Paddy Moore (4 August 1909 – 24 July 1951) was an Irish professional

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 for, among others,

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 ...

and

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...

. Moore was a dual internationalist and played for both Ireland teams – the FAI XI and the IFA XI. In February 1934 Moore scored four goals for the FAI XI in a World Cup qualifier against

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

. As a result, he became the first player ever to score four goals in a World Cup game. However injury and alcoholism combined to blight both his career and life and he was only 41 when he died. In September 2006 Moore was posthumously honoured by Shamrock Rovers at their Legends Ball.

Club career

As a youth Moore played for several teams including Richmond Rovers before joining

for the first of three spells. In 1929 at the age of 19 he signed for Cardiff City, but made only one appearance. After brief spells with both

Merthyr Town Merthyr Town Football Club ( cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Tref Merthyr) is a Welsh semi-professional association football, football club based in Merthyr Tydfil, currently playing in the , in the seventh tier of the English football league system. The ...

and

Tranmere Rovers Tranmere Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Birkenhead, Merseyside, England. The team compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1884 as Belmont Football Club, they ado ...

he then returned to Shamrock Rovers. During the 1931–32 season he helped Rovers win both 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 ...

championship and the

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 ...

. He also helped Rovers win the

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 ...

in both 1931 and 1932, scoring in both finals. After an impressive performance for the FAI XI against the

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in May 1932, Moore, together with

Joe O'Reilly Joe O'Reilly (born 1 April 1955) is an Irish Fine Gael politician who has served as Leas-Chathaoirleach of Seanad Éireann since August 2020. He has served as a Senator for the Labour Panel since April 2016, and previously from 2007 to 2011 for ...

and Jimmy Daly, was one of three Irish players from that team who were then signed by

. The trio were signed for a combined fee of less than £1,000. Moore made an impressive start for Aberdeen, scoring 27 goals in 29

Scottish League The Scottish Football League (SFL) was a league featuring professional and semi-professional football clubs mostly from Scotland.One club, Berwick Rangers, is based in the town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, which is located approximately 4 km sout ...

matches during the 1932–33 season.Paddy Moore
AFC Heritage Trust However, in subsequent seasons his problems with alcoholism began to emerge. In February 1934 the Aberdeen manager

Paddy Travers Patrick Travers (28 May 1883 – 5 February 1962) was a Scottish football player and manager in the first half of the 20th century. He played for many clubs in his native Scotland and for Barnsley in England, before becoming involved in coachi ...

accompanied Moore while on international duty against

to help keep him away from alcohol. Travers was aware that Moore had developed a drink problem that would end his career prematurely. In May 1935 Moore was selected to play for the FAI XI in an away game against

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

but he was declared unfit to play after drinking too heavily while travelling to the game. Other similar incidents resulted in Moore being released by Aberdeen. Moore then returned to Shamrock Rovers and in 1936 helped them win a third

by scoring in his third final.

Irish international

When Moore began his international career in 1931 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 th ...

-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 Moore, played for both teams.

FAI XI

Between 1931 and 1936 Moore made 9 appearances and scored 7 goals for the FAI XI. He made his international debut for the FAI XI on 26 April 1931 against

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. Together with

Tom Farquharson Thomas Gerard Farquharson (4 December 1899 – 24 December 1970) was an Irish professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Born in Dublin, he played youth football for local sides. In his teens, he became a member of the Irish Republica ...

, Peter Kavanagh,

Jeremiah Robinson Jeremiah Robinson was an Irish soccer player during the 1920s and 1930s. He was also known as "Sam". Robinson was a tough defender during this era in the League of Ireland and was part of the Bohemians team of 1927/28 who won every trophy o ...

and Charlie Dowdall, Moore was part of an FAI XI that gained a respectable 1–1 draw at the Montjuic Stadium in Barcelona. Moore marked his debut by scoring the FAI XI's goal. He gave the visitors the lead in the 35th minute when he received a pass from

John Joe Flood John Joe Flood, also referred to as Jonjo Flood or John Flood, was an Irish footballer who played as a forward for Shelbourne, Shamrock Rovers, Leeds United and Crystal Palace. As an international, he also played for and captained the Irish Fre ...

and then found himself in a one against one situation with the legendary Spanish goalkeeper,

Ricardo Zamora Ricardo Zamora Martínez (; 14 February 1901 – 8 September 1978) was a Spanish footballer and manager. He played as a goalkeeper for, among others, RCD Espanyol, FC Barcelona and Real Madrid. As an international he played for both the Cata ...

