Our soccer trailblazers
QUESTION Who was the first Irish person to leave the country to play professional soccer in Britain?
THE first Irish person to cross the sea to play professional soccer in Britain was John ‘Jack’ Peden, who was born in Belfast in 1863.
He began his soccer career by joining Linfield in Belfast in 1886, staying with that club for seven years.
In February, 1893, he signed for Newton Heath in Manchester, the club that preceded Manchester United. However, he didn’t make his debut with the club until the opening game of the 1893/4 season – a match against Burnley on September 2, 1893.
Peden played for Newton Heath, widely known as the Heathens, for just that one season. He scored a total of seven goals.
From there, he moved on to Sheffield United for the 1894/5 season, but he couldn’ t hold down a first team place and left Sheffield to return home to Ireland, where he played for Distillery in Belfast for three years. He then returned to his original club, Linfield, in 1898, finally retiring from the game at the end of the 1898/9 season.
He had also made quite a number of appearances as a member of the Ireland team, scoring seven goals for Ireland and gaining a total of 24 caps.
The outside left player had made a big impression during his 14 years as a professional player and most importantly of all, he started the flow of talent cross channel to what became Manchester United.
Over the years, Manchester United has depended on a host of Irish-born players, but not only was Peden the first to play for the club that preceded Manchester United, but he became the first Irish soccer player to make a name for himself in Britain.
The club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910. These days, of course, it’s Manchester City rather than Manchester United that’s grabbing the headlines as the team to beat.
Following on in the pioneering ways of John Peden, the next Irish player to make a big mark cross channel was Patrick Joseph O’Connell, born in Dublin in 1887.
In his youth career, O’Connell played for three clubs in Ireland, including Liffey Wanderers. Then from 1905 to 1909, he played with Belfast Celtic. In 1909, he began his cross-channel career, which lasted for 13 years.
He played for Sheffield Wednesday and then Hull City before playing for Manchester United from 1914 to 1919.
He also played six times for Ireland between 1912 and 1919.
Then from 1922 to 1949, Patrick O’Connell’s talents were put to good use in Spain – as a manager rather than as a player – especially at Barcelona FC, where he is still revered today.
John Peden from Belfast and Patrick O’Connell from Dublin had been the two players from Ireland who blazed the trail for Irish soccer players in Britain.
Micheál O’Donnell, Co. Wicklow.
QUESTION Where did the Dublin term of affection ‘segosha’ – as in, ‘me old segosha’ – originate?
THIS term of affection for a friend is still used in Dublin, having been a favourite expression for countless decades. But while it’s still such a familiar turn of speech, especially used in the phrase ‘me oul’ segosha’, no-one is quite sure of its origins although several plausible explanations have been put forward.
As a sign of its antiquity, James Joyce used a version of the expression in his novel, Finnegan’s Wake, published in 1939, less than two years before his death.
Much later on, Flann O’Brien also used the term in his Dalkey Archive novel of 1964, his fifth and final novel, saying that ‘a friend seemed a decent sort of segotia’.
In 1965, John Molloy’s show at the Gate Theatre in Dublin was called ‘There y’Are’, following it up in the style of a typical Dubliner with another show called ‘Me oul’ segotia’.
When Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt was published in 1996, the word ‘segotia’ was used as a term of endearment for a horse pulling a coal float.
Various spellings of the word are still commonplace, but the message behind the word is always the same: one of greeting and friendship. But how it came into being remains a mystery.
It’s said that many years ago, during the 19th century, members of a club in Dublin called the Oul’ Segotias, never tipped less than half a sovereign – ten shillings in old money.
When people who were less well off tipped the jarvey tuppence, the jarvey, with typical irony, would say ‘T’ank you, me oul’ segotia’.
Some people also believe that the word is a corruption in English of an old French word, ‘sacoche’, which means wallet, money bag or saddle bag. Another explanation has the word as an English language corruption of an Irish phrase, ‘seo dhuitse’, which translates as ‘this one’s for you’.
Once, Dubliners used an extensive vocabulary of slang words – hundreds of them – that were indecipherable to anyone living outside Dublin – and many still remain.
‘Going for messages’ still means going to make small purchases in a local shop, while a ‘messer’ is still a seriously incompetent person and ‘mott’ is the wife or girlfriend. ‘Cat’s pyjamas’ means perfection, while a ‘chancer’ is still a devious, risk-taking person. ‘Cute hoor’ is a clever and devious person, while a ‘corner boy’ is still someone who is loitering without intent.
All these examples, and many more, of Dublin slang still linger on in popular use, but few of the old Dublin phrases remain in such popular use as ‘me oul’ segotia’ . As an expression of close friendship and endearment, it hasn’t been bettered.
Ciarán Maguire, Dublin 12.
I’VE read that the term is the mangled Dublin version of the French expression ‘mon cher gosse’ (‘my dear kid’) brought home by returning World War One soldiers.
Mike Roycroft, Nenagh.
QUESTION Why do modern windmills turn clockwise and traditional windmills turn anti-clockwise?
AN earlier answer explained that the sails of most traditional windmills turn anti-clockwise, so a right-handed miller can adjust the rigging.
However, there are surviving exceptions, such as the five-sailed Dobson’s Mill at Burgh Le Marsh in Lincolnshire. Its sails rotate clockwise, giving the mill a distinctive appearance.
D. V. Page West Bridgford, Notts.
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