AN area of Dublin's inner city was filled with nostalgia last Friday week when arguably one of the greatest soccer players from these islands was honoured. A plaque was unveiled at Ormonde Square, the birthplace of former Republic of Ireland and Leeds United star, Johnny Giles.
Giles, who is more renowned for his unerring accuracy in the pundit's chair of RTE these days, was reared at 7 Ormond Square.It was here as a boy that he would hone the skills that would ultimately see him becoming a legend in the game.
Giles was joined by a number of friends for the occasion, including his brother-in-law, the imitable Nobby Stiles, who won a World Cup winners' medal with England in 1966 and a European Cup winners' medal with Manchester United in 1968. Deputy Lord Mayor of Dublin, Cllr Aodhan O Riordain, was one of the speakers at the ceremony. He placed a motion at a Dublin City Council meeting two years ago, calling for the plaque to be erected in Giles' honour. The motion was duly adopted at a full council meeting. Cllr ORiordain said Johnny Giles is an inspiration to all young people in the North West Inner City.
“We are delighted to be honouring him by erecting a plaque outside his old family home,†he said. “It is essential that children feel positively about their own area and they are proud of where they come from. Recognising the origins of John Giles will give inspiration to all young people who have an interest in sport.Therefore, it is essential that we honour those who have brought pride to their local area and their country, Unfortunately the markets area has no more sporting facilities now than it did 50 years ago when a young Johnny Giles was kicking a football around Ormonde Square. It's imperative that we as public representatives work in close partnership with the city council to ensure that the next generation of young footballers will have better facilities to practice on than Johnny Giles did as a child.â€Giles, along with the late Billy Bremner, were the heartbeat of the great Leeds United side of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Giles also played for Manchester United before switching to the Yorkshire side in the 1960s. He made his debut for Ireland in 1959 against Sweden at Dalymount Park, scoring Ireland's opening goal. He was to go on to win 59 caps, scoring five goals over the next 20 years. In 1973, Giles was appointed player manager of Ireland. Three years later he became player-manager of West Bromwich Albion Football Club and led them to promotion in his first season. After his retirement from playing and managing, Giles began carving out a career in punditry, and to this writer's mind, there's no one to touch him when it comes to analysing the beautiful game.
