Eamonn Deacy - RIP

[Hopadop]

Fantastic find Eamonn, great to finally find out where his nickname came from. There were a few theories doing the rounds.

Incidentally, as I was doing the rounds of the family, more than one of the family members thanked me for wearing the villa scarf. They're truly an amazing family.

Ger as far as you could tell through the crowds, did the club send a representative?

It sounds like Ger did us proud (but I know what you meant and I'm glad they did).

[dave.woodhall]

Fantastic find Eamonn, great to finally find out where his nickname came from. There were a few theories doing the rounds.

Incidentally, as I was doing the rounds of the family, more than one of the family members thanked me for wearing the villa scarf. They're truly an amazing family.

Ger as far as you could tell through the crowds, did the club send a representative?

It sounds like Ger did us proud (but I know what you meant and I'm glad they did).

One thing that's been consistent over the years is the club's ability to instinctively do the right thing.

[D.boy]

Cheers Ger & Eamonn for the info.
Another good read here

[Ger Regan]

There was a tv camera at the funeral today, so there'll likely be a bit on irish news later. (rte.ie for those outside of Ireland who might be interested).
Plenty of c&b in attendance, which was nice to see, including johnc from this parish, who I met briefly. A really great send off for the man, plenty of laughs as well as tears. The MOTD theme tune was played as his coffin was being brought out of the church, to applause from everyone in attendance.

[johnc]

Massive turn out. I believe the floral tribute Ger  arranged was the first one carried out of the church ahead of the coffin. Obviously family was of massive importance to him and his brothers spoke very movingly about him and some of the stories provoked gales of laughter with an obvious sad undercurrent.

His times at Villa received many mentions. How the whole of Galway would pray for Colin Gibson to get injured, apart from Eamons Mum who wanted him stay off the pitch out of danger

Club was represented by Robin Russell. Apparently soil from two pitches he played on were to go into the grave. Gordon Cowans said he was not allowed to bring over soil from VP. One of chicks brothers said he would get soil from VP by hook or by crook sooner or later. I dont doubt that it will happen.

A good Galway man, a good Villa man, a good man.

[Ger Regan]

From a Villa perspective, I think Ernie (Chick's brother) said it all when at the end he thanked the club for giving Eamon his chance. I think that perfectly sums up what Villa meant to him, he was truly grateful for the opportunity to play for the club.

[Oscar Arce]

This thread has moved me to tears reading it in full today and reminded me for the first time in a long, long, time just how proud I am to be a Villa fan.
What a lovely person and wonderful family, I think everyone has truly summed up Eamon Deacy's impact on us all by the comment that he just seemed like one of us playing for the Villa.
Thank you everybody.

[godzvilla]

This is from todays Irish Times , to see the Newspaper page & Photo,s go to

http://irishtimes.newspaperdirect.com/epaper/viewer.aspx .    Rest in Peace , Eamon .

Former Aston Villa defender Eamon Deacy laid to rest THE THEME music for BBC television’s Match of the Day and a soccer guard of honour were among tributes to former Aston Villa and Galway United defender Eamon “Chick” Deacy, who was buried yesterday in Galway.

Aston Villa director Robin Russell and four of Deacy’s colleagues from the club’s English league championship and European Cup winning team of the early 1980s were among several thousand people who attended the funeral in the Augustinian Church.

The congregation spilled out on to Middle Street and beyond.

Chief celebrant Fr Dick Lyng said that in 30 years of funerals, having buried prelates and politicians and many sporting heroes, he had never seen anything quite like the volume of people who came to the removal and funeral Mass.

President Michael D Higgins had travelled to the removal on Thursday evening, when people queued for up to six hours to pay their respects.

The unassuming former soccer star, who was in his late 50s, died suddenly last Monday.

Deacy, the youngest of 10 siblings from Galway’s Henry Street, recently received a Galway Sports Stars Hall of Fame award for his achievements, which included capturing the English league title with Aston Villa in 1980/1 and the European Cup the following season.

He picked up four caps for the Republic of Ireland and also played for Derby County before returning home to play with Galway United, Sligo Rovers and Limerick. NUI Galway awarded him an honorary Master of Arts degree several years ago.

Many supporters of Galway United and his former club West United were at the large funeral, which was also attended by the President’s aide-de-camp Cmdt Michael Walsh and Football Association of Ireland chief executive John Delaney.
Former Aston Villa teammates who attended were Gordon Cowans, Tony Morley, Ken Mcnaught and Colin Gibson.

Fr Lyng recalled a conversation this week with Connacht Tribune photographer Joe O’shaughnessy in relation to Deacy’s popularity.

