Waterford Branch of Supporters Club Launched
Thursday, 3rd Sep 2015 12:10

The Waterford Branch of the Supporters Club has been officially launched with their first gathering on Friday 11th September when Town play Reading live on Sky.

The regular meeting place for the Waterford Branch in the South-East of Ireland will be Katty Barry's Bar, which is owned by the parents of Daryl Murphy's wife, Roseann.

The chairman is lifelong Ipswich Town fan Matt Keane, who is also a broadcaster with WLRfm (Waterford Local Radio) and the soccer correspondent with the Munster Express newspaper.

Matt has been a regular visitor to Ipswich for many years and saw the club win the FA Cup at Wembley and was also at the 2000 play-off final at the famous stadium.

Barry Williams is the secretary of the new branch and he is also a lifelong supporter of the Blues. Last season Barry, who is a metalwork teacher at Murphy’s old school, St Paul's Community College, featured in a TWTD story after he and his students decorated their classroom with Town memorabilia.

Barry brought a large number students past and present to Portman Road for the Nottingham Forest game in April and some of them were featured on BBC Radio Suffolk’s Life’s a Pitch.

The Waterford Branch have also appointed an Ipswich native, Peter Nice, as their honorary president. Peter has been a regular visitor to Waterford since the late 70s.

Blues striker Murphy, whose brother Graham will also be a member of the Branch, was born in Waterford and has welcomed the launch.

“It's great news and I am delighted,” he said. “Irish football followers have been taking a great interest in Ipswich Town since Stephen Hunt and Noel Hunt [who are also Waterford natives] and myself began playing with the club and I wish them the very best of luck.

“I know that the Waterford Branch intend coming over for some of our home games this season and everyone at the club will give them a warm welcome.

“The fact that their meeting place back home will be Katty Barry's Bar is a great choice and a place I know well. I am looking forward to meeting all of the members here in the near future.”

Liz Edwards, chair of the Supporters Club, added: “It's great to cement Town's Waterford connection with the formation of this latest branch of the Supporters Club. Huge thanks to Matt and Barry for making it happen.

“It's a lovely city - I seem to recall a memorable lock-in at a pub in Waterford after a pre-season a few years ago!”

To find out more about the Waterford Branch email Matt Keane here.

Photo: Action Images

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Dyland added 13:07 - Sep 3 Good stuff folks. The pub to visit for any Town fan anywhere near the area. Up the Waterford and up the Town. COYFB :-)
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Currie10 added 13:32 - Sep 3

Well done all.

As a member of the SW crew thanks to Tony and the gang I've met some absolute legends who I attend games with.

Being based in Bristol I have had to invite many a friend over the years to games with them not being hugely interested but now it's so easy to go games with people.

Also, every town game is shown in our designated pub in Bristol often with 20-30 people attending and it's rising. Helped massively by having 10+ games on the box last season.

Then there is meet the players - will meet Skuse tomorrow, met Marcus Stewart, we had Mings down last season and Terry Butcher.

It's been absolutely class.

Steve_ITFC_Sweden added 15:36 - Sep 3 Great to see how international we are as a club. The Swedish supporters are having their AGM in Stockholm same afternoon before watching the match.
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parhamblue added 16:54 - Sep 3 Liz, if you "seem to recall" it, then clearly you were pacing yourself. Well done Waterford, and the official ITSC for supporting the start-up. My father was a guest at the IRFU centenary. He remembered entering a restaurant with his hosts after the centenary game, and nothing after that.
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