Ronnie Whelan Sr. (17 November 1936 – 16 July 1993) was a Republic of Ireland international footballer, who played for several clubs, most notably St. Patrick's Athletic.
Legend has it, Whelan was initially "discovered" by the wife of Paddy Moore, who then recommended him to her husband who was coaching Stella Maris at the time.
Between 1957 and 1964 he was a prominent member of the St. Pat's forward line and was the club's leading goalscorer in five out of twelve seasons, scoring a total of 89 goals.
[4] A run of injuries, effectively ended his St. Pat's career but he subsequently joined Drogheda for a further six seasons, helping them reach the 1970–71 FAI Cup final.
This English League XI included four players – Ray Wilson, Bobby Moore, Roger Hunt and Martin Peters – who subsequently went on to help England win the 1966 FIFA World Cup.