Friends paid tribute to their “gentle giant”
An Irish Everton fan has tragically passed away hours after meeting his idol, and before he was meant to attend a Premier League match between Everton and Ipswich at Goodison Park.
Niall Cunneen, 56, passed away on May 3. The Limerick man travelled to Liverpool the day before with the Irish Toffees supporters’ group, as they went on a farewell tour of the club’s Goodison Park stadium, which is being replaced by the new Everton Stadium.
The fans got the opportunity to meet former players, where Mr. Cunneen finally got to meet his idol Kevin Sheedy. In the early hours of the morning on the following day, the lifelong Everton fan died. Mr. Cuneen’s friends in the supporters’ group were glad he “fulfilled his dreams” by meeting Sheedy. They also reflected on their memories together.
Irish Toffees supporters’ group member, Lee Reilly, said: “[We went] on the Goodison Park tour for the first time and [had] a night in the Winslow hotel where he got to listen to past player Joe Parkinson and ex-kitman Jimmy Martin do a talk about their memories of their time at the ground.
“Nothing could wipe the smile off Niall’s face and that night will stick with us.”
Another member of the group, Sean Heelan, added: “We were all devastated to wake up to his passing.
“Niall was a gentleman, very mannerly and a huge Evertonian. He was a Blue all his life and would try and go over two or three times per season.”
The group has requested donations through GoFundMe to help cover the cost of bringing Mr Cunneen’s body back to Ireland. They are also working with The Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust. Any money left over will be donated to the trust and other charities.
