Farewell to loveable and loud Courtenay

A WARM wind carried John Courtenay to rest in Dardistown on Wednesday afternoon. The funeral was Covid-19 quiet, which would have irritated ‘JC’ as he loved the craic and being in the middle of it all. If Courtenay, who was 72, had been overseeing his farewell, he’d have booked a well-stocked bar, a few football heads and signed a chit in advance to cover the costs, for his generosity was legendary. As son Jonathan observed of his Da, ‘I never met a man so anxious to give away cash’. On one European trip with Ireland, ‘JC’ was leaving a restaurant when he spied a fella who’d seen better days. He dashed back into the restaurant and promptly emerged with a plate of food, along with a €50 note, which he thrusted at the drifter. A working-class Dub from Crumlin, Courtenay was loud and loveable. Through the family sportswear businesses, Toplion and then JACC, Courtenay first kitted out the Republic of Ireland in Umbro gear after the 1994 World Cup finals. The contract, now in the hands of son Jonathan, will continue to provide kit for Irish international teams until 2026. Courtenay could bark with the best and was removed from the directors’ box at Lincoln soon after becoming owner of Carlisle United in 2002, for losing his cool. I felt Courtenay would have made a decent fist of FAI CEO. He’d certainly have brought colour, passion and a business savvy to the role. To his wife, Sylvia, and sons Jonathan, Graham and Ian, our deepest sympathies.