Stella Maris F.C.
| Full name | Stella Maris Football Club |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1943 |
| Ground | Richmond Road Clonturk Park Albert College Park |
| President | Johnny Giles |
| Chairman | Sean Kavanagh |
| League | Dublin & District Schoolboy League Dublin Women's Soccer League Leinster Senior League |
| Website | Club home page |
Stella Maris Football Club is an Irish association football club based in Drumcondra, Dublin. Founded in 1943, the club caters for over 350 children, ranging in age from 5 to 18 years. Some thirty coaches and managers train, organise and oversee the teams and academy run by the club. The club enters several teams in the Dublin & District Schooolboy League. Together with their neighbours, Drumcondra F.C., they also enter a combined team known as Drumcondra Stella Maris in an under–19 division of the Leinster Senior League. Like their other Northside, Dublin neighbours, Home Farm, Stella Maris is best known for its youth system which has successfully produced dozens of players who have gone onto play for clubs throughout Ireland and the United Kingdom. In addition many have also gone on to represent the Republic of Ireland at international level.
One of Stella Maris' earliest coaches was Paddy Moore. During the 1940s and early 1950s when Moore coached Stella Maris he nurtured the talents of future Republic of Ireland international Ronnie Whelan, Sr. Whelan was initially "discovered" by Moore's wife, who then brought him to the attention of her husband. Whelan was one of the early success stories of the Stella Maris academy.
In the early 1960s Stella Maris was involved in an early sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic archdiocese of Dublin. In January 1960 an allegation was made about Fr. James McNamee, who was associated with the club. A former altar boy, on the advice of a priest in Rathfarnham, spoke to a priest in relation to McNamee's behaviour. The former altar boy informed the priest that he had heard from two former members of the club that he had acted in an inappropriate manner when the boys had showered after returning from a trip to the seaside. The former altar boy also stated that he had witnessed McNamee bathing with naked adolescent boys and placing the boys on his shoulders. These matters were investigated by Bishop Dunne. McNamee denied the allegations and stated that he had "merely permitted the boys to use the showers after returning from the seaside". Bishop Dunne believed McNamee's version of events, as did Archbishop McQuaid when it was reported to him. McNamee informed the Archbishop that he would like to withdraw from Stella Maris "as he was tired, having worked there for a number of years". McNamee did eventually leave the club. Subsequently there were a number of complaints from members of Stella Maris who recalled McNamee swimming nude with other team members. The 2009 Murphy Report would later identify twenty one complaints of sexual abuse against McNamee.
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