Memorabilia belonging to Irish legend Shay Brennan set to be sold at auction

26 Jun 2012 08:00:00

Rare items belonging to the late full-back are set to go under the hammer including the shirt he wore on his international debut

Collectible items once owned by former Irish star Shay Brennan are set to be auctioned off.

Brennan, who died in 2000, was the first-ever second-generation player to pull on the green shirt. Born in Manchester of Carlow parents, he made his debut for the national team against Spain in a crucial World Cup qualifier in 1965 with that shirt expected to fetch €1,500 at the September auction.

Auctioneers Mealy's are conducting the sale of Brennan's memorabilia which also includes a watch given to him by Manchester United team-mate George Best. The watch inscribed 'Shay – Best Wishes – George' was given to Brennan as a gift by the Belfast legend after Best had borrowed a timepiece from his team-mate only to lose it.

Along with Tony Dunne, Brennan was the first Irish player to win a European Cup winner's medal when the Red Devils triumphed at Wembley in 1968. Brennan's boots from the European Cup final win over Benfica are expected to fetch between €700 - €900.

However, it is his number two shirt he wore for Ireland against Spain in his international debut which is expected to attract the most interest. Ireland defeated the then European Champions 1-0 at Dalymount Park but lost the return leg in Seville 4-1. Aggregate scores weren't used in that era so a play-off match between the sides was played in Paris which Ireland narrowly lost 1-0 thus ending their dreams of reaching the 1966 World Cup.

Brennan departed Manchester United in 1970 and wound his career down with Waterford United where he was player-manager. He passed away in 2000 at the age of 63.