Cork Tom

**Pablo Escobar** · 25/11/2011, 7:12 PM

Originally Posted by bullit

In the words of the man himself- "Dont be coddin' me"
He even has his own Facebook page!

http://www.facebook.com/Drtomsimmons?sk=wall

He's on the Facebook an awful lot

**gspain** · 27/11/2011, 6:47 PM

Definitely originally from Cork. Used to watch the great Hibs side.

Lived in Bray for years and now in Ballybofey.

Never seen him with drink on board but does come across that way sometimes. He is very perceptive on Irish football.

**forza rovers** · 30/11/2011, 11:55 AM

Originally Posted by gspain

Definitely originally from Cork. Used to watch the great Hibs side.

Lived in Bray for years and now in Ballybofey.

Never seen him with drink on board but does come across that way sometimes. He is very perceptive on Irish football.

he was on the bus back with us from Derry and he was offered a can and said he didn't drink

**littlebray** · 01/01/2012, 1:04 AM

Tom is from Kerry, originally, and quite how he came to be known as 'Cork Tom' is difficult to figure. Possibly given the fact that there wasn't a Kerry team in the League, his accent was close enough to Cork for others in different parts of the country to assume the connection.

As other posters have said he lived in Bray for a long time. He was assaulted badly, by burglars on one occasion and by muggers on another, and that probably explains why he left Bray. How he wound up in Ballybofey, which seems to be his current base, is not known to me.

He was on disability before he was attacked, although local legend has it he used to work in the post office in Bray. When the change came, I do not know.

He is widely known in the League, and was awarded 'Fan of the Year' one year, which probably went to his head. He certainly used to turn up at matches every weekend - I'd see fans from another club who told me he had been at their game the previous weekend, although he had also been at ours!

He paid for his lifts in BWSC buses to away games on the few occasions he travelled with us, but he was barred quite quickly, because he can't take a telling, and kept interrupting other passengers' conversations.

He is well-known to both Club managements and Playing Officials, having spent years cadging fags/lifts/money off both sorts - but as other posters have said, he doesn't appear to drink.

This was all covered extensively in an earlier thread, but it was years ago and I haven't time to search for it again. - Moderators, please help?

**Longfordian** · 01/01/2012, 1:29 AM

Wasn't just his accent he was always going on about Cork City and the Cork teams of old, and he reckoned he used to get lifts to games from Cork based football people like Pat Kelly and Alan Kelly, and Pat Dolan when he was in Cork. It had some small basis in truth apparently.

**Pablo Escobar** · 01/01/2012, 1:52 AM

Originally Posted by Longfordian

Wasn't just his accent he was always going on about Cork City and the Cork teams of old, and he reckoned he used to get lifts to games from Cork based football people like Pat Kelly and Alan Kelly, and Pat Dolan when he was in Cork. It had some small basis in truth apparently.

Our last chairman was the same

**monkey9** · 01/01/2012, 1:57 AM

I see him a lot at the Pat's matches. In fact, he was at our last home game of the season against Derry.

**HomerJay** · 01/01/2012, 7:36 PM

Originally Posted by monkey9

I see him a lot at the Pat's matches. In fact, he was at our last home game of the season against Derry.

Ah don't be coddin me!

**nigel-harps1954** · 02/01/2012, 4:30 PM

Don't think he missed a Harps home game this season at all.

**marinobohs** · 03/01/2012, 10:13 AM

Originally Posted by dfx-

Or..perhaps it's evidence of some slight mental issues to not want to go to Tallaght..

Of course you could also say it's harder to pick him out in such a larger crowd of people with mental issues..

There you go, fixed that for you.

**A face** · 03/01/2012, 10:45 AM

Originally Posted by Longfordian

Wasn't just his accent he was always going on about Cork City and the Cork teams of old, and he reckoned he used to get lifts to games from Cork based football people like Pat Kelly and Alan Kelly, and Pat Dolan when he was in Cork. It had some small basis in truth apparently.

He is definitely from Kerry, there have been loads of interviews in various LOI matchday programmes over the years and he is from Kerry, Cork was the closed club to him but he travelled all over. He was interviewed on one of the Friday night radio programmes as well.

**historynut** · 03/01/2012, 12:12 PM

Am Wales based, though travel with work quite extensivly through Ireland during the summer. On occasions have been able to visit occasional LOI match.
Though posted on original thread re this gentleman, following ancdote. - Visited Richmond Park for an FAI Cup game St Pats v Longford couple of seasons back, and first person bumped into outside the ground was himself.

**razor** · 04/01/2012, 8:21 AM

Originally Posted by Pablo Escobar

Our last chairman was the same

I'm sure you mean the chariman before last

**Pablo Escobar** · 04/01/2012, 1:01 PM

Originally Posted by razor

I'm sure you mean the chariman before last

I meant the Kerryman

**littlebray** · 29/01/2012, 1:01 AM

Back to the subject - the only previous thread on Tom that I can now trace is http://foot.ie/threads/106432.

I know there was at least one other earlier one, which did include photos of him, but as far as I can gather it was closed and taken down as a result of personal abuse. Means we lost the pictures as well.

Hint to earlier posters here - don't let this one get away, too. Play nice.

**bullit** · 29/01/2012, 1:34 AM

Originally Posted by littlebray

Back to the subject - the only previous thread on Tom that I can now trace is http://foot.ie/threads/106432.

I know there was at least one other earlier one, which did include photos of him, but as far as I can gather it was closed and taken down as a result of personal abuse. Means we lost the pictures as well.

Hint to earlier posters here - don't let this one get away, too. Play nice.

There is at least 8 good photos of him on his Facebook page,although all of them seem to have been taken in the SG in Sligo.