Formula One legends join star-studded memorial service for Eddie Jordan in London
Rick Astley and Genesis guitarist Mike Rutherford were among the stars who joined several Formula One legends at Eddie Jordan's memorial service in London yesterday.
Current and former racers such as Eddie Irvine, Damon Hill, Mika Hakkinen, Martin Donnelly, David Coulthard, Martin Brundle, Christian Horner and Johnny Herbert joined hundreds who packed into Westminster Central Hall to pay tribute to the Dubliner.
Jordan died at the age of 76 in March in Cape Town in South Africa after being diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate and bladder cancer.
No funeral details were announced for the father-of-four, from Dartry in south Dublin.
But his widow Marie attended yesterday's ceremony, at which his daughter Zoe recited A E Housman's poem To an Athlete Dying Young.
'The time you won your town the race,' she read.
Celebrating the life of Eddie Jordan
'We chaired you through the marketplace, Man and boy stood cheering by, and home we brought you shoulder high.
'Today, the road all runners come, Shoulder-high we bring you home, And set you at your threshold down, Townsman of a stiller town.'
She ended: 'Now you will not swell the rout. Of lads that wore their honours out, Runners whom renown outran, And the name died before the man.'
Eddie was once a racing car driver himself and went on to found Jordan Gran Prix, winning four Formula One races and employing Eddie Irvine, Damon Hill, Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello.
Video clips of his life and his achievements were shown on a big screen and at the service's end his old Silverstone band Eddie and the Robbers.
They were joined on stage by Genesis guitarist Mike Rutherford and singer Rick Astley, with performers from Michael Flatley's Lord of the Dance getting a string of F1 drivers and the 1000 or so audience singing and clapping along to The Beatles' Hey Jude
"Yesterday we had a chance to celebrate the life of the late Great Eddie Jordan," Hill wrote on X.
"And what a life he lived. Awesome. He's not coming back, but he will never leave us. Tanks EJ."
A series or tributes were also paid to Jordan at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone last weekend, which was attended by among others Heinz Harald Frentzen and Johnny Herbert, Damon Hill and Eddie Irvine.
The four of them took to the stage for a special musical tribute to him, with Irvine on percussion and Hill playing guitar.
The star-studded memorial for Eddie Jordan in London
Today's News in 90 Seconds - July 8th
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Examiner
6 minutes ago
- Irish Examiner
Ireland defender Jessie Stapleton set for Nottingham Forest loan after West Ham extend contract
Jessie Stapleton will spend the upcoming season on loan at WSL 2 newcomers Nottingham Forest after West Ham United agreed to extend her contract. The Ireland international is firmly part of the Hammers' plans but, at just 20, another loan move is considered optimal by manager Rehanne Skinner at this stage of the defender's career. Stapleton has developed into a mainstay of Carla Ward's Ireland team, winning her 17th cap last month against USA, and will benefit from regular gametime. Hammers recruited the Dubliner from then double-holders Shelbourne after she turned 18 in July 2023, opting to loan her to Reading and then Sunderland last season. Forest are an emerging force in the burgeoning English system, funding a full-time set-up from this time last year that delivered an immediate dividend of the Northern title over an unbeaten campaign. They play all their home games at the main City Ground stadium. West Ham, who finished ninth in last season's top-flight, have extended Stapleton's contract until 2028.
Irish Examiner
3 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
F1's renewable energy shift drives 26% drop in carbon footprint
Formula 1, known for flashy, petrol-guzzling racecars speeding at hundreds of kilometres per hour across twisting asphalt tracks, hasn't been a pastime known for sustainability. It's now trying to change that. Often referred to as 'the pinnacle of motorsport,' the racecar organisation, has seen its carbon emissions drop 26% since 2018. At the end of the 2024 season, the sport's carbon footprint fell to 168,720 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent from 228,793. F1 said in a statement on Wednesday that it's halfway toward achieving its minimum 50% reduction target, as set out in its 'net zero by 2030' commitment. 'It's a key milestone and the culmination of a lot of work,' said Ellen Jones, head of environmental, social and governance at F1. 'We've changed the way we operate, changed the way we work' with the racing teams and promoters, as well Formula 1's management and regulator, she said. A major factor in the reductions has been a years-long shift to renewable energy, Jones said. Investment in sustainable aviation fuel for travel and freight use, and other alternative energy sources, including solar and biofuels, contributed to the decline. Next year, F1 has set a target for the cars to have new hybrid engines and be powered entirely by advanced sustainable fuel. 