Hillsborough - 25 years on
April 15, 2014
Gone but not forgotten.
Over the past few days, the victims of one of the world's worst sporting tragedies have been remembered across the UK and here in Ireland where a 96-minute walk was held in Dublin's Phoenix Park on Sunday. Around 5,000 people took part in the walk, including many who are involved with the GAA.
Liverpool FC has a huge and loyal Irish following, including Kerry's Colm Cooper and Kilkenny's Henry Shefflin, the outstanding Gaelic footballer and hurler of their generation. Thousands of Irish make the weekly pilgrimage across the Irish Sea to support the Reds. It's a way of life for many.
The club has always enjoyed a special relationship with Ireland which is hardly surprising given that Liverpool boasts the strongest Irish heritage of any British city and has a long tradition of fielding Irish players. Current manager Brendan Rodgers, who is on the verge of delivering a first Premier League title to Anfield in 24 years, is a proud son of Carnlough in Co. Antrim who played Gaelic football and hurling until the age of 13, when his promising soccer playing career - which was cut short by injury - took over.
The Memorial at Anfield that bears the names of the 96 victims of Hillsborough has more than its fair share of Irish-sounding names. One of those is Jon-Paul Gilhooley, the cousin of Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard, who, at just 10 years of age, was the youngest to die in the stadium disaster.
For sporting organisations such as the GAA, the tragedy had major implications. Health and safety suddenly became paramount at grounds across the country.
So today we remember the 96 men, women and children who went to a football match and never came home. God rest their souls. Tweet
