Dons Ireland connections

by Kevin Stirling

Niall McGinn, Josh Magennis Jonny Hayes, Willo Flood and Joe Shaughnessy are all in the Aberdeen squad that is across in their native Ireland as the Dons pre season programme gathers momentum. Aberdeen have through the years plundered Ireland for some players who have made their mark at Pittodrie. Kevin Stirling looks back on some early Irish Dons?

It is a common belief that Willie Lennie was the Dons first capped player for Scotland back in 1908. Although that fact is true enough, the first Aberdeen player to be capped for his country was Lennie’s teammate Charlie O’Hagan. Born in Buncrana in 1882, O’Hagan began his career in his native Ireland with St Columb’s College before moving on to Derry City and old Xavierans. It was during that spell that Everton tempted O’Hagan to try his luck in the English League in 1902. For whatever reason he was never selected for the Goodison club and a year later he was transferred to the Southern League and a spell with Tottenham Hotspur. It was only then that O’Hagan produced the kind of form that was to lead to his first cap for Ireland against Scotland on 18th March 1905. It was following a brief spell with Middlesbrough in 1906 where he played in only six matches that Aberdeen manager Jimmy Philip took an almost nomadic like O’Hagan to Pittodrie. It is fair to say that his spell with the Dons was his most productive. Almost immediately he struck up a fine partnership with Aberdeen winger Willie Lennie with O’Hagan operating at inside left. By now he was a regular in the Irish side and was also part of the impressive Aberdeen side that was now making an impression on the national stage. On 14th March 1908 O’Hagan found himself in opposition to his great friend as Lennie was in the Scotland side and O’Hagan had the distinction of leading Ireland. It was Lennie who came through smiling as the Scots went nap in a 5-0 win at Dublin’s Dalymount Park. Charlie O’Hagan eventually left Aberdeen and joined Greenock Morton in 1910. He made 112 appearances for the Dons, scoring 24 goals.

Joe O’Reilly joined Aberdeen in 1932 from Irish side Brideville in the immediate aftermath of the ‘Great Mystery’ that rocked Pittodrie to the core in November 1931. O’Reilly took his chance in the Aberdeen first team and played more than 40 matches for the Dons as well as establishing himself in the Ireland side. O’Reilly went on win 20 international caps, the first of which came against the Netherlands in a 2-0 win in May 1932. After two years at Pittodrie O’Reilly moved back to his native Brideville after failing to cement a right-half place in the Aberdeen side. It was Aberdeen captain Bob Fraser who kept O’Reilly on the sidelines. In 1936 O’Reilly transferred to St James Gate in Dublin and the last of his caps came in a 1-1 draw with Germany in 1939.

The 1930’s produced several Irish players in the Scottish League and among them was the prolific Paddy Moore, another Irish international who was with Aberdeen. Moore will go down in club history along with Alex Merrie as being the only two Aberdeen players to score six goals for the club in a single game. Moores’s incredible feat came against Falkirk in 1932. Born in Ballybough in 1909, Moore started out with Richmond Rovers and latterly enjoyed a spell with Shamrock Rovers winning the Irish Free State Cup in 1928 before joining Cardiff City a year later. A disappointing season with Tranmere meant a return to Shamrock Rovers in 1931, winning his first cap in April against Spain. Moore scored the Irish goal in a 1-1 draw. Two years later Paddy became another player to play for both Eire and Northern Ireland when he was selected to play against England. After his transfer to Aberdeen he created his own piece of history when he scored all four Ireland goals in a 4-4 draw against Belgium in a World Cup tie. In his three seasons at Pittodrie Moore notched an impressive 47 goals from only 74 appearances before he returned to his beloved Shamrock in July 1935. Before returning to Shamrock for a fourth time, Paddy Moore had spells with Shelbourne and Brideville. Paddy Moore died aged 42 in July 1951.

Belfast born Hugh Mooney made the first of his Aberdeen appearances against St Mirren in February 1932. Mooney made only 15 appearances during his two seasons with the Black & Golds before joining Gillingham. Mooney was another player who found a starting place in the Dons side in the aftermath of the 1931 ‘Great Mystery’ but was then second choice to Kenny Thomson. Previously Mooney had started out with Belfast Celtic before joining second division Nottingham Forest in 1931.

EUROPEAN BOW AT BALLYBOFEY

Aberdeen first played in Ireland against Shamrock Rovers in April 1928 in a 3-1 win, however their first competitive match across the Irish Sea was in the quaint setting of Ballybofey in a UEFA Cup tie against Finn Harps. It was on 3td October 1973 that the Dons travelled to Donegal for the tie following a comfortable 4-1 win at Pittodrie in the first leg. The Finn Park setting saw 5,500 packed into the tiny confines of the ground. Aberdeen rarely raised their game against the Irish part timers but did enough to win the tie 3-2 and a 7-2 aggregate. Goals from Drew Jarvie and Dave Robb midway through the first half had Aberdeen cruising throughout. Alex Harkin who scored at Pittodrie in the first leg had the distinction of bringing the loudest cheer of the night when he scored for the home side in 66 minutes. Bertie Miller completed the scoring for the Dons in 89 minutes.

The Aberdeen team was; Clark, Hair, Hermiston, Thomson, Young, W Miller, Willoughby, Robb, Graham, Jarvie, R Miller. Subs; Smith, Purdie.