'We're not only changing what we're doing materially, we're also changing the technologies,' Ms Jones said. The sport has achieved carbon reductions across the four major categories that it tracks: factories and facilities, down 59% since 2018; logistics, down 9%; event operations, down 12% on a per-race basis; and travel, down 25%. The sport has reduced emissions by 26% since 2018 An increase in using remote operations and changes to the race schedule also have resulted in lower greenhouse gas emissions. Having remote broadcast operations has allowed about 140 personnel to avoid having to travel to the race location each weekend. Changing the date of the Japanese Grand Prix to align with other races last year in the Asia-Pacific region also contributed to lower emissions. In 2026, the date of the Monaco Grand Prix will be moved to align with other European events and eliminate an additional transatlantic crossing. F1 said its climate commitment is 'set in accordance with the science' from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and aligns with the panel's definition of net zero emissions. The racing series' goal is to reduce absolute emissions by a minimum of 50% from a 2018 baseline, which was calculated using guidance set by the Greenhouse Gas Protocol. F1 has faced criticism from activists who say the sport is harmful to the environment. In 2022, demonstrators with Just Stop Oil sat on the track during the 2022 British Grand Prix, disrupting the race. The construction of Madrid's Grand Prix street circuit also has prompted backlash. The Brazilian leg of the F1 schedule takes place in November, days before the 2025 United Nations Climate Change Conference, which will be hosted in the South American country. Bloomberg
Irish Daily Mirror
4 hours ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
'The worst thing you can do is be afraid to fail and let your dream die'
Colin Judge hopes his journey to becoming a two-time Paralympian and Paris 2024 flagbearer can inspire others who are struggling with their disability. The Dubliner has recalled to Fitter Happier how he had to face down his own fear of failure to become one of the best table tennis players in the world. 'It began when I was 10 or 11 years of age,' he said. 'I was struggling with my disability a lot, I'd just gone into secondary school. 'I went to an able-bodied rugby school, St Michael's College, and it was the first time I really realised I was different. 'My friends all started playing rugby at this stage and it obviously wasn't an option for me.' So, along with his brother, he went searching for a sport that he could play. 'I remember being in UCD at a sports camp, trying out a number of different sports with my younger, able-bodied brother,' said the 30-year-old. 'Wheelchair rugby was the first, which was a lot of fun, but I wasn't very good at it. My brother beat me at everything, more or less, for the majority of the week. 'Having one arm and no legs, I struggled with a lot of sports. 'But table tennis was the last one that we tried and I took to it pretty quickly. It was the only sport that I could beat my brother at, so it was from there that I decided to give it a go.' It wasn't easy, though, as Judge was anxious about reaching out for advice. Judge was speaking at the launch of a partnership between SPAR and EUROSPAR, and The Olympic Federation of Ireland and Paralympics Ireland. He said: 'I reached out to the coach in UCD, which was quite a big deal for me at the time, because I was a pretty nervous guy, and I didn't want to be a nuisance. 'I felt I wasn't going to be good enough. But I did it in the end and the rest is history, I suppose. I'm very happy that I sent that email. 'I wasn't very good at it at the beginning, but I suppose it was more of an outlet in my earlier days, somewhere to go in the evening, improve my social skills and do a bit of exercise. 'Then it obviously became much more than that over the years.' Judge's rise in the world of table tennis has been impressive. After the heartache of missing out on a spot at Rio in 2016 by one place, he qualified for Tokyo and then Paris, where he led out Team Ireland at the opening ceremony. Currently in the top-eight in the world, he has been performing consistently this year and has three more ranking tournaments to come, including the European Championships in Sweden in November. A third Paralympics in LA is on the agenda, with Judge saying: 'There's gas left in the tank. 100 percent. We are very committed to that at the moment.' Judge's sporting successes have been mirrored in other areas of his life. He has paused a career in actuary to focus on full-time training. His story is as powerful as anyone's when it comes to the positive role that sport can play. 'As I got involved in table tennis, my social skills improved a lot,' he said. 'But more than that, once I started to take the sport seriously, I started to set goals for myself, I started to commit to training four or five times a week. 'I didn't reach all the goals that I set out for myself, but I think the goals that I did reach helped boost that relationship that I had with me, and made me feel better about myself. It gave me confidence. 'Then, over the years as I got better, I realised that for all the things I couldn't do, there was a lot that I could do. 'The success that I achieved in table tennis translated directly into other areas of life.' 'I don't know where I would be without (sport).' That takes us to his message for anyone who might be, as was the case for Judge when he went to secondary school, struggling with their disability. He said: 'I think the absolute best advice I could give is similar to what I said about sending that email. 'Sometimes when you are a young kid with a disability it is extremely difficult to put yourself out there and take the initiative. But the people out there are a lot nicer than you think sometimes. 'I was so afraid that I'd be a nuisance and I wouldn't be good enough. I probably wasn't good enough, but so many people helped me along the way. 'I think the worst thing you can do is be afraid to fail and let your dream die. 'Sometimes you have got to put yourself in those uncomfortable situations and really just try everything, and not be afraid to fail, and not be afraid to take the initiative and put yourself in an uncomfortable situation, because that's where a lot of growth happens.' # SPAR and EUROSPAR have been announced as Official Retail Partners to The Olympic Federation of Ireland and Paralympics Ireland. As part of the agreement, they will offer opportunities for communities to show their support for their local athletes. Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email .
