2 Comments
Newry people came out in force today to pay a fitting tribute to one of their own. It's not many people who are in a position to unveil a statue of themself, but thanks to the incredibly driven Newry based Friends of Big Pat group, legendary goalkeeper Pat Jennings was able to do exactly that!
At 12 noon Jennings removed the white sheet covering Newry's newest art piece, created by the incredibly talented Sculptor Andy Edwards. Edwards has created an incredible statue that will outlive us all and will attract football fans to Newry for years to come.
Friends of Big Pat managed to raise the funds needed for the statue thanks to generous donations from around the world, all of them wanting to acknowledge the incredible talent that is Pat Jennings. Following time with Newry Town, Shamrock Rovers and Watford, Jennings (78) played 13 years with Totenham Hotspur and 8 years with Arsenal and racking up 119 international matches for Northern Ireland along the way.
Jennings couldn't have been prouder to have received this recognition in his home town. "I can't believe it's happening. I've watched other people getting a statue unveiled to them and I never thought it would ever happen to me. I've had an unbelievable career in football. Leaving here as a 17 year old to join Watford. I never dreamt that I'd be back over 60 years later unveiling a statue. I love this place. Every opportunity I'm back home to see the family and friends here over the years." said Jennings.
He added "This is basically my home city. I wouldn't have wanted it anywhere else. Where football started for me out in The Meadow. That was named Jennings Park in 1976. I've really been proud of that, and everywhere I go I never miss the opportunity to acknowledge that and thank Newry council."
Pat remains true to his Newry roots
On a local level pupils from his former school St Joseph's High School are also incredibly proud, in their case it's because they are associated with the legend. The pupils formed a guard of honour for his arrival outside Newry Town Hall. Head Boy Lee Fulton speaking at the unveiling said "In preparing this speech I took the copy of an old school magazine that gave an interview with Pat. Carried out by Seanie McGuigan and Ronnie Hollywood It is fantastic read and the most striking passage is this. 'At that time Pat sat at the back of the class with Niall Clarke from South Armagh. A pupil that shared Pat's lack of enthusiasm for accademia. In exasperation the teacher approached the two reluctant students 'Do you see you two numbskulls, you'll never amount to anything'. Thankfully that teacher could not have been more wrong."
Lee continued "We are so proud as a school to say the first player in English football to make 1000 appearances was a St Joseph's boy. We are delighted also that when UEFA picked the best Northern Ireland player of the last 50 years they choose someone who sat at a desk on the Armagh Road. Beyond all this and most importantly to us is the fact that Pat lives and breathes our school motto ' Vir Justus' (an honourable man)."
"We hold Pat in such high esteem, not just for his sporting achievements but also the standards he sets as a person. As a school and being a young man growing up in Newry, I could not ask for a better role model than Pat. As pupils in St Joseph's we are encouraged to work hard, reach our potential and make the most of the talents we have. Without any doubt Pat has achieved all of this and more. We will never forget the day he visited St Joseph's, not leaving until every jersey, football and scrap of paper was signed."
In conclusion Lee said "Much has changed since Pat left school. St Joseph's has changed, Newry has changed and Ireland has changed. We are delighted that Pat Jennings has not changed. He remaiins true to his Newry roots and the values of our school."
A proud day for Newry
MC for the day sports commentator Stephen Watson thanked the Friends of Big Pat group "It's a very, very proud day for the City of Newry. This journey started over two and a half years ago. Much credit must go to Kevin McAllister and Larry Powell for pulling together a diverse team of people, including chairperson Aidie Toner, Wayne Denner, Adrian Markey and Gary Rocks and many others from which the Friends of Big Pat was formed."
Watson continued "We're here to honour a man who played over 1100 top flight football games, but also a man who has been a real unifying force in this country. An amazing person who's also given so much back. He has done as much off the football field as he did on it. Pat Jennings has helped raise over £2m for charity. He has received an MBE an OBE and recently a CBE and we all know what's next - A knighthood surely must follow."
He added "Pat is very proud to be from this city and we're very proud of him and we're indebted to Newry, Mourne and Down District Council for their support and giving us the opportunity to place this statue in such a wonderful location in the city in Kildare Street."
The commentator ended expressing a wish that following the horrific floods Newry experienced last week, the statue would bring hundreds of people to the city and pump money into local businesses.
Greatest ambassador
Another legendary Northern Ireland footballer, Gerry Armstrong was one of the players there to celebrate with Jennings. Armstrong believes Jennings is our greatest ambassador. "We are proud of him so much. In 1982, when that team went over to play at the World Cup, Pat was the one world class star we had. We unified the country, which is something that politicians couldn't do. We unified the country after we beat Spain and we had a fantastic journey. A lot of that is down to big Pat, he was just superb. Another four years later, he kept himself another World Cup in 1986 which was a big surprise. He's just an amazing person." he said.
Best goalkeeper in the world
Former Ireland and Arsenal star, Liam Brady also spoke at the unveiling. Brady said "He's a very special person to me. He's been a great friend down through the years. He was probably the best goalkeeper in the world at one time, without any doubt. When he left Tottenham he came to Arsenal and I wanted to be here today to tell everybody that he's an Arsenal player as well and not just Spurs. He's just unique because he's loved by both Tottenham and Arsenal supporters and I think he's the only one in the world that can say that."
Inspiration for young people
Former Tottenham Hotspur player Ledley King loves hearing Jennings stories about former players "It was probably 12 years ago when I retired I had an opportunity to get to know Pat on a personal level. What a gentleman. An icon and a legend of the football club. I love hearing his stories about the great players that he's played with and against. One of our favourites was when he represented his country at 41 years old at the World Cup, his last cap against Brazil, which is amazing to hear. What this statue will do is hopefully inspire young people that no matter where you come from in the world that you can achieve anything and go on to be the best. That's testament to Pat and the hard work throughout the years he's put in."
Following the formalities a steady stream of people descended on both Jennings and the statue determined to get that historic photo. A proud day for Newry indeed.
