Ray Keogh

Last updated

Ray Keogh
Personal information
Full name Raphael Keogh
Place of birth Dublin, Ireland
Date of death(2019-08-26)26 August 2019
Position(s) Outside right
Youth career
– Home Farm
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
1959 Shamrock Rovers
1959–60 Longford Town
1960–1964 Drumcondra
1964–1966 Ards
1966 Portadown
1966 Cork Hibernians
1966–1970 Drogheda
1970–? Tullamore Town
Parkvilla
International career
1961 League of Ireland XI
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Raphael Keogh was an Irish footballer, widely regarded as being the first black player in the League of Ireland. [1] Raised in the south Dublin suburb of Milltown, Keogh initially played schoolboy football with Castleville and Home Farm before joining local League of Ireland side Shamrock Rovers. Making his senior football debut in 1959, Keogh would go on to play for, among others, Drumcondra, Ards, Drogheda and Cork Hibernians.

Contents

Keogh was part of the Drumcondra side that played a number of matches in European competition in the early 60s, including a 1–0 home win over Bayern Munich in the 1962–63 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. He was a League of Ireland XI international footballer and played professionally on both sides of the Irish border.

Early years

Keogh played schoolboy football with Castleville and Home Farm. He made appearances for the Shamrock Rovers reserve side in 1958 before making his first team debut a year later. It has mistakenly been stated that Ray was part of the Rovers side that faced Manchester United in a European Cup tie in 1957, it was however, the similarly named Shay Keogh who featured in this match. With opportunities hard to come by in a talented and successful Rovers side; Keogh would sign for Longford Town in the 59–60 season. His stay with the B Division side was short before moving back to the top flight of Irish football with north Dublin's Drumcondra.

Drumcondra

With Drums Keogh would feature in the 1961 FAI Cup Final, losing to St. Patrick's Athletic. He would, however, claim his first league title that year, with Drumcondra finishing a solitary point ahead of St. Pats, and Keogh's teammate Dan McCaffrey top-scorer with 29 goals. The league win meant that Drumcondra qualified for the European Cup as League Champions for the 1961-62 European Cup, which was Keogh's first full season with the side. He featured in the First Round aggregate defeat at the hands of German champions FC Nürnberg, playing in a 5–0 loss away at Städtisches Stadion in front of over 30,000 spectators, [2] but didn't play in the 4–1 home loss at Tolka Park. [3] Drumcondra would finish 7th in the League that season, but qualified for the 1962–63 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, a predecessor to the Europa League.

The first round of the Fairs Cup saw Drums drawn against an Odense XI from Denmark. The first-leg saw Drumcondra triumph 4–1, with Keogh playing in front of the 12,000 spectators at Tolka Park. [4] He was also part of the team that lost 4–2 away in Denmark, [5] but Drumcondra had done enough to go through 6–5 on aggregate. In the Second Round, they were drawn against German club Bayern Munich. While Keogh didn't feature in the 0-6 first leg loss at Grünwalder Stadion, he returned to the starting line-up for the home leg at Tolka Park as Drums recorded one of the most famous wins by a League of Ireland side in Europe, winning 1–0. [6] Drumcondra would finish 3rd in the League that year.

Later years

Keogh moved North in 1964, playing for Ards and briefly with Portadown. In 1966 he joined Cork Hibernians and also spent time with Drogheda FC. During his time with Drogheda, Keogh would play under Arthur Fitzsimons and later Mick Meagan.

After retiring from senior football, Keogh moved into coaching with Tullamore Town where, as player-manager, he would win the 1970-71 Intermediate Cup and the League of Ireland B Division. He also later coached at Parkvilla F.C. based Navan, County Meath and Bluebell United F.C. in Dublin.

League of Ireland XI

Keogh won representative honours representing the League of Ireland selection on a number of occasions, making his debut in a September 1961 1–1 draw against a Scottish League XI in front of 6,000 people at Dalymount Park. Keogh would go to make several appearances for the league throughout his career.

Honours

Drumcondra

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shelbourne F.C.</span> Association football club in Ireland

Shelbourne Football Club is an Irish professional football club based in Drumcondra, Dublin, currently playing in the League of Ireland Premier Division. They are the reigning Premier Division champions and managed by former Ireland international Damien Duff.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sligo Rovers F.C.</span> Football club

Sligo Rovers Football Club is an Irish professional football club playing in the Premier Division of the League of Ireland. The club is based in Sligo in the west of Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University College Dublin A.F.C.</span> Football club

University College Dublin Association Football Club, known commonly as UCD, is the football team of University College Dublin. They play in the League of Ireland First Division. Founded in 1895, the club was elected to the League of Ireland in 1979 under the management of Dr. Tony O'Neill. Since the 2008 season they have played at the UCD Bowl, also home to the college's rugby team. 'The Students' play in bright sky blue and navy. Their reserve and freshers teams play in the Leinster Senior League. The current manager is Donegal native William O'Connor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dalymount Park</span> Football stadium in Dublin, Ireland

Dalymount Park is a football stadium in Phibsborough on the Northside of Dublin, Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tolka Park</span> Football stadium in Dublin, Ireland

