Noonan turns soccer club into limited company as brother jailed for role in €2.7m drug haul
Former League of Ireland player and Bluebell United manager Andrew Noonan (45) was jailed for 13 and a half years this week
Sean Noonan has taken over Bluebell United and turned it into a for-profit company
The brother of convicted drug dealer Andrew Noonan has turned the Bluebell United club he managed from a non-profit organisation into a for-profit limited company in recent weeks.
Former League of Ireland player and Bluebell United manager Andrew Noonan (45) was jailed for 13 and a half years this week in relation to his high-level role in a €2.769m heroin importation enterprise. At the time the heroin was seized, Andrew Noonan was the manager of Bluebell United.
Andrew Noonan was previously arrested twice by gardai in relation to the shooting of innocent postman Robert Delany in 2008 but released without charge.
Dad-of-two Robert was shot in the head in 2008, leaving him in a permanent vegetative state.
Andrew Noonan was convicted of drug offences
Mr Delany's father Terry led a public protest after Andrew Noonan was appointed manager of Bluebell United in 2011, highlighting how he was a suspect in his son's shooting.
'They wouldn't even correspond or deal with us when Andrew was managing and we were protesting,' Terry said this weekend.
Andrew's jailing on Friday doesn't end the Noonan family's relationship with Bluebell United, a Dublin football club currently based near Clondalkin.
Sean Noonan has taken over Bluebell United and turned it into a for-profit company
News in 90 Seconds - May 19th
In recent weeks Andrew's brother Sean, who was also quizzed by gardai over the shooting of Mr Delany and later released without charge, has taken over Bluebell United and turned it into a for-profit limited company, of which he is a director.
Until his takeover, Bluebell United was a company limited by guarantee (CLG) which is a non-profit company normally used for organisations such as sports clubs and charities which are set up for a specific purpose such as to benefit the community. There are no shareholders in CLGs.
Andrew Noonan in his playing days
According to company documents, Sean Noonan is now the sole shareholder in Bluebell United AFC Ltd and one of two directors.
A spokesperson for the FAI said it was at the discretion of Bluebell United and its former committee members if they decided to turn into a limited company.
'What a club does in terms of company law is its own decision. We don't have any recourse in that area. Their obligations are based upon company law.'
The spokesperson said that the FAI has very little say in the day-to-day running of clubs but did run the FAI Club Mark scheme, which is a three-tiered accreditation award based on best practice in the governance, management and administration of a football club.
The spokesperson said while Bluebell have applied, they have not yet met requirement in relation to best practice.
'They have engaged with the process but they haven't got approval. They haven't been successful with that as it currently stands,' the spokesperson said.
Sean Noonan did not respond to requests for comment this week.
Terry Delany leading a protest at a Bluebell United match
He previously told the Sunday World he did not want to discuss Robert Delany's shooting.
'What's it to do with me? I don't have anything to say.'
He added: 'We were questioned, not arrested. I was just one line of enquiry, no charges were ever brought.'
He attended his brother's sentencing hearing on Friday along with other family members.
Sean and Andrew's father John Noonan, an ex-IRA commander who was involved in the Concerned Parents Against Drugs protests decades ago, was also arrested after Mr Delany's shooting but later released without charge.
The father of two was shot in the head when he looked out the window of his apartment in Tallaght, Dublin, in 2008.
The innocent postman, who had no involvement in criminality, was targeted because of a minor exchange of words outside a pub.
Terry Delany said he feels people should boycott Bluebell United due to the links to the Noonan family.
'I just hope that people look at Bluebell now. They make a lot of money and had a boxing tournament recently with loads at it. They also use the club for social functions. People should have a long hard look at Bluebell now and their relationship with the Noonans.'
Innocent Robert Delany
He said it was particularly ironic that Andrew Noonan was convicted of drugs offence, considering his father's past.
'When you go back on the history of the father and his involvement in Concerned Parents Against Drugs, it's a joke.'
Another former Bluebell United player, Keith Quinn (36), was previously jailed over the same drugs haul as Andrew Noonan after pleading guilty and has since served his sentence.
Despite the overwhelming evidence against him, Noonan continues to protest his innocence over the drugs shipment.
His solicitor Kevin Winters of KRW Law released a statement this weekend saying he will appeal the guilty verdict.
'Our client wants it put on record that he abhors drugs and anything to do with them. Andrew is a well-known sportsman and enjoys a stellar reputation in Irish league soccer both as a former player of note and more latterly as a manager with a series of clubs through out the country.
'He has helped many people with rehabilitation from addiction as well as influencing and touching the lives of many footballers down through the years. Put simply, drugs are anathema to his world of family and sport.'
