Former Glentoran player and Northern Ireland legend, Jimmy McIlroy was buried in his adopted home of Burnley on Friday 31st August. The ceremony was fittingly held at Turf Moor, home of Burnley FC. Glentoran was officially represented by David Hogg, a lifelong supporter now living in Cheshire.
David has sent us this account of the service. We thank David for his thoughts and hard work in preparing for the ceremony and ensuring that the club where it all started for Jimmy was well represented.
Service of Celebration for Jimmy McIlroy, MBE.
Friday 31st August saw the great and the good of Burnley and the football world in the North West of England, as well as Jimmy’s wide circle of friends and family, all gathering for a final farewell to the Prince of Inside Forwards, Burnley’s greatest ever player. Driving up from my home in Cheshire, I saw the signposts for all the Lancashire towns whose names are synonymous with old, old football clubs. Leaving aside the obvious big city, I passed by the roads to Oldham, Bury, Rochdale. Signs for Bolton, Preston. Then, closer to my destination, Blackburn and Accrington, before finally reaching Burnley, in the heart of that corner of England that was so hugely represented in the early days of the Football League.
Arriving early, I received the same warm welcome I had when I went to see Jimmy pick up his MBE at Turf Moor in 2011. Burnley is probably one of the last of the big community-based clubs – it really does have its roots firmly in the town, and maintains that link fiercely. As the room filled up, it was obvious that many would have known Jimmy – grey hair was the order of the day. Four of his five sisters were fit enough to make it over from the Lisburn area, and they were treated like royalty.
The service itself entirely befitted the man – understated but witty, with many warm memories recounted by his friends and family. I knew Jimmy painted watercolours, but I had not realised he wrote poetry, and two of his poems were delivered by two of his nephews. He had not fully completed his formal education before he left Northern Ireland, but, with the ambition of becoming a writer and a journalist, he completed his O-levels after his football career had finished. He had the gift of the gab in a quiet way, but not in written form, so that education opened up a new chapter in his life. As for his poems, thought-provoking stuff, they were, written in a clear style that reflected the man’s beliefs and values. The first, “Reveal to me”, was a piece encouraging the reader to consider what real meaning they would give to their life; the second, written later in his life, was entitled “Turn back time”. I have rarely heard a piece that made me think of what I should do now, in order that I don’t regret not doing it later, when it is too late. Powerful stuff.
There was some pre-recorded music, all of which were favourites of Jimmy’s, including the evocative Eva Cassidy version of "Somewhere over the Rainbow". However, the musical highlight came from Sean Ruane, a local Burnley man who is a classically-trained operatic tenor and who knew Jimmy well. His rendition of Nessun Dorma will live with me for a long time, not only due to the power of his voice, but the emotion with which he delivered it. Talking with him later, he admitted it had been a close call in keeping it together for the final bars. It was truly spine-tingling. The final music before the undertakers did their duty in carrying the coffin to the hearse was an instrumental version of Danny Boy. I don’t mind admitting that the tears were flowing down my face at that point.
Jimmy McIlroy's four sisters: Lil, Muriel, May, Doreen.
After the family returned from the private burial service, I had a conversation with his four sisters who were present: Lil, Muriel, Doreen and May. His fifth sister, Margaret, wasn’t well enough to travel. When speaking to them, it was clear that, although they had known Jimmy was revered in Burnley, they hadn’t realised just how much. The thousands that turned out to see the cortege leave the stadium for the cemetery were testament to the status he had in the town. Most who turned out would never have seen him play, but the respect he had earned in the town during his football career and afterwards in the community was obvious.
A long-time family friend, Peter Salmon, gave us some wonderful memories of Jimmy the footballer and Jimmy the man. It became clear to me during the service that this was no formulaic tribute service. In fact, his exploits on the football pitch, although suitably recognised, played second fiddle during the service to memories of Jimmy as a husband, father, uncle and grandfather; as well as memories of his time after his football career had come to a close. I felt honoured and humbled to be there to witness at first hand the love that the people of Burnley had for this gifted, unassuming Ulsterman.
One story that Peter told just has to be repeated, as it has not appeared in any of the obituaries that I have seen. Jimmy died from the effects of Alzheimer’s Disease, which was diagnosed not long after he had received his MBE. The background to the story was that Jimmy, throughout his life in Burnley, both during and after his football career, couldn’t walk the length of himself in the town without people coming up to shake his hand and have a chat. Jimmy, being Jimmy, always had a word for everyone, and his son Peter, as a young lad, used to complain if he was asked to go down into the town to do some shopping with Jimmy. “It always takes ages”, was his complaint. Towards the end of his life, Jimmy was enrolled on a Dementia Awareness course, which was intended to let sufferers of that awful condition know how to deal with it as it progressed. When Jimmy was picked up at the end of the first session, he was asked, “How did it go, Jimmy?” His reply was priceless: “Ach, sure, it was great, that’s the first time I’ve been anywhere round here for a long time where nobody knew who I was…”
RIP Jimmy McIlroy, MBE. It was an honour to have met you.
Photographs courtesy of the Lancashire Telegraph