Celebration of United skipper and Barca hero
MUSEUM HONOURS FIRST IRISH UNITED CAPTAIN
AN exhibition about the life of a former Manchester United captain who helped save FC Barcelona and died destitute will be unveiled at the National Football Museum.
Patrick O’Connell, a Dubliner and the first Irishman to captain United, will be remembered with an exhibition at the city centre museum, which will be launched on Tuesday.
A 100-year-old Irish cap earned by Patrick during the British Home Championship victory of 1914, a FC Barcelona shirt from the 1930s, and a pennant donated by FC Barcelona captain, Andreas Iniesta, signed by the 2015 Champions League winning squad are on display.
There will also be a picture of the United team of 1915 which Patrick captained, a signed Sir Bobby Charlton book and a painting of United’s four Irish captains, Patrick, Jackie Carey, Noel Cantwell and Roy Keane.
Patrick’s grandson Mike O’Connell, aged 82, who lives in Leigh, is also set to attend the launch. Football luminaries including Gordon Taylor and Mike Summerbee are expected to be present, as well as representatives of United and Barcelona.
Manchester charity Street Support has been invited, as well as a football team made up of homeless people from Bolton.
Patrick first arrived at Old Trafford in 1915 after signing for a then astronomical fee of £1,000, living in Blackley during his time at the club.
He later became a successful manager and is credited with helping to save the Catalan giants, managing the team during the Spanish Civil War between 1935 and 1940. The club was facing crippling debts and Patrick took the club on a tour of Mexico and the US in 1937, which helped to raise much-needed funds.
He then went on to win titles with Barcelona, including the Mediterranean League and the Catalan Championship.
But Patrick died in 1959 aged 71, homeless and destitute.
He was buried in an unmarked grave in St Mary’s Cemetery, Kensal Green, London.
In 2015, a group of football fans decided to set up a fundraising campaign after hearing of what happened to Patrick.
A total of £5,000 was raised by the auctioning of signed shirts, including Davis Beckham, Sir Bobby Charlton, Denis Law and Roy Keane as well as by Sergio Aguero and Yaya Toure.
A memorial has since been placed at his grave.
Patrick was inducted into Barcelona’s hall of fame in 2015, and more recently a bronze bust of the Irishman was unveiled by Real Betis, another Spanish club he managed and guided to their only La Liga title.
The exhibition opens on June 20 and runs until September 12.