Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Time to honour Big Jack
EXCLUSIVE: Charlton family’s knighthood call as they reveal moving farewells to hero
JACK Charlton’s grieving brother Tommy last night led the calls for the football legend to be knighted.
The 74-year-old said being made a Sir would be a “fitting tribute” to the former Republic boss, who died on Friday aged 85.
Tommy told of his emotional final meeting with England’s 1966 World Cup winner. He said: “I’ve never seen him smile like that.”
JACK Charlton’s family have spoken of the special bond he had with Ireland – and how proud he would be to see the outpouring of love sparked by his death.
The football icon’s granddaughter Emma Wilkinson said his family have been touched by a tsunami of messages and well-wishes.
She told how his passing at the age of 85 on Friday will leave a huge gap in their lives, adding: “It is emotional because we will miss him hugely and it will leave a big hole.
“But I have read every message that has come in particularly from across Ireland.
“He loved Ireland very, very much and had a deep affinity with Ireland.
“He would be extremely proud to know he was loved as much as he loved Ireland.”
Emma said she grew up listening to Big Jack’s tales of Italia 90 and his years with the Irish team.
She added: “That experience with Ireland and that time in the early 90s was a huge, huge part of his life and we were told about it a lot growing up. He talked about that period of his life so much it was definitely one of his proudest achievements, it was much more than a job.
“When we used to go on holiday, he only had to hear an Irish accent and he would go and talk to people. He trusted Irish people implicitly even if he didn’t know them.”
Jack’s widow Pat and his extended family have been overwhelmed by messages from Ireland since Saturday.
The FAI also opened an online book of condolence yesterday for fans to pay their respects.
Emma told RTE: “It’s all still quite surreal for the whole family it will take a while for it to sink in.
“I can’t express enough how the messages and the memories that people have shared have helped me through.
“Some of the memories people had have tallied so much with what we remember about grandad.
“That reflects what a genuine person he was, he was completely real he gave everyone his time none more so than us his family. That concept of sharing him applied mostly to my grandma, she supported him unequivocally for 62 years.
“He was such a gregarious happy person that that will get us all through because there are so many memories to share.
“I am looking at his flat cap hung upon a hook and his fishing rods on the wall which makes it quite emotional.”
The funeral of the former Ireland manager and England World Cup hero will take place in around 10 days’ time and is likely to be limited by Covid-19 restrictions.
Emma said: “It’s a shame but all the people who loved him the most and were closest to him will hopefully be able to be there.
“The messages that we’ve had, we’ve been sending them on to my grandma, mum and uncles and that has really, really helped and left them in no doubt as to what grandad meant to Ireland and the people of Ireland. Even if we are in a situation where people can’t pay their respects in the way they normally would, the feeling that they had, and that emotion is coming through loud and clear.”
Emma revealed that even in his latter days battling dementia and lymphoma they saw glimpses of the old Jack. She said: “That character that we all loved was still there even towards the end when his memory was fading.
“The character that everyone has described – that warm, outgoing, playful cheeky chappie character – was always there, we always had glimpses of it and I will treasure those memories
He trusted Irish people implicity even if he didn’t know who they were
EMMA WILKINSON YESTERDAY
It’s very hard to get back to that time and realise how dark it was
RODDY DOYLE ON IRELAND IN THE 90S
forever.” Author Roddy Doyle – whose novel The Van immortalised the summer of Italia 90 – said he and others felt they had lost a father figure.
He also revealed the book would have taken a very different course if the World Cup adventure had gone sour. He said: “I think a lot of us of my age feel our extra parent is after dying on us. Jack was younger than I am now when Italia 90 was on, but he always seemed like an older man with his peak cap and his no nonsense take on life.
“You need to have been there I think maybe in a pub when we scored the goal against England or when Packie Bonner saved the penalty. I do remember there was definitely a palpable feeling when it was all over that things were different, that something had happened, that this was huge and nothing like this had ever happened in the country before.
“It was a huge cause for celebration and pride.
“It is very hard to get back to that time and realise how dark it was. There was a feeling that this was such a joyous thing when there weren’t many excuses for joy. I was writing my novel The Van at the time and hoping to incorporate the World Cup but it was up for grabs, if we had gone out in the group stages I don’t think I’d have bothered as it would have been a bit of a non-event but we did get through.”
■ The FAI yesterday opened a Virtual Book of Condolences where Irish fans can express their sympathies to the family of the late Jack Charlton.
The link will remain live until July 27 when the FAI will share all messages with the Charlton family.
FAI President Gerry Mcananey said: “We are offering Ireland fans the opportunity to extend their sympathies to Jack’s family online and to show the family just how much Jack meant to all of us here in Ireland.”