Football loses star Farrell, Ireland loses hero

According to football lore, the goalkeeping position is the loneliest place on the pitch. Maybe Joseph Farrell, Ireland’s No 1 at the recent Homeless World Cup, knew about it.

The 43-year-old died last week at the flat where he was living in Dublin. It is understood he may have been wearing his international goalkeeper jersey when he passed away; he was certainly wearing his team outfit when he was laid to rest at his funeral on Wednesday, with an international cap placed on his coffin at the service in Glasnevin, as friends and family paid tribute to an extraordinary life.

When he played in the Irish Homeless World Cup team at last summer’s event in Poznan, he was one of the stars, claiming the man of the match award in Ireland’s first game and featuring prominently in a campaign in which Ireland finished a commendable 11th out of 48 countries. In so doing, he became the oldest keeper to represent any team at the Homeless World Cup.

Just a few weeks ago, the Big Issue magazine carried a profile of Joe. Born in Ringsend, he had a difficult early life and spent time living with his grandmother while his mother went to England for work.

On her return, they moved to Ballymun, where Joe fell in with a group of other teenagers and was led astray. It was the start of a stop-start battle with addiction, and the point when he first became homeless, sometimes sleeping rough and moving in and out of emergency accommodation.

Sean Kavanagh, chairman of the Street Soccer Leagues and Big Issue editor, recalled, “in his earlier life he had saved some people from a house that was on fire”, adding that he had been a hero that day in Ballymun, and later in the green jersey.

Yesterday, the Homeless World Cup Twitter account tweeted: “It is with great sadness that we report the death of Joe Farrell, the gk for Ireland at the 2013 HWC in Poznan.” The deepest sense of loss is felt by his partner, his children and family.

Michael Harmon, co-ordinator of the Street Soccer Leagues, said: “One of the problems with players is they are on a high at the World Cup and then they come back to reality and to life.”

However, as Sean Kavanagh points out, others who have played in the HWC have gone on to secure jobs and maintain an upward trajectory. Here, the Street Leagues that helped to boost them is run “on a shoestring”, and Sean says they are desperately seeking a sponsor for next year.

* Hary Milas, the HWC referee who presented Joe with his medal last summer, said: “[One] of my highlights of my career, having the honour to meet and present Joe an award from my heart.

“I will always remember your words during this moment: ‘Thank you referee, you have no idea what this means to me, you have no idea what I went through to be here, thank you’.

“Joe, my friend, thank you.”