Con Martin dies aged 89

Con Martin, who scored one of the goals when an Irish team became the first from overseas to beat England on home soil back in 1949 has passed away yesterday at the age of 89.

Martin, capped by both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, was born in Rush on March 20th, 1923.

He won a Leinster title with the Dublin football team as a teenager and then began to make a name for himself in the League of Ireland with Drumcondra.

Over the years that followed he had stints with Glentoran, Leeds United, Aston Villa, Waterford and Dundalk, a club he also managed before having a spell in charge of Shelbourne and one as assistant manager at Cork Hibernians.

He was capped 30 times by the Republic of Ireland, scoring six goals, including a penalty in that celebrated 2-0 victory in Goodison Park on September 21st, 1949.

His son Mick is a former international while Con Junior also became a prominent player and his grandson, Owen Garvan, currently plays for Crystal Palace.

“Con Martin will go down in history as one of Irish football’s great players and his family continued that tradition with his sons playing the game to a very high level,” said FAI president Paddy McCaul yesterday.

He is survived by wife Vera, sons Mick, Con Junior, Edward and Phillip and daughters Mary, Elizabeth and Susan and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.