The former Irish international soccer player Niall Quinn is to receive an honorary MBE tomorrow.
Quinn, who played for several top-flight teams in England, has been awarded the honour in recognition of his contribution to soccer and for raising over €1.4 million for children's charities in Ireland, England and India last year.
Quinn donated the proceeds of his testimonial game to three children's hospital charities; this idea has subsequently been adopted by other players. The game, which was played in May 2002 between his last Premiership club, Sunderland, and Ireland raised £1 million sterling.
Last November, Quinn (36), who retired from soccer last year, handed two cheques of £450,000 each to Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children in Crumlin and to Sunderland Royal Hospital, with the remaining funds going to GOAL, which is running a charity for street children in Calcutta.
The British Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, said yesterday that the gesture was "absolutely typical of the individual".
"In circumstances where people in sport often get a lot of bad publicity, this is an example we can hold up to everybody," Mr Blair said.
Quinn, who is on a family holiday in the US, will be presented with the award by the British ambassador, Mr Stewart Eldon, at the ambassador's residence at Glencairn in Dublin tomorrow. As he is not a British citizen, his MBE (Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) will be an honorary award.
Quinn began his sporting career playing Gaelic games and hurled for Dublin county minors.
He began his professional soccer career in 1983 when he joined Arsenal, spending seven years at Highbury before moving to Manchester City and then Sunderland.
He played his last professional game last October.