Tommy Moroney
Encyclopedia
Tommy Moroney is a former Irish soccer
and rugby union
player. Moroney played soccer for Cork United, West Ham United
, Evergreen United
and Ireland. In 1949 he was a member of the Ireland team that defeated England
2–0
at Goodison Park
, becoming the first non-UK
team to beat England at home. He also represented both Cork Constitution
and Munster
at rugby union.
, Moroney was a member of the successful Cork United team of the 1940s, helping them win several League of Ireland
titles. A brilliant all-round sportsman, Moroney also played rugby union for Cork Constitution
, helping them win the Munster Senior Cup three times. He also represented Munster
, but with the Five Nations Championship suspended because of the Second World War, he never got the chance to play for the Ireland national rugby union team
.
in 1947, making his debut in the English Second Division
on 1 September 1947 against Millwall
. In January 1948 he was joined at the Hammers by his former Cork United team mate, Frank O'Farrell
. Moroney played 148 league games for the Hammers, scoring 8 goals. He also played a further three games for the club in the FA Cup
. He played his last game for West Ham on 3 April 1953 in a 2–1 defeat against Fulham
. He subsequently returned to Cork
where he finished his playing career with Evergreen United
on 30 May 1948. On 21 September 1949, together with Con Martin
, Johnny Carey
and Peter Farrell
, he was a member of the Ireland team that defeated England
2–0
at Goodison Park
, becoming the first non-UK
team to beat England at home. Together with Peter Desmond
, he was one of two Corkmen in the team. He played his last game for Ireland on 4 October 1953 against France
in a World Cup
qualifier.
Cork Constitution
Soccer Player
Cork United
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...
and rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
player. Moroney played soccer for Cork United, West Ham United
West Ham United F.C.
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...
, Evergreen United
Evergreen United F.C.
Evergreen United F.C. is a former Irish football club originally based in the Evergreen Road area of Cork. They played in the League of Ireland between 1951 and 1959. In 1959 the club changed their name and became Cork Celtic....
and Ireland. In 1949 he was a member of the Ireland team that defeated England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
2–0
England v Ireland (1949)
England v Ireland. On 21 September 1949 at Goodison Park, Liverpool, the home of Everton, England were defeated 2-0 by Ireland in a friendly international...
at Goodison Park
Goodison Park
Goodison Park is a football stadium located in Walton, Liverpool, England. The stadium has been home to Everton F.C. since its completion in 1892 and is one of the world's first purpose-built football grounds...
, becoming the first non-UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
team to beat England at home. He also represented both Cork Constitution
Cork Constitution
Cork Constitution is a club, based in Cork. It was founded by staff of the Cork Constitution. Since the paper did not publish on Sundays, the staff were looking for activities to pursue on Saturday afternoons. In the summer, cricket was played, while in the winter, rugby was the designated...
and Munster
Munster Rugby
Munster Rugby is an Irish professional rugby union team based in Munster, that competes in the RaboDirect Pro12 and Heineken Cup.The team represents the Irish Rugby Football Union Munster Branch which is one of four primary branches of the IRFU, and is responsible for rugby union in the Irish...
at rugby union.
Early Years in Cork
Together with Frank O'FarrellFrank O'Farrell
Francis 'Frank' O'Farrell is an Irish former football player and manager.-Early:Frank O'Farrell started his playing career with Cork United, but followed his former Cork teammate, Tommy Moroney to West Ham United in January 1948. A quietly spoken, but nonetheless determined and talented wing-half,...
, Moroney was a member of the successful Cork United team of the 1940s, helping them win several League of Ireland
League 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...
titles. A brilliant all-round sportsman, Moroney also played rugby union for Cork Constitution
Cork Constitution
Cork Constitution is a club, based in Cork. It was founded by staff of the Cork Constitution. Since the paper did not publish on Sundays, the staff were looking for activities to pursue on Saturday afternoons. In the summer, cricket was played, while in the winter, rugby was the designated...
, helping them win the Munster Senior Cup three times. He also represented Munster
Munster Rugby
Munster Rugby is an Irish professional rugby union team based in Munster, that competes in the RaboDirect Pro12 and Heineken Cup.The team represents the Irish Rugby Football Union Munster Branch which is one of four primary branches of the IRFU, and is responsible for rugby union in the Irish...
, but with the Five Nations Championship suspended because of the Second World War, he never got the chance to play for the Ireland national rugby union team
Ireland national rugby union team
The Ireland national rugby union team represents the island of Ireland in rugby union. The team competes annually in the Six Nations Championship and every four years in the Rugby World Cup, where they reached the quarter-final stage in all but two competitions The Ireland national rugby union...
