Liverpool legend Bill was a proud Enniscorthy native
WHILE LIVERPOOL fans living locally can regularly be heard to wax lyrical about such legends as Kenny Dalglish, Ian Rush and even more recently Steven Gerrard, very few will raise the name of a man who came from Enniscorthy and managed to win two league titles with the club.
Bill Lacey was born in Enniscorthy in 1889 and lived with his family on the Ross Road. He was baptised at St Aidan’s Cathedral. And ultimately, he went on to play 259 games and score 29 goals for one of the biggest clubs in football from 1912 to 1924.
It was an emotional homecoming to Enniscorthy for Bill’s grandson, also called Bill Lacey recently as he took a tour of where his footballing grandfather came from. Bill was joined by his wife Jackie, his two sons and other family members as they visited the plaque dedicated to Lacey on the Ross Road and visited the Cathedral where he was baptised.
There was a civic reception for the family at Enniscorthy Castle at which Chairman of Enniscorthy District Cllr Keith Doyle welcomed them and spoke of how the legend of Bill Lacey was ‘no longer forgotten’. Former Echo reporter Sean Whelan presented the family with an information pack on Bill’s early life which included his baptismal cert.
‘Bill Lacey enjyed a tremendous career and was really a pioneer of Irish football,’ said District Manager Liz Hore. ‘His grandson Bill was delighted to visit the town and was blown away by the special reception that they received. They visited the plaque dedicated to Bill and said that they feel a special connection with Enniscorthy, which was really nice. Bill also told me that his son Lewis is showing some promise on the pitch, so maybe Bill won’t be the last famous footballer of his name.’
Perhaps unusually, Bill started out his footballing career in the UK with Everton before making the move across Stanley Park to their arch rivals Liverpool in a swap deal in 1912. The Toffees lived to regret the decision to part with him and the tricky winger went on to become one of Liverpool’s best players of the following decade.
In 1914, he put in some fantastic performances in the FA Cup, notching several impor- tant goals to bring his side to a final showdown with a tough Burnley side. It was a bridge to far, however, and they lost 1-0.
While his career was put on hold by World War I, he returned to Merseyside in 1919 and enjoyed some of the best years of his career helping his club to back to back league titles in 1922 and 1923.
The Lacey family thanked the people of Enniscorthy and local representatives for their warm welcome and are already looking forward to returning again in the near future.