Owen Madden (5 December 1916 – 20 January 1991) was an Irish

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

who played as a forward 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 use ...

and the English Football League. Madden was a dual international who played for both Ireland teams – the FAI XI and the IFA XI.

Club career

Madden first came to prominence as a goalscorer with

Cork Cork or CORK may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container ***Wine cork Places Ireland * Cork (city) ** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...

and in 1936 he helped the club reach the final of the FAI Cup. However shortly afterwards he became embroiled in controversy when it emerged that, together with Jack O'Reilly, he had signed for

Norwich City Norwich City Football Club (also known as The Canaries or The Yellows) is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. The club competes in the EFL Championship following their relegation from the Premier League in the 20 ...

before playing in the cup final on 19 April. When Cork F.C., who received no fee, protested over the moves, both Madden and O'Reilly were suspended by the FAI for three years. Despite this Madden failed to establish himself at either Norwich or

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1. ...

. The only highlight of his time in England came when he scored twice for Birmingham in an

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...

tie against Everton on 11 February 1939. This game attracted a record attendance of 66,844 at St Andrew's. Madden returned to the

to play for a very successful Cork United team during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

. His United teammates included, among others, Jack O'Reilly, Florrie Burke, Bill Hayes, Jackie O'Driscoll,

Frank O'Farrell Francis O'Farrell (9 October 1927 – 6 March 2022) was an Irish football player and manager. He played as a wing half for Cork United, West Ham United and Preston North End. He made over 300 appearances in the Football League before joining ...

and

Tommy Moroney Tommy Moroney (10 November 1923 – 2 May 1981) was an Irish soccer and rugby union player. Moroney played soccer for Cork United, West Ham United, Evergreen United and Ireland. In 1949 he was a member of the Ireland team that defeated Englan ...

. During the 1941–42 season he helped United to a League and Cup double, scoring 14 league goals in the process.

Irish international

When Madden began his international career in 1948 there were, in effect, two Ireland teams, chosen by two rival associations. Both associations, the Northern Ireland-based

IFA IFA or Ifa may refer to: Organisations Economics * Independent financial adviser, a type of financial services professional in the UK * Index Fund Advisors * Institute and Faculty of Actuaries, representing actuaries in the UK * Institute of Ac ...

and the

Irish Free State The Irish Free State ( ga, Saorstát Éireann, , ; 6 December 192229 December 1937) was a state established in December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty of December 1921. The treaty ended the three-year Irish War of Independence between ...

-based FAI, claimed jurisdiction over the whole of Ireland and selected players from the whole island. As a result, several notable Irish players from this era, including Madden, played for both teams.

FAI XI

While still a

player, Madden made his only appearance for the FAI XI during a European tour on 3 May 1936. He played in the opening game, a 3–3 draw with

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the ...

. Madden is credited by some sources with scoring the third Irish goal. However it has also been credited to

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: ...

. Madden was injured during the game and took no further part in the tour, returning to his new club,

, for treatment. After being suspended by the FAI for three years, Madden was recalled in 1939 to play against Hungary but he declined the offer.

IFA XI

While playing for

, Madden made his one and only appearances for the IFA XI on 23 October 1937 in a 5–1 defeat 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 ...

Windsor Park Windsor Park is a football stadium in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is the home ground of Linfield F.C. who own the land the stadium is built on, while the Irish Football Association own and operate the stadium and pay Linfield an annual renta ...

. His teammates that day included fellow dual internationalists Tommy Breen, Bill Hayes and Alex Stevenson.

Honours

Cork/Cork City * FAI Cup: runners up 1936 * Munster Senior Cup: 1939 Cork United *

: 1941, 1942, 1943, 1945, 1946 * FAI Cup: 1942, 1947 *

League of Ireland Shield The League of Ireland Shield ( ga, Sciath Sraithe na hÉireann) is a defunct Irish football tournament which was introduced when the League of Ireland started in 1921 and ran uninterrupted until 1972. It was played before the league season began ...

: 1943, 1948 * Munster Senior Cup: 1941, 1945, 1946, 1947

References

External links

Northern Ireland's Footballing Greats
{{DEFAULTSORT:Madden, Owen 1916 births 1991 deaths Republic of Ireland association footballers Pre-1950 IFA international footballers Irish Free State association footballers Dual Irish international footballers League of Ireland players Cork F.C. players Cork United F.C. (1940–1948) players Cork Athletic F.C. players Sligo Rovers F.C. players Norwich City F.C. players Birmingham City F.C. players League of Ireland XI players English Football League players Irish Free State international footballers Cork City F.C. (1938–1940) players Association football forwards