Linfield FC records with sadness the passing of lifelong supporter, Joe McAuley in Dunlady Nursing Home, Dundonald on Tuesday March 15.
He was born on September 21, 1939 and lived at 23 Claggan Park in Dundonald.
Joe will be best remembered for his time as the match day announcer at Windsor Park using the microphone in the old South Stand press box. Linfield director David Strain recalls that “Joe’s dulcet tones of ‘Good afternoon Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to Windsor Park’ made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up”.
He will always be remembered ‘holding court’ in the same corner seat in the old President’s lounge (outside the old South stand boardroom). He was always in the company of his great friends - Geordie Keenan and Charlie Grundie and he enjoyed ‘great craic’ with all those who will recall with fondness a real character and a very distinctive and very distinguished gentleman.
Joe was popular with supporters, board members and players, both past and present. David Jeffrey remembers him as “someone who was always encouraging, never negative”, Glenn Ferguson describes him as a “big gentleman” while club captain Jamie Mulgrew advised that he was only recently reminiscing about him with Chairman Roy McGivern.
Director Jonathan Lamont recalls with fondness when in 1990 Linfield played the Argentinian national team and Joe was struggling to pronounce the visitors’ names so by the time he got to number 9 on the team sheet, he just gave up and said ‘an Argentinian and number 10, another Argentinian’.
Joe who lived all his life in East Belfast, will also be remembered as a great singer and a fanatical boxing fan.
As a professional singer, Joe was an artiste who performed at many functions involving Linfield and various supporters clubs.
Joe was predeceased by his wife of over fifty years, Iris. He is survived by his two daughters, Joanne and Melanie to whom the sympathy of everyone at Linfield FC is extended at this very sad time.
Audaces Fortuna Juvat
