Oliver Byrne (26 July 1944 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 ...
– 26 August 2007) was formerly the CEO of Irish
soccer
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
club
Shelbourne F.C.
Shelbourne Football Club ( ga, Cumann Peile Shíol Bhroin) is an Irish association football club based in Drumcondra, Dublin, who play in the League of Ireland Premier Division.
Shelbourne were founded in Dublin in 1895. In 1904 the club join ...
Early life
In 1949, when he was five, his brother Joe brought him to see Shelbourne at their former ground in
Milltown. At the time his father Andrew was chairman and controlling shareholder of Shelbourne. He was chairman from 1945 to 1956.
Ollie attended St. Josephs BNS Primary School in
Terenure
Terenure (), originally called ''Roundtown'', is an affluent, middle class suburb of Dublin in Ireland. It is located in the city's D6W postcode area.
Location and transport
Terenure lies primarily in the administrative area of Dublin City ...
. While studying for a degree in Law in
UCD, he played for
UCD AFC
University College Dublin Association Football Club ( ga, Cumann Sacar Choláiste na hOllscoile, Baile Átha Cliath), known commonly as UCD, is the football team of University College Dublin. They play in the League of Ireland Premier Division. F ...
but his
asthma
Asthma is a long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wheezing, cou ...
ruled soccer out as a career choice.
He left college to work in the music industry,
promoting new acts, such as
Thin Lizzy and
Skid Row and had a club, Zeros, on Mary Street. However, he soon returned to football and became involved in the workings of Shelbourne F.C., the club he supported since he was a boy.
1977–1986
Byrne was inducted on to the Shels board in 1976.
Tony Byrne took over the club in 1982 and it wasn't until 1986 that Ollie assumed control again.
An always controversial figure in 1976 Byrne left his stand seat in
Tolka Park and smacked a referee who'd displeased him. The
Football Association of Ireland suspended him for that for five years.
In January 1984, he sued Shelbourne Football Club Ltd for £21,000 Byrne had claimed he loaned the club. The following month Byrne was awarded £10,000 by the High Court.
In May 1986, Byrne sued the
Evening Herald and the
Evening Press for libel when the papers falsely accused Byrne and a co accused of firearms offenses.
In court, Byrne and a co accused were convicted of receiving stolen cigarettes and had been sentenced to three years at
Shelton Abbey Prison
Shelton Abbey () on the north bank of the Avoca near Arklow County Wicklow, is a penal institution operated by the Irish Prison Service (IPS).
Shelton Abbey was the ancestral seat of the Earls of Wicklow until 1951 when financial difficulti ...
. They were each awarded £2000.
2001
In September, he was involved in an incident with
Derry City F.C.
Derry City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Derry, Northern Ireland. It plays in the League of Ireland Premier Division, the top tier of league football in the Republic of Ireland, and is the League of Ireland ...
fans over a banner about former player
Peter Hutton.
When the clubs played again in November the game was held up 35 minutes as Byrne argued over a clash of shirts.
2002
The
Paul Marney
Paul Marney (born 28 April 1982) is an English association footballer currently unattached.
Marney first came to prominence during the 2001–02 season when his allegedly 'improper' registration for St Patrick's Athletic resulted in the Le ...
affair saw Byrne and his club in the
High Court when the players' "improper" registration for St. Patrick's Athletic ended in a court case which left the Inchicore club docked 15 points for further irregularities.
Byrne found himself back in court for a different matter when he was fined
€
The euro sign () is the currency sign used for the euro, the official currency of the eurozone and unilaterally adopted by Kosovo and Montenegro. The design was presented to the public by the European Commission on 12 December 1996. It consists o ...
100 for running a teenage disco in
Tolka Park without a license.
2003
In March, Byrne was charged with public order offences after confronting
St Patrick's Athletic
St Patrick's Athletic Football Club ( ga, Cumann Peile Lúthchleas Phádraig Naofa) is a professional Irish association football club based in Inchicore, Dublin, that plays in the Irish Premier Division. Founded in May 1929, they played origin ...
fans.
2005
In May, Byrne wrongly accused
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 ...
fans of orchestrating trouble at the
2005 Setanta Sports Cup
The 2005 Setanta Cup was the first edition of a club football competition featuring teams from both football associations on the island of Ireland. It was inaugurated as a cross-border competition between clubs from the League of Ireland in the Re ...
Final
In June, he got involved in a fight with
Roddy Collins.
In August, Byrne got involved in an altercation with the
Drogheda United
Drogheda United Football Club ( ga, Cumann Peile Dhroichead Átha Aontaithe) is a semi-professional Irish association football club based in Drogheda, County Louth playing in the League of Ireland Premier Division. They play their home matches ...
photographer.
2006
In November, a charge of assault against Byrne was struck out after Collins accepted his apology in court.
Death
Byrne was hospitalized in January 2007 for severe chest and head pains.
He was hospitalized again in June 2007, which caused him to take a leave of absence as Chairman of Shelboune F.C.,
and died in August at age 63 from cancer.
References
External links
"Never Ignored: Ollie's Reds" The incredible story of Ollie Byrne and Shelbourne F.C.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Byrne, Oliver
1946 births
2007 deaths
20th-century Irish criminals
Alumni of University College Dublin
Association footballers from County Dublin
Association footballers not categorized by position
Burials at Deans Grange Cemetery
Businesspeople from County Dublin
Criminals from Dublin (city)
Irish male criminals
Republic of Ireland football chairmen and investors
University College Dublin A.F.C. players