Everyone at Glentoran was saddened to hear of the passing of Eamon Byrne on Monday evening. He was 78.
We extend our deepest sympathies to his wife, Mary and his sister, Dympna. Also to Eamon's children, Lorraine, Colm, Mark, Neal, Paul,Alan and Jason.
As a tribute to Eamon we have reproduced below an article published in the Glentoran Gazette in January 2017. It was written by Roy Downes.
Billy Neill & Eamon Byrne
EAMON BYRNE
For any Glentoran fan around in the 1960`s in many ways the 1965/66 season was quite a memorable one. It was a season full of incident. It was a season that began badly for Glentoran and their supporters yet couldn't have ended better with that famous 2 – 0 Irish Cup win over Linfield! It was the season when we signed `Handy' Andy Kerr from Aberdeen, only for him to last one match. It was the season when we`saw' Glentoran draw 3 -3 with Royal Antwerp one foggy October evening. Tommy Dickson, the`Duke of Windsor' signed for the Glens, Big Trevor broke Sammy Hughes goal scoring record and of course that Irish Cup victory.
Yet there was another Cup win and a certain Eamon Byrne that stands out in my memory.
Christmas Day 1965 was a packed day for any Glentoran supporter.
After having checked what Santa had brought me, it was a quick journey up to Solitude where Glentoran Seconds were playing Larne in the final of the Steel & Sons Cup. Back home for a quick Christmas dinner and out again to the Oval, only to see the Glens go down 1-0 to Derry City.
However the highlight of the day was that 1– 0 win over Larne at a packed Solitude . Who would have thought that two talented 19 year old Glentoran players that morning would be playing in the top tier of English football within a couple of years – Tommy Jackson (Everton) and Terry Conroy (Stoke City). The Seconds had quite a talented young team, several of whom would play for the Firsts and who had been putting in better results than the first team pre Christmas. In fact as a 16 year old I can remember going down to the Oval to watch them if I couldn't afford the fare when Glentoran were playing away from home.
Eamon Byrne 3rd from left in back row
One 25 year old playing that day was someone I don't think has received the recognition he deserves and would surely have made the grade across the water if it hadn't been for the cartilage and ligament injuries to his right knee that he suffered in 1959 while a teenage player with Shamrock Rovers.
That young Dubliner was Eamon Byrne. As he lay on the treatment table at the Milltown ground back then Billy Lord the Rovers trainer told their promising reserve inside forward that in his opinion he might never play again. He had been playing as an inside forward for Rovers and was now facing the most dreaded moment in the life of a footballer. As the dejected teenager limped back to his home in Dundrum, Co. Dublin, never in his wildest dreams could he have believed that one day he would move up north to Belfast side Glentoran, captain them and win league and cup medals.
He quit football for a year but then Drumcondra boss Sam Prole came calling and persuaded the young electrician to give the game another go as a utility player operating at inside or centre - forward or wing or centre half. He stayed with Drumcondra for almost two years and in one glorious eight week spell as centre – forward scored 15 goals ! However he could only last about eight weeks before his knee would go and he found himself out again for another month. Then about halfway through the 1961-62 season he was dropped. He asked for a transfer but Drumcondra kept him out of football for nine months when they asked for a £500 fee.
In July `62 Glentoran appointed Isaac McDowell as their manager. Linfield had just completed the 7 trophies by the end of the 61/62 season and Glentoran fans demanded an improvement at the Oval. In October 1962 Glentoran travelled down to Tolka Park Dublin and were hammered 7 - 2 in their second round, second leg North-South cup encounter against Shelbourne. In the crowd that night was Eamon who had just signed for the Glens who had just stumped up the £500 for his signature. Glentoran played him as a right half or in a dual centre half position alongside Billy McCullough. £500 was no small amount in those days and he must have wondered what he had got himself into. That season however he made 30 appearances for the Glens. Slowly but surely team performances improved, winning the Gold Cup and finishing the season joint 3rd, three points behind winners Distillery. Glentoran fans really took to this tireless, all action, defender and voted him their Player Of The Year for 1962/63 despite the fact that his team-mate, goalkeeper Roy Rea was honoured as`Ulster Player of the Year'
The next season McDowell continued to strengthen his team and it certainly paid off with Glentoran breaking their 17 year jinx of not beating Linfield at Windsor Park by beating them 8 – 1, they also became League Champions after a gap of 11 years and were beaten finalists to Derry City in the Irish Cup. Byrne, McCullough and Bruce had formed the strongest half back line in the league with Byrne and Bruce each making an amazing 55 appearances.
Eamon Byrne 2nd from left in back row
The 1964/65 season turned out to be something of a nightmare for Eamon. Things had started well, playing in all first five Ulster Cup matches at the start of the season. However against Derry City in what was in essence a semi final decider, he sustained a bad knee injury, which kept him on the sidelines for the rest of the season. Glentoran were forced to re-shuffle their half back line and as a result had only the City Cup to place in their trophy cabinet that year.
At the beginning of the 1965/66 Eamon resumed his training, determined to get back into the first team and add to his medal collection. Along with another newly signed young Dubliner by the name of Terry Conroy he was selected for the Steel and Sons final at Solitude and he came away with a winners medal in their 1 – 0 victory over Larne. He played in all of Glentoran's Irish Cup matches, switching to centre half for that famous `Terry Conroy' final win over Linfield at the Oval. He had fought back from that horrific injury against Derry City and managed to play 25 matches. However due to his recurring knee injury he decided to retire after winning his Cup medal. A true Glentoran 60`s legend.
Receiving treatment from Bobby McGregor