Remembering Jackie Lennox: Founder of famous fish and chip shop was Leeside legend in sport
Cork Athletic FAI Cup winners 1953: Back: Michael O’Riordan, Dan Fitzgibbon, Harry Topping (Manager), Paddy O’Leary, Pat McGrath, Donie Forde (Hon Sec), Ned Courtney, Dave Noonan, Denis Nolan, Ned Fitzgibbon, John O’Sullivan. Front: John Vaughan, Murty Broderick, Sean McCarthy, Raich Carter, John Coughlan, Jackie Lennox, Johnnie Moloney.
Corkonians have this week been mourning the closure of Jackie Lennox's, the Bandon Road chipper and Leeside institution.
Its founder was one of the most popular sporting Anglos ever to take up residence in our city who won fame at national level in boxing and soccer.
Born in Broughton, Salford, near Manchester, Jack Lennox joined Sunnyside Boxing Club as a teenager and won county and provincial championships in 1939-40.
He was unfortunate to suffer a narrow defeat in the national final; his conqueror was Peter Gernon who went on to beat the Golden Gloves Champion in the USA. Jack had the honour of outpointing Irish welterweight champion Eddie Chandlier and took an even bigger scalp by winning against the great Tommy Bonham.
During his time in Sunnyside he was juvenile coach and one of his protégés, Irish champ Tommy Hyde, represented Ireland many times. After hanging up his gloves he left Cork for a few years and became a professional footballer in which code he played for Blackpool and Cliftonville.
He proved to be a great capture and was ever-present with Athletic, the best team in the country, who contested four FAI Cup finals between 1950-’53 inclusive.
Jackie played in his customary left-wing position on the side which won the league and cup double in 1951 and the FAI Cup again in 1953. Of course, as all Corkonians know he settled here and became a restauranteur in Crosshaven and Blackpool before launching his famous Jackie Lennox Fish and Chip shop in Bandon Road.
His family was steeped in Cork sporting history. His father-in-law Con O’Callaghan was a founder of the Cork Juvenile GAA League. The great late Dave Wigginton became a son-in-law and his grandchildren John and Ella Wigginton-Barrett, members of the St Finbarr’s senior hurling, football and camogie teams, are helping to keep the sporting tradition alive.
One of Jackie’s assistants in the Bandon Road takeaway was Jackie’s, ever-popular, Cork Athletic colleague Dave Noonan – remember him, the stand-in keeper who stopped a ferociously driven penalty kick by King John Charles when Leeds United visited the Mardyke in 1955.
In 1957 when John Charles (CBE) was transferred to Juventus for a record fee, Davy Noonan’s heroic save became big news again.
He later emerged to take control of Cork City in 2002 and endorsed the club’s entry into professionalism.
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