SADNESS

Glenavon is saddened to learn of the passing of Gilbert Irwin, one of its most committed supporters.

Mr. Irwin, a nonagenarian, was the grandfather of former player Joel Cooper.

The Belfast man was brought up in the Stranmillis area. In March 1941, following the attack on Belfast by the German Luftwaffe, he was evacuated to his mother’s family’s home in Magheralin. He spent several years in the County Down village.

Freddie Clarke, Mr. Irwin’s uncle, was a dyed-in-the-wool Glenavon supporter. Tommy Clarke, his grandfather, also sometimes attended games.

Once football resumed after the war, Freddie took Gilbert to his first match and in so doing sparked a lifelong devotion.

When Glenavon played at home the young teenager was put on a bus in Belfast by his mother carrying an array of cakes and other goodies for her parents. The Clarkes met him in Magheralin and he and Freddie caught another bus to Lurgan for the big match.

Mr. Irwin witnessed virtually all the highs of the 1950s and early 1960s when the club was a perpetual trophy winner. He was also present at Mourneview Park for a pre-season game in the summer of 1950 when young goalkeeper, John Bickerstaffe, collapsed at the Crescent End and died, probably of a heart attack.

Gilbert’s favourite all-time player was the great Wilbur Cush. He admired Cush so much and talked about him so often that when he worked for H & J Martin on Belfast’s Ormeau Road as an apprentice joiner, his colleagues gave him the sobriquet “Wilbur Cush.”

In April 1957 Mr. Irwin was a spectator at Windsor Park when Cush famously wore the number five jersey for Northern Ireland – a shirt he had worn on only a handful of occasions – and completely emasculated Wales’ centre forward, John Charles. A few months later Charles, reckoned to be the best number nine on the planet, was transferred from Leeds United to Juventus for a world record transfer fee.

During the late 1980s and 1990s, when Glenavon once again challenged regularly for trophies, Gilbert brought his daughter Leigh to matches and later her son Joel became a regular attender.

He was understandably proud when Joel became a first team regular and was a member of the team which defeated Linfield 2-0 in the 2016 Irish Cup Final.

Although, in his final years, infirmity prevented him from making pilgrimages to Mourneview Park he never wavered in his devotion.

Glenavon has lost a much loved and popular member of its extended family.

Sincere condolences are extended to the Irwin family.