Niall Quinn is presented with an honorary MBE in recognition of his charity work and contribution to soccer.
At his Dublin residence, the British ambassador to Ireland, His Excellency Stewart Eldon, presents former Republic of Ireland striker, Niall Quinn with an honorary Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE). The award is in recognition of his charity work and contribution to soccer.
Niall Quinn attends the award ceremony with his wife Gillian, daughter Aisling, son Michael and parents Mary and Billy. At the presentation, the now-retired player is described as,
An ambassador for soccer.
Following the ceremony Niall Quinn feels humbled to have received the honorary MBE,
It coincided with me moving back to Ireland and I'd had such a good time in the UK I think it was a smashing end really to almost 20 years there.
Niall Quinn's testimonial match at Sunderland took place in 2002. He divided the financial proceeds of this match between the Royal Infirmary in Sunderland and Our Lady’s for Sick Children in Crumlin. He is modest about giving his testimonial money to charity,
In truth I never had the money in my pocket to give away so it doesn’t feel like I gave away any money.
In a statement made before the MBE ceremony British Prime Minister Tony Blair remarked,
In circumstances where people in sport often get bad publicity, Niall’s example was one we can hold up to everyone.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 13 August 2003. The reporter is John O’Driscoll.
