The Whelans are coming to the Brentford Community Stadium for the West Ham game and they are doing it in style. William Whelan will be 90 years old plus one day (the game being moved by Sky delayed his birthday treat by a day) accompanied by 7 other Whelans travelling with him from Dublin to meet up with season-ticket holding Whelans, part of an international tribe of Bees supporters.
The family patriarch, William, was born in Dublin in 1932, the youngest of 13 children. His mother died when he was only 4 and growing up in Dublin in the 1930s was difficult. His daughter Fiona says “there was poverty everywhere. There were no jobs and no money. My dad always loved football, especially playing on the streets with all the other kids. One of them was Liam Whelan, who later went on to play for Manchester United and sadly was killed in the Munich air disaster.”
In the 1940s William’s brother Denis moved to London to find work. He settled in Ealing and began working in Pinewood Studios. Some of his younger brothers followed him, among them William who also joined the Irish community in Ealing and the workforce at Pinewood. He and another brother Jim were carpenters and used to build sets. On one occasion William even met Marilyn Monroe who was filming there.
Brentford became his local team. Fiona Whelan says “He began going to all the matches and loved the crowd, the atmosphere, and a few pints with the lads. He’d get the bus down from Ealing Broadway, he remembers getting a bowl of soup there, there were no seats then, he remembers hanging over the rails trying to get a closer look. There was great craic to be had, lots of singing, never any trouble.”
William Whelan (far right) having ‘a few pints with the lads’ in London.
In 1963 William went back to Dublin for a party in 1963, where he met his wife Margaret at a party and decided to stay. He hasn’t been to a game since but his love of Brentford continued. Fiona says “He has followed Brentford religiously since then, converting his sons and now grandsons into Brentford supporters. Being in the Premier League has been a real treat as it means he can sometimes get to watch a Brentford match on the telly.There are now probably close to 100 Whelan Brentford fans, mostly in West London. The Whelans in Dublin all support Brentford as do the Whelans in Melbourne, Australia.”
Eight Whelans are travelling from Dublin to attend the West Ham game.“William is so excited to go back to London. It is a place very dear to his heart. William loved going to Brentford matches when he was young.” Now that the game is on a Sunday instead of a Saturday “so we have an extra day in London, some of the younger members of the group plan to go shopping while my dad hopes to catch up with some of his family.” Among them will be one of his ‘best pals’, grand-nephew and fellow Bee Senan Brady who says his favourite player is Ivan Toney.
William with grand nephew and fellow Bee Senan Brady
Fiona wants to thank thank season-ticket holder Niall O Connor for putting her in touch with his father-in-law BU Secretary Don Tanswell, “who has been most kind in assisting us. We would also like to thank Fran Carroll of the Irish Bees and Jamal in the ticket office.”
When Fiona was told that her father would be able to attend the game she said: “Oh My God, I could cry. Thank you so much. This means the world to us. My Dad’s never had much in life, Brentford and his family are the only things that matter to him. You are a wonderful group of supporters and we will treasure this trip for a long time.”