“It was his decency and his downright humility. He was a decent guy and that’s why they are here,” O’shaughnessy had explained, and Fr Lyng noted that such virtues were “not exactly in abundance” today.

Quoting Galway journalist Declan Varley, Fr Lyng said Deacy’s feet were “placed firmly on the ground”.

Don and Ernie Deacy drew laughter by recounting stories of their youngest brother. Ernie, who worked closely with him in the family’s fruit and vegetable shop on Sea Road, said there were only two things that would draw his brother “out of his box”.

These were the number of priests present, as Eamon’s faith was paramount, and the guard of honour planned by West United. Eamon would want to know “what they were all doing there”, he said, to applause.

Offertory gifts presented by his nieces and nephews included a jersey to represent his time at Aston Villa, a football which he and his son Jake had played with, a basket of fruit to symbolise his life outside sport, a Child of Prague statue which he had given his daughter Dawn, and photos of where he had played as a child and where he played soccer at South Park or The Swamp.

Led Zeppelin’s Stairway to Heaven was played at the Mass opening, a piece of music favoured by Eamon and his wife Mary. Chief mourners were Eamon’s wife Mary O’connor, daughter Dawn and son Jake and his siblings Michael, George, Mary, Neil, Ernest, Tommy and Don. He was predeceased by brothers Nicholas (Dixie) and Desmond

[dave.woodhall]

FC Heaven has made one hell of a signing
GALWAY ADVERTISER, FEBRUARY 16, 2012.
God never had any respect for the football transfer window. He feels it limits his options and you know how God is when it comes to having his will imposed on us mere mortals. But in assembling a football squad worthy of representing Heaven, he made one hell of a signing this week when he selected one of Galway’s most loved and most talented sportsmen. And like any football signing, his loss has left his family, friends, and supporters bereft.

A lot of fine footballers have been taken from us over the years, even here in Galway, but the sense of shock this week when the news filtered through of the death of Eamon Deacy has left a lot of us reeling. On two fronts, because Eamon was the devoted husband of our colleague Mary O’Connor, and also because he was a true gentleman, and a gentle man for whom nobody had a bad word.

There is something poetic though about the thought of Chick Deacy once again labouring alongside Miko Nolan in the Heaven midfield, doing the hard work to allow the likes of the recently-departed Socrates to get all the glory. In May 1982, when Chick played for the Republic of Ireland against Brazil in the Maracana, I am sure neither Socrates nor himself, both young men in their prime, facing each other across a celebrated pitch, could ever have realised they would depart this life within months of each other, and in both cases, shockingly too early.

Eamon Deacy was an icon in Galway football circles. His was the ultimate ‘local boy done good.’ He pestered English clubs for a chance to show his ability and he came home some time later, one of the few Irishmen (outside Liverpool or United or Arsenal ) to have in his possession a Division One League Championship medal.

He was the complete antithesis of the modern day professional footballer. A million miles removed from the likes of Ashley Cole who admitted he nearly crashed his car when his club only offered him €80,000 a week. Nothing made Eamon happier than the thought of playing a committed game of football and then working hard in the family business to do his best to support his beloved family.

I last met Chick about a month or so ago, near the children’s section in Easons when, in a discussion about life which was inspired by his meeting my three-year-old daughter, he spoke of the contentment he enjoyed and the great love he had for his family, his wife Mary, his daughter Dawn and his son Jake. He was a man who had found contentment, not in the material matters that occupy all modern day footballers, but in the realisation that life is about being a decent human being. And that he certainly was...

It has been a rough year for Galway. We have lost a lot of things, airports, football clubs, jobs, good men and women, and now the city has lost a hero.

We will all feel the pain of his absence, but none more acutely than his family, Mary and his daughter and son, Dawn and Jake. Thank you for sharing him with us, remember what a great man he was, and picture in your mind’s eye, himself and Miko above the clouds, laying into Bestie for not tracking back. Farewell, Chick and thanks for the memories.

[Virgil Caine]

Re article in Irish Times- West Ham United?

[Somniloquism]

Re article in Irish Times- West Ham United?

West United are the Irish team he started and ended with.

[Ger Regan]

No, it's a local Galway club, West United, where he started and finished his playing days. Here is a photo of chick and the rest of the team celebrating a win in 03 / 04.

Edit: Beat me to the punch Somniloquism!

[Somniloquism]

But you gave more info.

[Virgil Caine]

Thanks Guys- worryingly I saw the word Ham where it did not exist.

[Villa-Villan]

Just read the whole thread and yet again the Villa family unite in grief.

Thank you to all.

UTV.