Farquharson, Tom G. (c.1900–1974), goalkeeper, was born in Dublin, son of a trader; there is no other information on his parents or early life. Displaying an early aptitude for football, he won the Leinster minor cup with Annesley before deciding to concentrate on playing rugby. His republican sympathies, however, embarrassed his father, who sent him to work in the Welsh valleys; according to one account this was after he had been arrested with his friend, the young Seán Lemass (qv), pulling down British army recruiting posters in St Stephen's Green. Settling in Oakdale, he worked as a painter and decorator, and it seems he became a professional footballer by accident. After making up the numbers one afternoon in a local game by playing in goal, he was soon spotted by Abertillery. In 1922 he was signed by Cardiff City, and made his debut for them in the final game of that season, a 3–1 win at home to Manchester United.
International honours followed: he won his first cap playing for Northern Ireland against Scotland in the 1923–4 season. Six more caps followed, but he aroused controversy in 1925 when he refused to play any further for the IFA. He then went on to win four caps for the Irish Free State, the first in 1929, and captained the country in an international against Spain, 26 April 1931, when he made a great save from the penalty spot in the final minutes of the game.
Farquharson had a commanding physical presence and was a major factor in Cardiff's successes. Known as ‘the penalty king’, he was almost unbeatable from the spot due to his innovative tactic of charging the penalty-taker as he approached the ball. Because of Farquharson, the rule allowing goalkeepers to move on or off their line during penalty kicks was changed in 1929. A first-team regular in the championship-chasing side of 1923–4, he suffered disappointment when he played in Cardiff's first FA cup final (25 April 1925), when the team lost 1–0.
Farquharson played at Wembley on 23 April 1927, when for the second time in three years ‘the Bluebirds’ reached the FA cup final. With another faultless display in goal, he played a major part in the victory as Cardiff beat Arsenal 1–0 to become the only team in the history of the competition to take the FA cup out of England. The following years at Ninian Park witnessed a club in decline, but Farquharson remained as the team were relegated after the 1928–9 season and again after the disastrous 1930–31 season when they entered the third division. His final appearance for the club was in a 4–0 defeat on 4 May 1935. Retiring from football, he returned to his earlier profession as a painter and decorator in Cardiff. Later he emigrated to Canada to live with his daughter, probably after his wife's death. He died in Canada in 1974. Farquharson remains one of Cardiff City's most respected players, considered their best goalkeeper ever, with 521 first-team games, including 445 league appearances, to his name.