The Tyrone village of Eglish came to a near standstill today as thousands of mourners came to pay their last respects at the funeral of GAA All-Star Cormac McAnallen that took place in St Patrick's Church.
The 24-year-old, who was made captain of the All-Ireland Champions this year, died in his bed in the early hours of Tuesday morning. A post-mortem later revealed he died from a rare viral infection of the heart.
His coffin was flanked by grieving club and county players as it was taken from his home to the Requiem Mass. The service was relayed by video to the Eglish GAA Club and parochial hall for the mourners who couldn't fit into the church.
Archbishop Sean Brady said the word icon was overused in today's society but that: "Cormac was an icon in the proper sense of that term. He was a role model, gentle and modest, dedicated and disciplined, joyful and happy.
"In the eyes of all of us, Cormac has died before his time, carried away in the twinkling of an eye by a deadly freak virus," added the archbishop. "It is hard to make sense of it all. And yet in his very short life Cormac achieved so much."
Mr McAnallen, who was born in Benburb, was part of Tyrone's All-Ireland winning side last season when they defeated county neighbours and closest rivals Armagh to lift the Sam Maguire for the first time.
The schoolteacher won every honour in the sport of GAA right through to the final glory of being a vital cog in Tyrone's success in Croke Park last September.
Many leading GAA players from all over Ireland paid tributes to the Tyrone captain yesterday when they visited the McAnallen family to pay their respects.
Galway footballer Padraig Joyce, who played alongside McAnallen in the International Rules Series against Australia for three years, said it was "a very hard blow for people to take".
Kilkenny's hurling captain DJ Carey described the young star as "a brilliant footballer". "He had great commitment to the game and was a great role model to young players both on and off the field," he said.