1/4/1935 - 6/2/1958 | Footballer
William Augustine Whelan was born in Dublin on the 1st April 1935. Also called Billy, he was best known as Liam and he came from a large devout Roman Catholic family. His father John died in 1943 when Liam was just 8 years old.
He began his football career playing for the Dublin schoolboy club Home Farm. Whelan’s talent and skill was quickly spotted and he was signed by Manchester United Football Club in Britain in 1953 when he was 18. On a youth team trip to Switzerland in 1954, the Brazilian World Cup team stopped to watch the young team play and were so impressed with Whelan that they wanted to take him back to Brazil! Whelan made his debut in the first team in 1955. He made 98 appearances as inside-forward from then until 1958, scoring 52 goals. The team, under their manager Matt Busby, had won back-to-back league titles in 1956 and 1957 when Whelan was their top scorer with an incredible 26 goals in 39 appearances. This group of talented and youthful players became known as the “Busby Babes”.
Liam Whelan made his international debut for Ireland on May 10th 1956 against Holland, who they beat 4-1. He also played for the national team against Denmark in the same year and in two matches against England in May 1957.
On the 6th February 1958 the Manchester United Team were returning from a European Cup match in Belgrade. The plane had stopped to refuel in Munich. On a snowy night, the British European Airways Flight 609 crashed as it attempted its third take-off. Of the 44 people on board, 21 were killed instantly, including 8 members of the team; Roger Byrne, Eddie Colman, Tommy Taylor, David Pegg, Geoff Bent, Mark Jones, Duncan Edwards and Liam Whelan. He was just 22 years old. Whelan’s remains were brought back to Dublin and he was buried in Glasnevin in one of the biggest funerals the cemetery has ever seen.
On the 8th December 2006 a railway bridge in Cabra, close to St Attracta Road where Liam Whelan was born, was renamed in his honour. The unveiling ceremony was performed by his old team mate Sir Bobby Charlton. Sir Bobby said ''Billy had brilliant close control and was a natural goal scorer. His forte was to scheme, to shape possibilities with his skill and excellent vision. [He] scored so many goals from midfield he would be a wonder of today's game.''
He began his football career playing for the Dublin schoolboy club Home Farm. Whelan’s talent and skill was quickly spotted and he was signed by Manchester United Football Club in Britain in 1953 when he was 18. On a youth team trip to Switzerland in 1954, the Brazilian World Cup team stopped to watch the young team play and were so impressed with Whelan that they wanted to take him back to Brazil! Whelan made his debut in the first team in 1955. He made 98 appearances as inside-forward from then until 1958, scoring 52 goals. The team, under their manager Matt Busby, had won back-to-back league titles in 1956 and 1957 when Whelan was their top scorer with an incredible 26 goals in 39 appearances. This group of talented and youthful players became known as the “Busby Babes”.
Liam Whelan made his international debut for Ireland on May 10th 1956 against Holland, who they beat 4-1. He also played for the national team against Denmark in the same year and in two matches against England in May 1957.
On the 6th February 1958 the Manchester United Team were returning from a European Cup match in Belgrade. The plane had stopped to refuel in Munich. On a snowy night, the British European Airways Flight 609 crashed as it attempted its third take-off. Of the 44 people on board, 21 were killed instantly, including 8 members of the team; Roger Byrne, Eddie Colman, Tommy Taylor, David Pegg, Geoff Bent, Mark Jones, Duncan Edwards and Liam Whelan. He was just 22 years old. Whelan’s remains were brought back to Dublin and he was buried in Glasnevin in one of the biggest funerals the cemetery has ever seen.
On the 8th December 2006 a railway bridge in Cabra, close to St Attracta Road where Liam Whelan was born, was renamed in his honour. The unveiling ceremony was performed by his old team mate Sir Bobby Charlton. Sir Bobby said ''Billy had brilliant close control and was a natural goal scorer. His forte was to scheme, to shape possibilities with his skill and excellent vision. [He] scored so many goals from midfield he would be a wonder of today's game.''
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