Death of football legend Arthur '˜Mousey' Brady

Arthur – or ‘Mousey’ as he was affectionately known – died just four days before his 89th birthday.

The winger starred for Derry City when they claimed the Irish Cup in 1954 in the final against Glentoran.

He also spent a decade with north Belfast club Crusaders, with the players’ lounge at Seaview named in his honour.

Speaking on behalf of Crusaders, chairman Stephen Bell said: “He was and is a legend at Seaview and will be sadly missed by everyone at the club.

“‘Mousey’ as we all knew him came to virtually every match at Seaview and stood at the same spot each week right beside where the old players tunnel used to be.

“There are many wonderful stories about Arthur that have been told, and a lot of them came from the man himself, but his character and smile will sadly no longer been seen around the ground.

“Arthur was one of the first to be inducted in the Crusaders Hall of Fame and we also have the players lounge named after the man.”

Arthur was also the final signing of Belfast Celtic before the famous club pulled out of the Irish League in 1949.

The Belfast Celtic Society also described Mr Brady, who lived in Hannahstown in west Belfast, as “a giant of Irish football”.

The Society added: “Just last October, Arthur was guest of honour at the Belfast Celtic Cup, handing out the medals to the victorious St Oliver Plunkett side on the day.

“At that event, he spoke fondly of the Belfast ‘Stripes’ and of his deep regret that circumstances meant he wasn’t able to forge a career at Belfast’s ‘Paradise’.”

Arthur – who also played for Larne – took on a scouting role following his retirement.

Former Northern Ireland midfielder Jim Magilton, now elite performance director with the IFA, also paid his respects via Twitter: “So sad to hear about Arthur Brady. He had a tremendous influence on my early career and is a huge loss to the game.”