Liam Hennessy (1932 – 21 May 2019) was an Irish international footballer who played as an attacking left half, with a gifted left foot. Nicknamed "The Gunner" such was the power and shooting accuracy he delivered both from open play and from the penalty spot. (Source: Shamrock Rovers archive media) Lived in Dundrum, Dublin, Ireland, with wife Joan, and was a father of 5 children. He signed for

Shamrock Rovers Shamrock Rovers Football Club ( ga, Cumann Peile Ruagairí na Seamróige) is an Irish association football club based in Tallaght, South Dublin. The club's senior team competes in the League of Ireland Premier Division and it is the most su ...

in 1949 after a season with Wolverhampton Wanderers and became part of the side popularly known as Coad's Colts, enjoying many memorable days during the 1950s. Shamrock Rovers dominated the football scene in the 1950s, and were instrumental in placing Irish Football on the global map Hennessy made a scoring debut on 23 December 1951 at Limerick scoring the first goal from 40 yards out in a 3–0 win. When Rovers won the League in 1953/54 Liam scored 4 goals in front of a crowd of 35,000 in a 10–2 win over

Cork Athletic Cork Athletic Football Club was a former Irish football club based in Cork. They played in the League of Ireland between 1948 and 1957. They were the successor club of Cork United. When United quit the league in October 1948, Cork Athletic was ...

. Played in 4

FAI Cup The Football Association of Ireland Senior Challenge Cup (FAI Cup), known as the Extra.ie FAI Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a knock-out association football competition contested annually by teams from the Republic of Ireland (as well as Derry ...

finals in a row from 1955 losing the latter two. Missed a penalty in the 1958 decider. Made 3 appearances while at Glenmalure Park in the European Champion Clubs' Cup. Played both legs against

OGC Nice Olympique Gymnaste Club Nice Côte d'Azur (), commonly referred to as OGC Nice or simply Nice, is a French professional football club based in Nice. The club was founded in 1904 and currently plays in Ligue 1, the top tier of French football. ...

. In the away leg at Nice in 1959–60, he was struck down with sunstroke during the game, but soldiered on. In May 1948 he played for the

Republic of Ireland national football team , FIFA Trigramme = IRL , Name = Republic of Ireland , Association = Football Association of Ireland (FAI) , Confederation = UEFA (Europe) , website fai.ie, Coach = Stephen Kenny (foot ...

Griffin Park Griffin Park was a football ground in Brentford in the London Borough of Hounslow, England. It was the home ground of Brentford F.C. from its opening in September 1904 to August 2020. The ground is in a predominantly residential area and was ...

that won on English soil for the first time. In 1952 he played and scored for the

amateurs against England. Earned 5 Inter-League caps while at Milltown between 1954 and 1959. Scored 39 League and 9

goals for the Hoops. Hennessy played in several European Cup ties, most notably starring against the famous Manchester United "Busby Babes" in 1957, & in the same campaign scored a wonder goal from the halfway line against French champions Nice, in front of a capacity 50,000 crowd in Dalymount Park. Hennessy was renowned for his " tough, no nonsense style of play, complemented with a natural skill on the ball, and an ability to win the ball and distribute with pinpoint accuracy under pressure." (Shamrock Rovers archives, P Green 1964. 231-56P) Hennessy was also the main penalty taker throughout his tenure at Shamrock Rovers, converting an incredible 29 out of 31 penalties. Shared a benefit game with Liam Tuohy in May 1960. Spent part of the 1961/62 season in the US, starring in a competitive tournament held in New York, captaining Shamrock Rovers and scoring against Spanish Champions Espaynol, and Red Star Belgrade. The following year Hennessy returned home to sign for Waterford United F.C. Was awarded the

Hall of Fame in 1990. In February 2008 Liam, along with Maxie McCann were invited to the Munich commemoration to represent Shamrock Rovers at

Manchester United Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...

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On 21 May 2019, Hennessy died following a long battle with illness. Liam was honoured at the Shamrock Rovers v Cork fixture the same week, in Tallaght Stadium. The Hoops claiming all 3 points in a 2–0 victory. Liams two grandsons, Ronan and Ciaran Óg, were honorary mascots on the night, leading the team onto the pitch, followed by a minutes round of applause.

Honours

* League of Ireland: 4 ** Shamrock Rovers - 1953/54, 1955/56, 1956/57, 1958/59 *

: 3 ** Shamrock Rovers - 1955, 1956, 1958 * League of Ireland Shield: 4 ** Shamrock Rovers - 1954/55, 1955/56, 1956/57, 1957/58 * Leinster Senior Cup: 5 ** Shamrock Rovers - 1953, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958 *

Dublin City Cup The Dublin City Cup is a defunct Irish football tournament which was played for by all League of Ireland sides (and not just those from Dublin city as the name suggests). It ran from 1933 and ran uninterrupted until 1973. In the 1975–76 ...

: 4 ** 1954/55, 1956/57, 1957/58, 1959, 1960 * Top Four Cup: 2 ** 1955/56, 1957/58

References

Sources

* ''The Hoops'' by Paul Doolan and Robert Goggins () {{DEFAULTSORT:Hennessy, Liam Republic of Ireland men's association footballers Shamrock Rovers F.C. players Waterford F.C. players League of Ireland players 1932 births 2019 deaths League of Ireland XI players Men's association football wing halves Association footballers from Dublin (city)