Aiden (Cookie) Dunne.
We all grew up together on Mourne Avenue and Mourne Place. A group of young lads that played football on the street day and night. There was only two cars on the street in those day, Jim Henderson’s and Tusie Dunne’s so there was no fear of us getting run over as we chased the ball. We only had two very good players on the street at that time, Aiden Curry and Aiden Dunne. Cookie as he was known to his friends went on to achieve great success with Derry City, Shamrock Rovers and a number of other clubs. He was a gentleman and a Strabane man through and through. As we used to say he knew half the people in Strabane by name and the other half knew him.
I left Strabane in 1979 and on many occasions returning home I would run into him. He always stopped for a chat and was genuinely interested in how I was doing and how my career was progressing. He would bring me up to date on the Strabane news. More recently he would seek me out when I returned for family funerals. Always a firm handshake, sincere condolences and a lovely story about the person. He had great knowledge of Strabane and its history and he loved to regale you with a story, especially one you had not heard before.
In time his passing will be part of Strabane’s history and he will be remembered for his contribution to the town, its people and sport.
Rest in peace
Martin McBride, Galway
Friday 04 September 2026
Martin McBride, Galway