Tolka Park is an Irish association football ground located in the north Dublin suburb of Drumcondra, on the northern banks of the River Tolka. It is currently the home ground of League of Ireland club Shelbourne men's and women's senior sides. The stadium formerly held 9,680 people, but this has been scaled down in recent times due to health and safety regulations in the venue, mainly concerning the 'New' and Ballybough stands. Tolka Park has hosted national cup finals along with international matches, Champions League qualifiers, UEFA Cup, UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, UEFA Cup, UEFA Conference League ties and was a venue for the 1994 UEFA European Under-16 Championship and 2000 Rugby League World Cup. The ground has also in the past been used for boxing championships and basketball.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1961–62 European Cup</span> 7th season of the UEFA club football tournament

The 1961–62 European Cup was the seventh season of the European Cup, UEFA's premier club football tournament. The competition was won by Benfica for the second time in a row, beating Real Madrid 5–3 in the final at the Olympisch Stadion, Amsterdam, on 2 May 1962. This outcome meant that Real Madrid became the first team to win and lose European Cup final. Ferenc Puskás scored his second hat-trick in the final of the competition, and as of 2024, is the only player to achieve this feat, as well as being the only final hat-trick scorer to end up on the losing side.

The Dublin City Cup is a defunct Irish football tournament which was played for by all League of Ireland sides. It ran from 1933 and ran uninterrupted until 1973. In the 1975–76 season it was revived and played for by sides who did not reach the League of Ireland Cup quarter-finals. In 1983–84 it was revived again but only eight teams were invited to play, the six Dublin sides along with Drogheda United and Dundalk.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drumcondra F.C.</span> Football club

Drumcondra Football Club is an Irish association football club based in Drumcondra, Dublin.

Shelbourne F.C. have a long, illustrious history in European competitions, taking on clubs such as Sporting Portugal, Barcelona, Atlético Madrid, Panathinaikos, Rangers, Rosenborg, Brøndby, Hajduk Split, Deportivo de La Coruña, Lille, and Steaua Bucharest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Chambers (Irish footballer)</span> Irish footballer

James Chambers is an Irish coach and former professional footballer who is the head coach of USL Championship club Colorado Springs Switchbacks.

Maurice Michael George Swan is an Irish former professional footballer. He was born in Dublin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ronnie Nolan</span> Irish footballer (1933–2023)

Ronald Christopher Nolan was an Irish footballer who played as a wing-half. At international level, he represented the Republic of Ireland national team, making ten appearances and scoring twice.

Mick Cahill is an Irish former footballer who played as a centre half.

Billy Dixon is an Irish former association footballer who played as a forward.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Derbies in the League of Ireland</span> Certain matches in League of Ireland soccer

There are many derbies in the League of Ireland, and despite the fact that historically more teams compete in the First Division, the majority are played in the Premier Division, the top flight of Irish football.

The 2013 FAI Senior Challenge Cup, also known as the 2013 FAI Ford Senior Cup, was the 93rd season of the national football competition of the Republic of Ireland. The winners of the competition earned a spot in the first qualifying round of the 2014-15 UEFA Europa League.

The 2013–14 FAI Umbro Intermediate Cup was the 87th season of the FAI Intermediate Cup. Intermediate clubs from the Leinster Senior League, the Munster Senior League and the Ulster Senior League entered the competition. Avondale United finished as winners after they defeated UCD Reserves 3–0 in the final in Turners Cross. As a result Avondale United also became only the second club after Distillery to win the cup four consecutive seasons. They also became the first club to win the FAI Intermediate Cup seven times, making them the competition's most successful club.

The 2014 FAI Senior Challenge Cup, also known as the 2014 FAI Ford Senior Cup, was the 94th season of the national football competition of the Republic of Ireland. The winners of the competition earned a spot in the first qualifying round of the 2015–16 UEFA Europa League.

The 2015 FAI Senior Challenge Cup, also known as the 2015 FAI Irish Daily Mail Senior Cup for sponsorship reasons, was the 95th season of the national football competition of the Republic of Ireland. The winners of the competition earned a spot in the first qualifying round of the 2016–17 UEFA Europa League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1966–67 Dundalk F.C. season</span> Dundalk 1966–67 football season

Dundalk entered the 1966–67 season on the back of a disappointing eighth-place finish in the League and a sixth-place finish in the Shield the previous season. 1966–67 was Alan Fox's first season as player-coach, having been appointed by the club's new board of directors in August. It was Dundalk's 41st consecutive season in the top tier of Irish football.

References

  1. ↑ "Ray Keogh – A forgotten pioneer in Irish football". A Bohemian Sporting Life. 9 August 2015.
  2. ↑ "Champions League 1961/1962 » 1. Round » 1. FC Nürnberg - Drumcondra Dublin 5:0". 28 July 2018.
  3. ↑ "Champions League 1961/1962 » 1. Round » Drumcondra Dublin - 1. FC Nürnberg 1:4" . Retrieved 28 July 2018.
  4. ↑ "Europa League 1962/1963 » 1. Round » Drumcondra Dublin - Stævnet Odense 4:1" . Retrieved 28 July 2018.
  5. ↑ "Europa League 1962/1963 » 1. Round » Stævnet Odense - Drumcondra Dublin 4:2" . Retrieved 28 July 2018.
  6. ↑ "Europa League 1962/1963 » 2. Round » Drumcondra Dublin - Bayern München 1:0" . Retrieved 28 July 2018.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.