Mick O'Flanagan (29 September 1922 – 13 September 2015) was an Irish former sportsman who represented his country at both soccer and

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...

. As a soccer player, O'Flanagan played for, among others, Home Farm,

Bohemians Bohemian or Bohemians may refer to: *Anything of or relating to Bohemia Beer * National Bohemian, a brand brewed by Pabst * Bohemian, a brand of beer brewed by Molson Coors Culture and arts * Bohemianism, an unconventional lifestyle, origin ...

and Belfast Celtic. His older brother,

Kevin O'Flanagan Kevin Patrick O'Flanagan (10 June 1919 – 26 May 2006) was an Irish sportsman, physician and sports administrator. An outstanding all-rounder, he represented his country at both soccer and rugby union. He was also a noted sprinter and long jum ...

, was also a notable sportsman who also represented his country at both sports and played soccer for Bohs and

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

. On 30 September 1946, Mick and Kevin also played international soccer together for

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

against

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. A third brother, Charlie O'Flanagan, also played for Bohs.

Bohemians

O'Flanagan played soccer as a youth with several clubs, most notably Home Farm, before joining

in 1939.''The Complete Who's Who of Irish International Football, 1945–96'' (1996):Stephen McGarrigl

/ref> He quickly established himself in the first team and was top goalscorer in the

League of Ireland The League of Ireland ( ga, Sraith na hÉireann), together with the Football Association of Ireland, is one of the two main governing bodies responsible for organising association football in the Republic of Ireland. The term was originally us ...

for the 1940–41 season, scoring 19 league goals. He also scored 31 times in 31 appearances in all competitions that season. In 1945, O'Flanagan, together with his brother

Kevin Kevin () is the anglicized form of the Irish masculine given name (; mga, Caoimhghín ; sga, Cóemgein ; Latinized as ). It is composed of "dear; noble"; Old Irish and ("birth"; Old Irish ). The variant '' Kevan'' is anglicized from , a ...

, was a member of the Bohs team coached by

Jimmy Dunne James Dunne (3 September 1905 – 14 November 1949) was an Irish footballer who played for, among others, Shamrock Rovers, Sheffield United, Arsenal and Southampton. Dunne was also a dual internationalist and played for both Ireland teams: ...

that won the Dublin and Belfast Intercity Cup. He also scored the winning goal in the final against Belfast Celtic at

Dalymount Park Dalymount Park (Irish: ''Páirc Cnocán Uí Dhálaigh'') is a football stadium in Phibsborough on the Northside of Dublin, Ireland. It is the home of Bohemian F.C., who have played there since the early 20th century. Affectionately known ...

. On 30 September 1946, he was working a pub in Dublin when he received a desperate phone call at 2:30 p.m. asking him to substitute for an injured Irish player in a match against England due to start at 5:30 p.m. at Dalymount Park. He rushed out and managed to play alongside his brother in the match. In the 1946-47 Leinster Senior Cup final Mick would score an astonishing six goals in an 11-0 win for Bohemians over

Grangegorman Grangegorman () is an inner suburb on the northside of Dublin city, Ireland. The area is administered by Dublin City Council. It was best known for decades as the location of St Brendan's Hospital, which was the main psychiatric hospital se ...

Belfast Celtic

During the summer of 1949, O'Flanagan also guested for Belfast Celtic on their tour of North America. Other members of the touring party included Billy McMillan,

Tom Aherne Thomas Aherne (26 January 1919 – 30 December 1999), also referred to as Bud Aherne, was an Irish footballer and hurler. He played football for Belfast Celtic and Luton Town and was a dual internationalist, playing for both Ireland teams � ...

Robin Lawler Joseph "Robin" Lawler (20 August 1925 – 17 April 1998) was an Irish professional footballer. From Dublin, he began his career with Home Farm. He later played with Distillery F.C., Drumcondra and Transport F.C., as well as for Drums in the ...

, Johnny Campbell and manager

Elisha Scott Elisha Scott (24 August 1893 – 16 May 1959) was a Northern Irish football goalkeeper who played for Liverpool from 1912 to 1934, and still holds the record as their longest-serving player. Life and playing career Elisha Scott played for Lin ...

. These were the last games Belfast Celtic played before the club disbanded. O'Flanagan scored twice during the tour. His first goal came on 12 May in 5–0 win against Ulster United and he scored again in a 4–0 win against Montreal All-Stars on 1 June. However the highlight of the 10 game tour came on 29 May when Celtic beat

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

2–0 at

Triborough Stadium Downing Stadium, previously known as Triborough Stadium and Randall's Island Stadium, was a 22,000-seat stadium in New York City. It was renamed Downing Stadium in 1955 after John J. Downing, a director at the New York City Department of Parks a ...