Noonan was caught after gardai posed as delivery men in a controlled delivery of the drugs to his co-accused Keith Quinn at Rosemount Business Park, Dublin 11, on August 5, 2020.
Quinn contacted Noonan by phone after collecting the drugs before meeting up with him and moving the drugs. Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that gardai believe Noonan had a supervisory role in relation to his co-accused Quinn and say Noonan's level in the overall context of the enterprise was 'high'.
Noonan, with an address at Redhills Park, Ellistown, Co. Kildare, has prior convictions for road traffic offences, unauthorised possession of a firearm and possession of an air rifle in suspicious circumstances over 25 years ago.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Irish Sun
28-05-2025
- The Irish Sun
Jim Crawford is ‘sickened' by horrific LOI racism incident which shouldn't happen in this ‘new age, new Ireland'
IRELAND Under-21 boss Jim Crawford wants a zero-tolerance approach to racism — but insisted that any punishment must include education. Crawford has previously spoken out about racism in Ireland and called on 2 Jim Crawford has been an anti-racism advocate for a number of years 2 Victor Ozhianvuna suffered racist abuse on Shamrock Rovers' visit to Waterford FC But there continue to be football-related incidents, including when Crawford's team In the past two months, the FAI has reported racist incidents during the Ireland Just last week Shamrock Rovers' Victor Ozhianvuna was Crawford is sickened by the cases and hopes the culprits are punished severely. More on Irish football The former Shelbourne midfielder said: 'I think it is s**t. It's something I feel extremely strong about. 'Whoever made those comments to Ozhianvuna should be caught, reprimanded, barred from every club and put on an education programme. 'This is a new age, a new Ireland — get used to it. 'It's something that shouldn't happen, but it's going to happen. You've got uneducated people, naive people . . . Most read in Football 'But if there is anything I could do to help sort of promote new Ireland, I'd do it. I believe in it, there is absolutely no room for racism. 'Unfortunately it will always exist, you'll have those outliers, ignorant people. 'You can't make this up' - Irish fans in stitches at Ruesha Littlejohn's playful prank upon Katie McCabe's camp arrival 'Whatever punishment the person in Waterford gets, I'll be right behind it because they deserve it. 'But it also must come with education. I'm sure if you look at the people who do it, they are uneducated.'
Sunday World
22-05-2025
- Sunday World
M1 motorist caught travelling at 176kmh loses licence for two years
Judge and gardaí refuse to reduce dangerous driving charge A motorist who drove at 176kmh on the motorway at Dunleer, Co Louth, has received the mandatory two-year disqualification after being convicted of dangerous driving. Olatunji Johnson (53), Duncairn Avenue, Belfast, pleaded guilty to the offence after gardaí and the judge refused to reduce the charge to careless driving. Gda Alan Macklin testified that at 11.19am on January 19 last at Athclare, Dunleer, M1 Southbound, he was operating a speed check when he detected an Audi A3 travelling at 176kmh. Traffic was moderate and conditions fair. Gda Macklin continued that it took a 'considerable distance' for him to catch up with this car but as soon as he came behind it, Mr Johnson pulled over. Solicitor Dermot Monahan said that his client had no previous convictions. Mr Johnson was living in Ireland 10 years, married with two children and working part-time in security, earning between €200 and €300. He co-operated with gardaí. The loss of his licence would effect his work. Judge Stephanie Coggans imposed a €350 fine and two-year driving disqualification. Bail in the event of an appeal was set in a personal bond of €300. Funded by the Courts Reporting Scheme Stock image. Getty News in 90 Seconds - May 22nd
Irish Daily Mirror
21-05-2025
- Irish Daily Mirror
Ex-FAI boss John Delaney involved in heated exchange with punter
Former FAI boss John Delaney was involved in a heated altercation with a punter ahead of this evening's Europa League final between Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur in Bilbao. in a video that has been circulated on social media, Delaney can be seen sitting at a table with a beverage in his hand when he is approached by a man. Towards the end of the exchange, which appears to be getting more tense as the seconds tick by, Delaney points to the man in question before raising himself halfway out of his chair before the video ends with the second person involved appearing to point back at Delaney as he leaves the table. John Delaney spent many years working for the FAI. He was elected treasurer in 2001, rising to prominence as the de-facto face of the organisation during the Saipan fiasco at the 2002 World Cup. He became Chief Executive of the organisation in 2005, holding the role for 14 years before becoming Executive Vice President of the FAI. He departed the organisation in 2019 after a journalistic investigation into the financial management of the FAI.
