John McKenna

McKenna was born on 3 January 1855 in Glaslough, a village in the north-east corner of County Monaghan in Ireland. He was the son of Patrick McKenna and Jane McCrudden. In the 1870s he moved to Liverpool seeking work which he soon found at a grocery store, and later as a vaccination officer for the West Derby Union. McKenna had a keen interest in sports, particularly rugby, as well as football and shooting sports. He helped form a regimental rugby club and joined the West Lancashire County Rugby Football Union.

His coffin was carried through the city by three Liverpool players and three Everton players. A plaque in commemoration to him remains in the foyer in Anfield. In August 2011, a commemorative plaque in honour of Liverpool F.C.'s first manager John McKenna was unveiled in Glaslough in County Monaghan, Ireland, which was viewed by former Liverpool and Republic of Ireland player Ray Houghton. Over 200 people attended an informative talk on McKenna by Keith Falkiner, author of the book Emerald Anfield, in the local community hall before the plaque was unveiled by Kopite and LFC Donegal secretary David Moen. At the conclusion of his talk, Falkiner summed up the achievements of McKenna, saying:

"The course of history has proven John McKenna to be one of the most powerful and successful men at Liverpool Football Club – the third most important figure, in my opinion, after only Bill Shankly and the club's founder John Houlding. The people of Monaghan should be proud of this history and proud of 'Honest' John McKenna – who is arguably the greatest Irishman who has ever been involved with the game of association football in Britain."