While the Guinness/Diagio multinational conglomerate put a great deal of effort into celebrating ’Arthur’s Day’, 250 years after the original Arthur Guinness set up his brewing business in St James’s Gate in Dublin, at Shelbourne Football Club in Tolka Park we managed to celebrate ‘Arthur’s Night’, an event to celebrate the career of one of the club’s most esteemed former players and an Irish international, Arthur Fitzsimons.

Originally from Penrose Street just off the Ringsend Road and almost in the shadow of Shelbourne Park, the stadium named after the club and which was then their home ground, Arthur signed for Shels from the famous schoolboy nursery club, Johnville FC.

Already well known for his talent at underage level, the scouts were anxious to see how he would perform at this higher level. So well did he perform with ‘the Reds’ that it’s almost forgotten that he played for Shels for only one season, 1948/49, before being transferred across-channel. But it’s no coincidence that that season was one of the best in the club’s history, being in contention until the very last match in all four available competitions, finally winning two of them and finishing runner-up in the others. At the end of the season he was part of a two player deal when he was transferred (with Peter Desmond) to Middlesborough FC in the English first Division. Over there he had a long and very rewarding career while also winning 27 Irish international caps (scoring 7 goals) over more than a ten year period.

On the night of the presentation, once Arthur and his family members had arrived, the reminiscences began. Those present included former Shelbourne players Martin Colfer (who would have been on the same team for most of Arthur’s games with Shels. Martin also played with Arthur on our Irish international team). Christy Doyle (who came a few years later, including Shels win in the FAI Cup Final in 1960, and who knew Arthur from their days in Ringsend National School), and Paddy Roberts (one of our great heroes from the ‘Gerry Doyle Years’ in the 1960’s including scoring in the Shels win in the 1962 FAI Cup Final. Being from a Shelbourne family, even long before signing for Shels, Paddy could recall most of Arthur’s great games for Shels and our Irish international team). Gerry Doyle’s family was represented by the attendance of his son-in-law Joe Carroll.

Other special guests included Jim O’Brien, Jimmy Purdy and Micheal Synnott, all Shels supporters and personal friends of Arthur since they were all teenage members of the Bru Padraig Youth club in Mount Street (Jimmy Purdy is one of those Ringsendmen who is publicly known for his adherence to the Shelbourne cause, a fact not always appreciated by his neighbours in ‘Raytown’) Others attending included our volunteer groundsman Peter McDonald (originally from Bath Avenue, a shells supporter who played in the league of Ireland for Bohemians and Transport FC. He was also a member of the Irish soccer squad in the London Olympics of 1948) plus Peter’s brother and friends who had played schoolboy football with Arthur around the Shelbourne Park area).

A VERY SPECIAL GUEST;- Indeed a V.V.I.P, was Mrs Lily Byrne. Now living in Kyleclare Road in Ringsend, Lily was introduced to me as a shells supporter at a function in St Andrew’s Resource Centre in Pearse Street some years ago.

I was there to present an award which had been won by a local teenage Shelbourne supporter. After that presentation Lily told me her father and her grandfather had both been great followers of the club, attending most home games plus many away games (possibly as far back as the foundation of our club in 1895).

Now in her mid-80’s, she had been born Elizabeth Maher in the family home on Georges Quay, on the south quays over from the Customs House. The family lived there as resident caretaker for the Liverpool Shipping Company, living in what was almost certainly the only residence on Georges Quay. An amazingly active and interesting woman and long may she remain so. Overall, it was a lovely evening, a great event to honour a great footballer and fine gentleman.