Ned Weir

Ned Weir

Personal information
Full name	Edward Weir
Date of birth	1910
Playing position	Midfielder
Youth career
19xx-19xx	Bonnybridge St. Josephs
19xx-19xx	Camelon Juniors F.C.
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1929-1930	Falkirk	7	(0)
1930-1938	St Bernard's
1938-1939	Clyde	44	(0)
1946-1947	Raith Rovers	20	(1)
1947-1948	Dunfermline Athletic	3	(0)
1948	Dundalk	0	(0)
National team‡
1939	Ireland (IFA)	1	(0)
1939	Ireland (FAI)	3	(0)
1940	Scottish League XI	1	(0)
Teams managed
1948-1950	Dundalk
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of December 9, 2007. † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of December 9, 2007

Ned Weir (born 1910, date of death unknown) was an Irish footballer who played for several clubs in the Scottish Football League. Weir was also a dual Irish international and played for both Ireland teams - the IFA XI and the FAI XI. After retiring as a player he managed Dundalk.

Club career

Weir was raised in Scotland and began playing football with his local church side, St Joseph's in Bonnybridge, before joining Camelon Juniors F.C. where he developed his skills as a left-half. He spent three seasons with Falkirk but was largely a bit-part player. He then joined St Bernard's of the Scottish Second Division, initially on loan. During the 1937-38 season, he was spotted by a Dublin football fan, Matt Murtagh. Murtagh subsequently recommended him to both the IFA and the FAI. Before the following season he was transferred to Clyde and in 1939 he helped them win the Scottish Cup. Weir put in a man of the match performance as Clyde beat Rangers 4-1 in the third round.^[1] Clyde then went onto win the cup, beating Motherwell 4-0 in the final. On April 28, 1940, while still at Clyde, Weir also played for a Scottish League XI in a 3-2 win against a League of Ireland XI at Dalymount Park.^[2]

Irish international

When Weir played international football during 1939 there were, in effect, two Ireland teams, chosen by two rival associations. Both associations, the Northern Ireland - based IFA and the Irish Free State - based FAI claimed jurisdiction over the whole of Ireland and selected players from the whole island. As a result several notable Irish players from this era, including Weir, played for both teams.

IFA XI

Weir made his international debut with the IFA XI on March 15, 1939 in a 3-1 away defeat against Wales. This was his one and only appearance for the IFA XI. ^[3]

FAI XI

Weir also made 3 appearances for the FAI XI, all in 1939. Four days after playing for the IFA XI, he made his debut for the FAI XI on March 19 in a 2-2 draw with Hungary at the Mardyke. He then went on a European tour with the FAI XI and played in the teams last two internationals before the Second World War. The first of these was a return game against Hungary on May 18 which again finished as a 2-2 draw. He made his last appearance for the FAI XI on May 23 in a 1-1 draw with Germany. ^[4]

Coaching career

In 1948 Weir joined Dundalk as a player-coach but only played a few pre-season friendlies. However he went onto manage Dundalk for two seasons, guiding them victory in both the FAI Cup and the Dublin City Cup in 1949. ^[5] He is largely credited with bringing a new level of professionalism to Dundalk, employing Scottish backroom staff and recruiting four Scottish players.

Honours

Player

Clyde

• Scottish Cup
  • Winners 1939: 1

Manager

Dundalk

• FAI Cup
  • Winners 1949: 1
• Dublin City Cup
  • Winners 1949: 1
• Dublin and Belfast Intercity Cup
  • Runners Up 1949: 1

References

1. ^ The Boys In Green - The FAI International Story (1997): Sean Ryan
2. ^ www.scottishleague.net
3. ^ Northern Ireland fansite
4. ^ Ireland (FAI) stats
5. ^ Dundalk F.C. 1940s

External links

• Northern Ireland’s Footballing Greats
• Ned Weir's profile at worldfootball.net

Persondata
Name	Weir, Ned
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1910
Place of birth
Date of death
Place of death