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Jimmy
knew the late George Best and was thrilled when he met him
in Coventry at a function, like most people Jimmy thought George
was the best player he had ever seen |
Having
never met Jimmy Spain and having heard so much about this guy I
decided that on behalf of The Harp, I would take a spin down to
Coventry and get to meet and have a chat with Jimmy himself about
Coventry in the days gone by. So on Friday March 24th, I called
in to his club ‘The Standard Triumph’
When I arrived, I met Jimmy who was hard at work in his office. After
I introduced myself, Jimmy made me a lovely cup of tea while he showed
me around his club. WOW, what a fabulous place, in the Grand Ball
Room, Jimmy tells me it can hold up to six hundred people at a time
and has hosted many a Star on its stage and still continues to do
so to this day!
It is an impressive looking venue to say the least, a lovely warm welcoming atmosphere
and tons of room for parking. If you have never visited this club it is well
worth a date in your diary for a night out.
Over a nice cuppa, Jimmy told me that he came to England from Dublin in 1952.
He first went to London but left there after two years when he moved to Coventry.
He got a job with Smiths Stamps Company then Uni-Part and so on., and then he
went on to tell me that the pay in those kind of jobs back then was the highest
in the country.
When he first took over the club, Jimmy said he saw it as a bit of a challenge
really as he had been on the committee for years previously and had often thought
of how he would have made changes given the opportunity. And that is exactly
what Jimmy did, he modernised it, he extended it, he put rooms where there had
previously been none and worked tirelessly to make the club exactly what it is
today, Fantastic! He told me of some of the stars that he had hosted at the club,
such as Bobby Charlton and George Best (See Photos).
 |
Old
friend and former Republic of Ireland football manager Jack
Charlton made an appearance at The Standard Triumph Club
in Coventry last year, Jack was making his final after dinner
speaking engagement and Jimmy was pleased he choose his club
and said this was one of the best nights he had enjoyed at
the club |
Jimmy went on to tell me about his time in Coventry and how he remembered what
Coventry was like years ago, and of the tremendous changes that have taken placein
his time here.
He has seen buildings going up, and years later he has seen them demolished.
The place to go at that time was The Finbarrs Club, on Stoney Stanton Road,
everyone headed for the Finbarrs at the weekends. With a smile, he said, ‘I
can recall all the old Show Bands, Big Tom and the Mainliners, Jo Dolan and
many more famous Irish singers of their day.’
When I asked the question, ‘if you could live anywhere in the world where
would you choose?’, Jimmy simply said, ‘Coventry, I wouldn’t
live anywhere else, I have lived in many places but none as good as Coventry’.
To summarise my meeting with Jimmy, it must be said, he is a true gentleman,
an amazing and interesting man and pleasure to have met.
Jimmy has some wonderful stories of old and new Coventry, and we will be joining
him down Memory Lane as he reminisces on times past, his ups and downs, his highs
and lows, on his journey from his Irish roots to becoming a well known, much
loved and respected pillar of the Coventry Irish community
Finbars Club, its rise and decline will be featured in a future edition of
the Harp, don’t miss it! |