. Moore coolly lobbed the ball over the advancing Zamora and into the back of the goal. The goalkeeper subsequently tore off his shirt in disgust and threw it into the back of the net, suffering the derision of his own fans. Moore missed the return game against Spain due to injury, but then won his second FAI XI cap against the

on 5 May 1932. He scored the FAI XI's second goal in a 2–0 victory. Moore shot from twenty yards and bought the 30,000 crowd to their feet. However the highlight of Moore's international career came on 25 February 1934 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 as D ...

when the FAI XI made their

World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...

debut in a

qualifier In linguistics, a modifier is an optional element in phrase structure or clause structure which ''modifies'' the meaning of another element in the structure. For instance, the adjective "red" acts as a modifier in the noun phrase "red ball", provi ...

against

. He scored all four goals for the FAI XI as they came from 2–0, 3–1 and then 4–3 down to draw 4–4. As a result, Moore became the first player ever to score four goals in a World Cup game. Two months later in another qualifier on 8 April 1934, Moore scored his seventh and last goal for the FAI XI in a 5–2 defeat against the

. The other major highlight of Moore's international career came on 17 October 1936 when he masterminded the FAI XI in a 5–2 win against

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, again at Dalymount Park. Despite not scoring himself, he helped set up four of the goals. He made his last appearance for the FAI XI on 6 December 1936 in 3–2 home defeat against

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

IFA XI

On 17 October 1932, while playing for

, Moore made his one and only appearance for the IFA XI, in a game 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 ...

Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the North West England, northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the Borough of Blackpool, borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, betw ...

. Together with

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: ...

, Jimmy Kelly and

Harry Duggan Henry Anthony Duggan (1903–1968) was an Irish footballer. Described as a talented and speedy right winger, he played for both Leeds United and Newport County. Duggan was a dual internationalist and played for both Ireland teams – the FA ...

, Moore was one of four players born in what is now the Ireland to feature in the IFA XI forward line. Although England won 1–0, the IFA selectors retained the same team for the game against

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

on 7 December. However injury prevented Moore from winning a second IFA XI cap and the 1932 game England remains the only time that Moore and Dunne played together at international level.

Coaching career

During the 1940s Moore coached Stella Maris where he nurtured the talents of future

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. A ...

international Ronnie Whelan, Sr. Legend has it, Whelan was initially spotted by Moore's wife, who then brought him to the attention of her husband.

Honours

**''Winners'' 1931–32: 1 *

**''Winners'' 1931, 1932, 1936: 3 *

**''Winners'' 1931–32: 1 * Leinster Senior Cup **''Winners'' 1930, 1933: 2

Sources

*''The Boys in Green – The FAI International Story'' (1997): Sean Rya

* * ''The Hoops'' by Paul Doolan and Robert Goggins ()

References

External links

Northern Ireland's Footballing Greats Paddy Moore bio and statsThe Ballad of Paddy Moore Shamrock Rovers website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Moore, Paddy 1909 births 1951 deaths Dual Irish international footballers Irish Free State international footballers Irish Free State association footballers Pre-1950 IFA international footballers Republic of Ireland association footballers Shamrock Rovers F.C. players Aberdeen F.C. players Cardiff City F.C. players Merthyr Town F.C. players Tranmere Rovers F.C. players Shelbourne F.C. players League of Ireland players Association footballers from County Dublin League of Ireland XI players Scottish Football League players Stella Maris F.C. Association football forwards Irish expatriate association footballers Irish expatriate sportspeople in Scotland Expatriate footballers in Scotland