Football tournament to remember Andy

A
NORTHSIDE father-of-three who tragically took his own life last New Year’s Eve
is to be remembered with an annual football tournament organised by his friends
and family in Ballymun.

More
than ten teams have already signed up for the Andy Morgan Memorial Cup in DCU
on December 17, with all proceeds going to suicide prevention charity Pieta
House.

Speaking
to Northside People this week, Andy’s friend Liam Clinton said he had been
overwhelmed by the response to what was initially going to be a small
fundraising initiative.

“It
was a shock for us all when Andy died,

? Liam said.

“But suicide is happening
everywhere and we wanted to do something to curb it and make people a little
bit more aware.

“It
started off with the lads in St Kevin’s Football Club who were going to have
one game between them. But since then, everyone I’ve spoken to has offered to
help. It’s really taken off and gone huge.

“We’re
hoping to have 16 teams playing five-a-side, including a women’s team, on the
all-weather pitch at DCU,

? he added.

“We’ll have official referees, and
afterwards we’ll go back to Matt Weldon’s pub on the Ballymun Road for food and
music, plaques, presentations and prizes, all the bells and whistles.

?

Andy’s
partner, Joanne Featherstone (39), has also been touched by the level of support
for the fundraising initiative from the wider community in Ballymun, Finglas
and Coolock.

And
although it’s barely nine months since Andy’s death, Joanne said she was
determined to raise awareness of the scourge of suicide in a bid to divert, if
possible, even one person away from the desperate decision to take their own
life.

“It’s
quite raw still, and some days it’s hard to believe Andy is gone,

? she
reflected.

“There’s a big social stigma out there, and some women who approach
me speak to me in a whisper about it, like they’re ashamed to talk about
suicide.

“But
I will never hide Andy’s death. I think the more open I am about it, the better
people react and open up. You wouldn’t believe the number of strangers who are
contacting me and telling me their stories, or asking me to speak to somebody
who is feeling down.

?

According
to those closest to him, Andy showed no signs of being depressed before he took
his own life on New Year’s Eve, 2010.

Always
the life and soul of the party, Andy and Joanne and their three children Leanne
(16), Alex (8) and Jamie (5) had enjoyed

“one of the best Christmases ever

?.

“Andy
loved Christmas,

? Joanne said.

“He loved fun, and was always so full of life.
We had a great Stephen’s Day. Looking back, it seemed like the only problem for
Andy was the amount of work he had over Christmas. He was a plumber and was
constantly getting calls about frozen pipes and broken boilers because of the
snow and ice.

?

Joanne
says that although she will never know what was going on in Andy’s head the
night he took his own life, she has accepted his death without any anger or
bitterness.

“For
the first few months I was like a robot,

? she revealed.

“I tortured myself
thinking how I should have gone home earlier. It can drive you crazy. But I
have let it go now. I did some counselling with Console, the suicide
bereavement charity, which helped me so much. And my family has been brilliant.
My parents and nine brothers and sisters all live locally and they really look
after me. I would have been lost without them.

?

Joanne
would like to do some work for Console in the future to help other people
affected by the suicide of a loved one. Her daughter Leanne, who will sit her
Leaving Cert next year, has decided she wants to become a social worker to try
and tackle some of the problems that can lead to suicide.

Joanne
said the whole idea behind the Andy Morgan Memorial Cup is to create greater
awareness and encourage men in particular to share their feelings.

“If
Andy had rung someone that night, he’d still be here,

? she feels.

“But he kept
his feelings in. He was very private; he had that old-fashioned attitude that
you can’t talk about things. If we can help even one young lad through this
fundraising event, then it’s worth it.

?

Meanwhile,
Liam Clinton is still looking for more players to sign up for the Andy Morgan
Memorial Cup.

“We’re
charging e100 per team to enter, and then every member will have a sponsorship
card. If just one player on the team manages to raise over e1,000 on their
sponsorship card, we’ll drop the e100 entry fee.

?

He
added:

“Pieta House will be there with us on the day to make a presentation,
and Matt Weldon’s pub is very kindly paying for us to use the pitch at DCU.
We’re hoping to make this an annual event now, and I think it’s only going to
get bigger and better each year.

?

Liam
can be contacted on 087-2775197.