish soccer player during the 1980s and 1990s. He comes from a famous footballing family with brothers Jimmy and John also being noted players.-Career:He made his League of Ireland debut for Athlone Town A.F.C...
.
He scored his first goal for the Hoops on the 3rd of December 1980 in a Leinster Senior Cup semi final loss to UCD. He also scored the first goal from the penalty spot in the 1987 FAI Cup Final. http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/archive/1987/0427/Pg003.html#Ar00300:06C2020C421805026C0942814C03424FF3574714524AD4613CA1F03F42053F51EF3F82053152C33402D83402C23442D709317315E1DF15E1721A71DD0CE20210B21809D26C0CD2810FF2C51292DA0983640C237913E3A41683B917244219E4572331FE25F21421028F23A2A41BA33B1E53503AC4333D744850D34253A3574B44524E0461
In 1982 Harry spent 6 months at Vancouver Whitecaps
Vancouver Whitecaps (NASL)
The original Vancouver Whitecaps were founded on December 11, 1973 and during the 1970s and 1980s played in the North American Soccer League . The Whitecaps achieved success, winning the 1979 Soccer Bowl. The Whitecaps of that era included international players such as Alan Ball, but also "home...
.
On the 3rd of June 1990 Harry had a testimonial luncheon in his honour which was attended by members of Ireland's UEFA Euro 1988 squad which included ex teammate Liam O'Brien
Liam O'Brien
Liam Christopher O'Brien is an American voice actor and voice director perhaps best known for his roles as Gaara of the Sand in Naruto, Captain Jushiro Ukitake in Bleach, War in the video game Darksiders, 'Vincent Law' in Ergo Proxy and 'Illidan Stormrage' in the 'Warcraft' game series...
.
Harry's final appearance was at the RDS against Dundalk on the 15th of April 1991. It was his 300th competitive appearance in the green and white.
He then joined Drogheda United where he played for 2 seasons before retiring. The move was not without controversy however http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/archive/1991/1119/Pg017.html#Ar01703:0BB8500C68650C78540F88650F98510FD8660FC8511028660C267910F6D51116801DB6D204D6ED08D70508E6ED0B37050BE7870C879C0C97870FA79C0D97BD0FB7D20FF7BD11D7D204D88405889905988806D89806D8840888991377BC1477D11487BE1727D104D78607079B0BF6ED0EC7051E76F220F7071BA8351E384A0787860A079B05B84F082864
His first game against Rovers resulted in a win and the subsequent sacking of Noel King
Noel King
Noel King is a former footballer and currently is the Republic of Ireland Under 21 manager having being appointed on 19 July 2010.-Playing career:...
. http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/archive/1991/1230/Pg029.html#Ar02901:61044565445C6C041E7264456CD85070985F5D75D76025EC6035D66065EB62E5F56596056595F265C60762566A65067F65066A65467F6526BA67F6CF67E6BA6816CF68371A6A272D6A37186A872D6A871A6AE72D6AE7176B172C73D64F76966476A64F76E6647477907667A57677907727A577278F7757A566044569045C5D853560854D6138036348186338036408186888386A784E6A88386B284E72C41E7764457304A475B4B96C45456EF55A75058776F59C77158777B59C74682377183870F85073C85F]
Harry'sfamily are steeped in Rovers tradition. His father in law is Hughie Gannon who won the FAI Cup with Rovers in 1955 and his younger brother Mark Kenny
Mark Kenny
Marc Kenny is a former Irish footballer.A midfielder he made his League of Ireland debut for Shamrock Rovers at Finn Harps on the 12th of October 1996...
played for the Hoops in the late 90s.
At the 2007 Shamrock Rovers Player of the Year Awards Harry Kenny was the Hall of Fame recipient.
Coaching
Harry's first foray into management came with his local junior team, Kinvara Boys F.C., who were then playing in the Premier A Division of the AUL (Athletic Union League). Kenny managed the Navan Road outfit from the 94/95 season until his departure in the close season of 96/97.H now manages Phoenix F.C. in the Leinster Senior League (soccer) and is the assistant manager of the U17 Republic of Ireland women's national football team
Republic of Ireland women's national football team
The Republic of Ireland women's national football team, selects players from both the 350 Women's Football Association of Ireland teams, in 21 affiliate leagues throughout the nation, and the international women's football community. The WFAI was founded in 1973...
.
Honours
League of IrelandLeague of Ireland
The League of Ireland is the national association football league of the Republic of Ireland. Founded in 1921, as a league of eight clubs, it has expanded over time into a two-tiered league of 22 clubs. It is currently split into the League of Ireland Premier Division and the League of Ireland...
: 4
-
-
- Shamrock Rovers - 1983/84, 1984/85, 1985/86, 1986/87
-
FAI CupFAI Cup
The Football Association of Ireland Challenge Cup, known as the FAI Ford Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a knock-out association football competition contested annually by teams from the Republic of Ireland...
: 3
-
-
- Shamrock Rovers - 1985, 1986, 1987
- LFA Presidents Cup: 1
- Shamrock Rovers - 1987/88
- Player of the Year: 1
- Shamrock Rovers - 1980/81
-
Sources
- The Hoops by Paul Doolan and Robert Goggins (ISBN 0-7171-2121-6)