Aidan Mannion offers an insight into the efforts of the Sligo Rovers Heritage Group to preserve soccer history and culture

FOR many, many years, Aidan Mannion has helped preserve the history and heritage of Sligo Rovers. As chairman of the club’s Heritage Group, Aidan works with a number of dedicated volunteers to “record, collect and commemorate the history of the club.” “That’s the main function and focus of the heritage group,” Aidan explains.

“Basically, we are interested in anything to do with Rovers, be it memorabilia, jerseys, caps, programmes, medals, trophies, indeed any such items connected with the proud traditions and heritage of the club,” he adds. The Sligo Rovers Heritage Group was established by a number of enthusiasts in 2012 and is this year celebrating its 10th anniversary.

One of the first projects was the hosting of a Rovers exhibition in the Sligo County Museum. A similar exhibition was subsequently held in Forthill, the spiritual home of Sligo soccer.

In 2015, heritage group member Kevin Colreavy compiled ‘Stories of the Showgrounds’, a book published by the heritage group that was a snapshot of the legends and characters associated with the club.

For the two years prior to its publication in 2016, members of the heritage group worked on a comprehensive history of Sligo Rovers from 1928.

Aidan was editor of the book, which received wide acclaim as one of the finest such productions in the League of Ireland.

The heritage group has also welcomed a number of former Rovers players, their family members and other connnections.

These include the family of the legendary Dixie Dean, the Lambe brothers from Waterford, who presented a plaque in memory of their father, Alfie Lambe, of The White Star Bar, Grattan Street. Another notable visitor to The Showgrounds was the Chilean Ambassador, Carla Serazzi, to mark the links to Sligo native, Ambrose O’Higgins and his son, Bernardo, Chile’s founding father and liberator. The visit also linked O’Higgins FC of Chile to Sligo.

The heritage group’s biggest project to date was the completion of the EU PEACE III-funded outdoor museum at The Showgrounds last year.

“This certainly was a major undertaking. The [outdoor] museum is the first facility of its kind by any Irish soccer club. There are 100 panels featuring players, managers, volunteers, famous supporters and more,” Aidan said.

Elsewhere, the heritage group has produced a number of badges and crests. A special Bro. Walfrid of Celtic commemorative postcard cover was produced and stamped in his native Ballymote Post Office to mark the 100th anniversary of his death. Aidan continued: “We have been very grateful to receive a number of interesting items connected with Rovers.

“For example, one of them was given to us by Damian Courtney, who gave us an archive belonging to his late father, Charlie, a man who was secretary of the club for over 40 years and who was also an officer of the FAI and served on European committees.

An Irish Free State cap and an Irish Free state jersey from the 1930s are among the memorabilia which the Sligo Rovers Heritage Group has preserved over the years.

IF you have any old photographs, programmes, other memorabilia or information relating to the history of Sligo Rovers FC, the Sligo Rovers Heritage Group would be delighted to get in touch with you.

Please contact the chairman Aidan Mannion, or any of the members, Kevin Colreavy, Joe Molloy, Michael Moran, Noel Scott, Anthony Kilfeather and Michael Kelly.

“It includes minute books, letters and photographs and is an amazing collection of items. We are delighted to have it.”

The daughter of Rovers’ first captain in senior soccer, Johnny McManus, presented his junior international jersey and cap of the 1930s and also his Connacht interprovincial jersey.

The family of Jimmy Duncan, presented his 1937 league-winning medal to the heritage group.

Other items in the possession of the group are a number of voice recordings from the past, a small number of photographs not seen for years, a 1930s Pathé News film of a St James’s Gate versus Sligo Rovers game in Dublin and other memorabilia. “We are always delighted to receive such items,” said Aidan.

“In effect, this is what the group is all about, preserving these items for future generations.” Looking ahead, the heritage group is working closely with Rovers as the club recently unveiled ambitious plans for a major redevelopment of The Showgrounds.

The plan is to have a special ‘heritage space’.

“This could be a place where visitors to The Showgrounds could come and see the rich history of

Sligo Rovers.

“It is with this in mind that we are continuing to appeal to anyone with anything of interest, no matter how small, to contact us.

“We will continue to record and collect Rovers’ history and memorabilia to have material for the heritage space.

“We have always known that there is such material out there and we don’t want it to get lost.

“That’s why the heritage group was set up as a separate entity, but one working closely with Sligo Rovers,” Aidan continued. The heritage group is also actively working on a project to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Rovers winning the FAI Cup for the first time in 1983.

As, as if that wasn’t enough, the heritage group preparing to publish a third book on the early history of the club going back to the late 1800s.

“We have a photograph and record of a Dromahair trophy won by Sligo Rovers in 1912 and believe that Sligo AFC was founded in the late 1800s and adopted the red and white colours,” said Aidan.

The chairman finished by reiterating his appeal for any items of interest. “It could just be a missing piece of the bigger jigsaw,” he added.

Aidan Mannion with some of the Sligo Rovers Heritage Group’s memorabilia.