There was a video on social media recently about the Irish International footballer, Lily Agg and it documented her visit to Cobh. I have to admit I knew very little about her or her association with the harbour town, but I did know she was a very talented soccer player who helped guide Ireland’s women’s football team to the next world Cup.
So, who is Lily Agg? Well, she is a professional footballer, born in England, who plays for London City Lionesses and the Republic of Ireland and also works as a Sports Lecturer. It says a lot about her strength of character that she is even playing football at this level because in the 2019/20 season she fractured her tibia against Reading in a friendly and that put her out of action for most of the year.
She bounced back though and made it onto the Ireland International Team and will be with them when they head to the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 which will take place during July and August next year. Ireland will be among the thirty-two teams taking part in the competition which will be jointly hosted by Australia and New Zealand.
Lily played a significant part in the qualification process by scoring the winning goal against Finland in Tallaght last September. She came on as a substitute and headed home the winner which ensured Ireland got into the play offs. The win against Scotland in October then secured their place.
Just after scoring the goal against Finland, Lily looked skyward and later at the press conference, she explained why she did that. She said she thought of her grandmother immediately after the goal. ”I believe everything happens for a reason,” she said. “I looked at the sky and said a prayer because I wouldn’t be here without her.”
The grandmother in Lily’s case is Breda Greene, who is originally from Cobh, and it’s through her that Lily qualifies to wear the Ireland jersey. She died nineteen years ago when Lily was only ten years old, but she left a lasting impression on the young footballer. She said, ‘I would like to think that grandma would be extremely proud of me now, playing and representing Ireland.”
During her visit to Cobh, she again mentioned that her grandmother came from the harbour town and that she had other relatives there too. I grew up in Cobh and I still live there but the name Greene meant nothing to me, so I threw out the net looking for information. A cousin of mine came to the rescue.
He knew the Greene family and one of Breda’s sisters, Evelyn, had lived next door to him when she was alive. Another had lived not far away in Belmont which is slightly embarrassing from my perspective because I grew up practically next door to these women and knew both of them but by their married names only. In fact, I grew up with some of Lily’s uncles.
I got in touch with Evelyn’s sons, Finbarr and Michael, two of the uncles, and it was Michael who accommodated Lily and her mother Ruth during their short stay. The lads are very proud of Lily and were only too happy to help me out. They knew Breda very well and even though she emigrated to England when she was very young, the families kept in touch. The lads had been over to stay with their aunt on several occasions during her lifetime.
They told me she was the youngest child of Michael and Mary Greene of Belmont in Cobh. She had two brothers, Paddy and Michael, known as Monny, and two sisters Evelyn and Josephine. Paddy and Monny also emigrated to the UK and worked in Fords in Dagenham.
Breda’s two sisters remained in Ireland while Breda went to England to study and became a qualified nurse. She married Alan Vardy, an Englishman, and settled in the Medway Towns area living at various times in Rochester and Chatham. She had two children Claire and Ruth, and Ruth eventually had her own daughter who is known to us now as Lily Agg.
Breda never lost touch with her family in Cobh. She was in constant contact with her sisters and a regular visitor to Cobh until her death. Both her daughters also became nurses and Ruth settled in Brighton which is where Lily is from.
Breda’s father was a big supporter of Cobh Ramblers but didn’t play the game. While Lily’s uncles in Cobh freely admit they never reached the dizzy heights of their niece, they were nevertheless sporty people. Evelyn’s eldest son, the late Liam, played competitive GAA and soccer. His brother Michael was a very good GAA player in his day and is a handy golfer while Finbarr is a keen tennis player.
Lily’s visit to Cobh, with her mother Ruth, coincided with some media work she was doing with the FAI and while they were here, they stayed with Michael O’Connor, and they all got together for a family dinner. Finbarr told me, “It was nice to catch up with Ruth who we knew well from childhood, but it was our first-time meeting Lily.”
Finbarr described Breda as fun loving and out-going. “Whenever she came to Cobh, she was always out meeting people. She was very friendly and enjoyed company. She adored her family and I think if she was around today, she would be on the side-lines cheering on her granddaughter.”
Lily obviously feels the same way.