Eamon Dunphy facts for kids
.jpg)
Dunphy in 2013
|
|||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Eamon Martin Dunphy | ||
| Date of birth | 3 August 1945 | ||
| Place of birth | Dublin, Ireland | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 195x–1962 | Stella Maris | ||
| 1962–1965 | Manchester United | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1965–1966 | York City | 22 | (3) |
| 1965–1974 | Millwall | 274 | (24) |
| 1973–1975 | Charlton Athletic | 42 | (3) |
| 1975–1977 | Reading | 77 | (3) |
| 1977–1978 | Shamrock Rovers | 33 | (2) |
| Total | 448 | (35) | |
| National team | |||
| 1965–1971 | Republic of Ireland | 23 | (0) |
|
|||
Eamon Martin Dunphy, born on August 3, 1945, is a well-known Irish person who has done many things. He was a professional footballer, a journalist, a radio and TV presenter, and an author. He started playing football for youth teams like Stella Maris. After he stopped playing football, he became famous in Ireland as a football expert on TV. He shares his thoughts on games from the Premier League, UEFA Champions League, and international matches on RTÉ.
Besides his work with RTÉ, Dunphy has also worked for other TV and radio stations. He presented a chat show and a game show on TV3. He also worked for radio stations like Today FM and Newstalk. He wrote a regular column about football for the Irish Daily Star newspaper. Today, he hosts his own podcast called The Stand.
Contents
Early Life and Football Dreams
Eamon Dunphy grew up in Drumcondra, Dublin. He lived in a small home that he described as having "no electricity, no hot water." He went to Saint Patrick's National School in Drumcondra. In 1958, he received a scholarship to Sandymount High School. However, he also had to work as a messenger at a clothing shop called Kevin and Howlin.
Playing for Top Clubs
Eamon was a very promising footballer. When he was still a teenager, he left Dublin to join Manchester United as a young player learning the ropes. He didn't get to play for the main team at United. So, he moved on to play for other clubs. These included York City, Millwall, Charlton Athletic, Reading, and Shamrock Rovers.
He made a big impact at Millwall. People saw him as a smart and skilled player in the middle of the field. He was part of the "Class of '71" at Millwall. This team almost got promoted to the top division of English football, missing out by just one point.
Returning to Ireland
In 1977, Dunphy went back to Ireland with Johnny Giles to join Shamrock Rovers. Giles wanted Rovers to be Ireland's first full-time professional club. He hoped to make them a strong team in European football. He also wanted to help young Irish players develop their skills at home.
Dunphy was supposed to be in charge of helping these young players. He won an FAI Cup medal in 1978, which was his only medal in senior football. He also played in the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup twice. However, he became unhappy with Irish football and left the sport. He decided to focus on a new career in journalism.
Playing for Ireland
Eamon Dunphy played 23 times for the Republic of Ireland. He was Millwall's most capped international player with 22 caps for a long time. Later, David Forde and Shane Ferguson played more games for their countries while at Millwall.
His first game for Ireland was on November 10, 1965. It was a play-off match for the 1966 FIFA World Cup against Spain in Paris. Spain won the game 1–0. Dunphy himself said he was "a good player, not a great player."
Life as a Journalist
After he stopped playing football, Dunphy started writing about the sport for the Sunday Tribune. Then, he wrote regular columns about football and current events for the Sunday Independent. He still writes a football column for the Irish Daily Star newspaper.
He also worked for other newspapers like Ireland on Sunday (now The Irish Mail on Sunday), The Sunday Press, and the Irish Examiner.
Books by Eamon Dunphy
Since the 1980s, Dunphy has written several books. His first and most famous book is Only a Game? The Diary of a Professional Footballer. This book shares his experiences playing for Millwall. It's written like a diary and describes what happened in the team's changing room during the 1973–74 season.
In 1985, the famous rock band U2 asked him to write their story. His book, Unforgettable Fire - Past, Present, and Future - The Definitive Biography of U2, came out in 1988. It received some good reviews. However, some people close to the band said it had many mistakes. There was a public disagreement, and Dunphy even called U2's lead singer, Bono, a "pompous git."
Dunphy also wrote a book about Matt Busby, a long-serving manager of Manchester United. In 2002, he helped write the autobiography of Irish and Manchester United player Roy Keane.
Broadcasting Career
On Television
Since the mid-1980s, Eamon Dunphy has been a regular football expert on Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ). When RTÉ started showing English football, he became a regular on Premier Soccer Saturday. He also gives his opinions on UEFA Champions League games. For international football, he covers FIFA World Cups, UEFA European Football Championships, and matches involving the Republic of Ireland national football team. He was part of RTÉ Sport's coverage of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.
In 2001, he became the first male host of the quiz show The Weakest Link on TV3. He hosted it for one series. In 2003, TV3 hired him again to host a new Friday night chat show called The Dunphy Show. This show was on at the same time as RTÉ's popular The Late Late Show. Dunphy's show lost the "ratings war" and was cancelled early.
He also presented a mobile TV show for the 3 mobile network in Ireland. His short videos were popular with thousands of customers. These shows won an award for "Best Entertainment Show" at Ireland's Digital Media Awards. Dunphy has said he doesn't use a mobile phone himself, but he enjoys filming for a mobile audience from his home.
On Radio
Dunphy has also had a big career in radio, working for stations like Today FM, Newstalk, and RTÉ Radio 1.
In 1997, he was the first host of the popular current affairs show The Last Word on Today FM. In 2004, he took over The Breakfast Show on Newstalk 106 in Dublin. He later left Newstalk 106 in 2006, saying that the early morning schedule was too demanding.
In July 2006, RTÉ announced that Dunphy would host a new weekly show on RTÉ Radio 1. He rejoined Newstalk later but left again in 2011. He said he left because of "interference from management."
Personal Life
Eamon Dunphy was a daily churchgoer until he was preparing to marry his first wife, Sandra, when he was 21. He was Catholic, and she was Protestant. The priest who was helping them prepare for marriage did not approve of the mixed couple. Dunphy's faith was already becoming weaker, and he stopped going to daily Mass at this point. He and Sandra had two children, a boy and a girl. Eamon is now a grandfather.
His first marriage ended, and he lived in Castletownshend in Cork for two years in the early 1990s. He later met his second wife, Jane Gogan, in Dublin in 1992. They got married in a Unitarian Church on September 24, 2009.
Today, Dunphy usually lives at his home near Ranelagh in Dublin. He also has a holiday home in Deauville, France. In May 2017, he shared that he is a fan of Liverpool football club.