. During the second half, fights broke out, including one between O'Flanagan and Scotland's

Willie Waddell William Waddell (7 March 1921 – 14 October 1992) was a professional football player and manager. His only club in a 16-year career as a player in the outside right position (interrupted by World War II) was Rangers which yielded six major w ...

. That was the last time Scotland ever played a club side.

Irish international

Soccer

O'Flanagan made his only appearance for

on 30 September 1946 in a 1–0 defeat against

. Among his teammates that day was his brother

. Mick was only called up as a late replacement for the injured

Davy Walsh David Joseph Walsh (28 April 1923 – 14 March 2016), commonly referred to as Davy Walsh or Dave Walsh, was an Irish footballer who played as a centre forward for, among others, Linfield, West Bromwich Albion and Aston Villa. Walsh was a dual ...

and he had spent the previous night entertaining a party of English journalists at

Templeogue Templeogue () is a southwestern suburb of Dublin in Ireland. It lies between the River Poddle and River Dodder, and is about halfway from Dublin's centre to the mountains to the south. Geography Location The centre of Templeogue is from b ...

tennis club. The following morning he went to work in his pub in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

and did not learn of his call up until just a few hours before the game was due to kick off.

Rugby

In 1947m O'Flanagan began playing rugby union with

Lansdowne FC Lansdowne Football Club, also sometimes referred to as Lansdowne Rugby Football Club, is a rugby union team based in Dublin, Ireland. It was founded in 1872 by Henry Dunlop as the ''Irish Champion Athletic Club''. Its senior team currently play ...

and on 28 February 1948 he played for

against

in a 6–0 win at

Lansdowne Road Lansdowne Road Stadium ( ga, Bóthar Lansdún, ) was a stadium in Dublin owned by the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) that was primarily used for rugby union and association football matches. The stadium was demolished in 2007 to make way for ...

. This helped an Ireland team featuring

Karl Mullen Dr Karl Daniel Mullen (26 November 1926 – 27 April 2009) was an Irish rugby union player and consultant gynaecologist who captained the Irish rugby team and captained the British Lions on their 1950 tour to Australia and New Zealand. Mulle ...

and

Jack Kyle John Wilson Kyle, (10 February 1926 – 27 November 2014), commonly referred to as Jack Kyle or Jackie Kyle, was a rugby union player who played for Ireland, the British and Irish Lions and the Barbarians during the 1940s and 1950s. Kyle is bes ...

, win the

Triple Crown Triple Crown may refer to: Sports Horse racing * Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing * Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United States) ** Triple Crown Trophy ** Triple Crown Productions * Canadian Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing * Trip ...

Grand Slam Grand Slam most often refers to: * Grand Slam (tennis), one player or pair winning all four major annual tournaments, or the tournaments themselves Grand Slam or Grand slam may also refer to: Games and sports * Grand slam, winning category te ...

and the

1948 Five Nations Championship The 1948 Five Nations Championship was the nineteenth series of the rugby union Five Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the fifty-fourth series of the northern hemisphere rugby ...

Personal life

Mick was a publican by trade, his sporting career, like that of his brother being strictly amateur. He ran a pub at 88 Marlborough Street in Dublin's City Centre which is known today as the Confession Box due to its proximity to

St. Mary's Pro-Cathedral St Mary's Church ( ga, Leas-Ardeaglais Naomh Muire), known also as St Mary's Pro-Cathedral or simply the Pro-Cathedral, the Chapel in Marlborough Street or the Pro, is a pro-cathedral and is the episcopal seat of the Roman Catholic Archbishop ...

. It was in this pub in 1960 that the Soccer Writers Association of Ireland was established.

Honours

Soccer

;Bohemians * Dublin and Belfast Intercity Cup: 1 **''Winners'' 1945 *

Leinster Senior Cup (association football) The Leinster Senior Cup is an association football cup competition organized by the Leinster Football Association. It is currently contested by LFA affiliated League of Ireland clubs, Leinster Senior League Senior Division clubs and invited teams ...

: 1 **''Winners'' 1946-47 ;Individual *

League of Ireland Top Scorer A list of League of Ireland top scorers. A Division ;Notes Premier Division First Division ;Notes All–Time ;Notes References {{League of Ireland Top Ireland Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulst ...

: ** 1940–41

Rugby

;Ireland *

Five Nations Championship The Six Nations Championship (known as the Guinness Six Nations for sponsorship reasons) is an annual international men's rugby union competition between the teams of England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales. The current champions ar ...

: 1 **''Winners'' 1948

References

External links

Player profile
on scrum.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Oflanagan, Mick 1922 births 2015 deaths Republic of Ireland association footballers Ireland (FAI) international footballers League of Ireland players Bohemian F.C. players Home Farm F.C. players Belfast Celtic F.C. players Association football forwards Irish rugby union players Ireland international rugby union players Lansdowne Football Club players Association footballers from County Dublin Rugby union players from County Dublin