.
West Ham United
Moroney moved to West Ham UnitedWest Ham United F.C.
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...
in 1947, making his debut in the English Second Division
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
on 1 September 1947 against Millwall
Millwall F.C.
Millwall Football Club is an English professional football club based in South Bermondsey, south east London, that plays in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football. Founded as Millwall Rovers in 1885, the club has retained its name despite having last played in the...
. In January 1948 he was joined at the Hammers by his former Cork United team mate, Frank O'Farrell
Frank O'Farrell
Francis 'Frank' O'Farrell is an Irish former football player and manager.-Early:Frank O'Farrell started his playing career with Cork United, but followed his former Cork teammate, Tommy Moroney to West Ham United in January 1948. A quietly spoken, but nonetheless determined and talented wing-half,...
. Moroney played 148 league games for the Hammers, scoring 8 goals. He also played a further three games for the club in the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
. He played his last game for West Ham on 3 April 1953 in a 2–1 defeat against Fulham
Fulham F.C.
Fulham Football Club is a professional English Premier League club based in southwest London Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they play in the Premier League, their 11th current season...
. He subsequently returned to Cork
Cork (city)
Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland's third most populous city. It is the principal city and administrative centre of County Cork and the largest city in the province of Munster. Cork has a population of 119,418, while the addition of the suburban...
where he finished his playing career with Evergreen United
Evergreen United F.C.
Evergreen United F.C. is a former Irish football club originally based in the Evergreen Road area of Cork. They played in the League of Ireland between 1951 and 1959. In 1959 the club changed their name and became Cork Celtic....
Irish international
Moroney made 12 appearances for Ireland between 1948 and 1953. He scored his only goal for Ireland, on his international debut, in a 2–1 away defeat against SpainSpain national football team
The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...
on 30 May 1948. On 21 September 1949, together with Con Martin
Con Martin
Cornelius Joseph Martin , commonly referred to as Con Martin, is a former Irish footballer. Martin initially played Gaelic football with Dublin before switching codes and embarking on a successful soccer career, playing for, among others, Drumcondra, Glentoran, Leeds United and Aston Villa...
, Johnny Carey
Johnny Carey
John Joseph "Johnny" Carey , also known as Jackie Carey, was an Irish footballer and manager. As a player Carey spent most of his career at Manchester United, where he was team captain from 1946 until he retired as a player in 1953...
and Peter Farrell
Peter Farrell
Peter Desmond Farrell was an Irish footballer who played as an a right-half for, among others, Shamrock Rovers, Everton and Tranmere Rovers. As an international, Farrell also played for both Ireland teams - the FAI XI and the IFA XI...
, he was a member of the Ireland team that defeated England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
2–0
England v Ireland (1949)
England v Ireland. On 21 September 1949 at Goodison Park, Liverpool, the home of Everton, England were defeated 2-0 by Ireland in a friendly international...
at Goodison Park
Goodison Park
Goodison Park is a football stadium located in Walton, Liverpool, England. The stadium has been home to Everton F.C. since its completion in 1892 and is one of the world's first purpose-built football grounds...
, becoming the first non-UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
team to beat England at home. Together with Peter Desmond
Peter Desmond
Peter Desmond was an Irish footballer. Desmond played for several clubs in the League of Ireland and the English League. As an international, Desmond also played for Ireland....
, he was one of two Corkmen in the team. He played his last game for Ireland on 4 October 1953 against France
France national football team
The France national football team represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation , the governing body of football in France, and competes as a member of UEFA, which encompasses the countries of Europe...
in a World Cup
1954 FIFA World Cup
The 1954 FIFA World Cup, the fifth staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in Switzerland from 16 June to 4 July. Switzerland was chosen as hosts in July 1946. The tournament set a number of all-time records for goal-scoring, including the highest average goals scored per game...
qualifier.
Honours
Rugby PlayerCork Constitution
- Munster Senior Cup
- Winners 1942, 1943 1946 3
Soccer Player
Cork United
- League of IrelandLeague of IrelandThe 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...
- Winners 1941, 1942, 1943, 1945, 1946 5
- FAI CupFAI CupThe 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...
- Winners 1942, 1947 2
- League of Ireland ShieldLeague of Ireland ShieldThe League of Ireland Shield is a defunct Irish football tournament which was introduced when the League of Ireland started in 1921 and ran uninterrupted until 1972...
- Winners 1943 1
- Munster Senior Cup
- Winners 1941, 1945, 1946, 1947 4
Sources
- The Boys In Green – The FAI International Story (1997): Sean Ryan http://www.amazon.ca/dp/1851589392