A tradition unlike any other, if you will. The flag – of club, county, country – draped across the coffin. A mark of respect, a symbol to those departed of who they were and what they meant to others: in the community, nationally and internationally.
Not surprisingly it was the flag of his beloved Kerry which lay upon the coffin of Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh. For Kevin Kehily, the flags of Newcestown, his club, and Cork. For Jody Gormley, a Trillick jersey.
Ó Muircheartaigh’s voice, in Irish and in English, became an indelible part of the GAA: his commentaries on RTÉ radio charted the fortunes of hurling and football teams for more than 50 years.
At his funeral Mass in Dingle, Raidió na Gaeltachta commentator Micheál Ó Sé captured the essence of Ó Muircheartaigh – who died in June, aged 93 – when he told the congregation that his great friend was a once-off, a superlative storyteller and that his gifts as a broadcaster would remain unequalled: “The microphone in his hand was like the brush in the hand of a great master.”
His son, Aonghus, recalled: “Dad sometimes told the story of how his father and godmother, Mary Quinn, brought him by horse and cart from Dún Síon to this church for Baptism after he contracted pneumonia within a few days of his birth [in 1930].
“I’m sure as they stood at that Baptism font almost 94 years ago with the sickly newborn, they could not have imagined the life he would go on to lead. That he would broadcast for more than 60 years, that he would meet two US presidents, that he would interview a member of the British Royal family about a greyhound, that he would travel the world, that he would be welcome in every house and club in Ireland.”
Sadly, too, Gormley’s departure brought an outpouring of grief that was measured by his bravery. Just 53, the former Tyrone footballer – who played in the All-Ireland final of 1995, losing to Dublin – died from terminal liver cancer which he had announced just weeks previously to his Trillick team in the dressingroom following their loss to Errigal Ciarán in the county final.
Gormley’s interview with Thomas Niblock on the BBC Northern Ireland’s GAA Social podcast was an extraordinary conversation. “I have no fear of dying,” Gormley had remarked. The former Antrim football manager won two All-Ireland under-21 titles with Tyrone. Feargal Logan, his Tyrone centrefield partner in the ‘95 senior defeat to Dublin, recalled: “He was always blessed with serious positivity.”
The past year also saw the departure of two legendary Galway footballers, Cyril Dunne and Noel Tierney who were part of the great three-in-a-row winning All-Ireland senior team of the 1960s.
Dunne (83) was a member of the St Grellan’s club and won his Celtic crosses in 1964, 1965 and 1966 where his attacking prowess and free-taking provided a platform for Galway’s successes. He famously scored nine of Galway’s 15 points in the 1964 win over Kerry (0-15 to 0-10).
Tierney was a brilliant full-back on that same Galway team, known for his wonderful high-fielding and the anchor of the defence.
“He had that innate thing he was born with – a spring. It was like a salmon leaping straight up...he could kick with left and right, he was as strong as an ox. He was unique really, he was a great physical specimen. He had it all as a full-back,” former team-mate Tommy Keenan recalled on Tierney’s passing.
John O’Mahony never won an All-Ireland as a player but he proved to be one of the most influential Gaelic football managers of his generation. O’Mahony (71), who died in July, had the distinction of leading three different counties to the Connacht Senior Football Championship title before moving into political life as a Fine Gael TD.
O’Mahony earned his reputation as a man of great football intelligence and leadership, leading Mayo, Leitrim and Galway to provincial titles (eight in all). As manager he led Galway to two All-Ireland titles, in 1998 and 2001. In his own playing career the highlights were winning All-Ireland minor (1971) and under-21 (1974) championships with Mayo.
As a footballer Kevin Kehilly was a tremendous servant to Cork. He played some 15 years with the Rebels – between 1969 and 1984 – during which time he won two All-Star awards and three Munster titles.
The flags at Glen Rovers GAA ground flew at half mast in June after the tragically sudden death of 18-year-old Sarah-Kate O’Meara, who was also a fine athlete. O’Meara played midfield for the club and had already graduated to the club’s senior teams
The name of Brendan Martin will live on as the cup which is presented to the winners of the Ladies’ All-Ireland Senior Football Championship. Martin, a native of Offaly, passed away in November. “Brendan was a visionary trailblazer who was incredibly passionate about Ladies Gaelic football and the development of our sport,” said LGFA president Micheál Naughton.
They played ball
Known as Der Kaiser, Franz Beckenbauer (1945-2024) was a standout defender who was named in the World Dream Team of the 20th Century.
Beckenbauer played 103 times for West Germany and is one of three men – along with Brazil’s Mario Zagallo and France’s Didier Deschamps – to have won the World Cup as a player and a manger. He was the stylish centre-half/sweeper on the West Germany winning team in 1974 as captain and then in 1990 as manager.
The majority of Beckenbauer’s playing career was with Bayern Munich, winning the European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1967 and three consecutive European Cups from 1974 to 1976. He finished his playing career with stints in the USA (with New York Cosmo) and later managed West Germany from 1984 to 1990, and then had two spells as manager with Bayern Munich.
Eugene “Pooch” Davis (70) was one of the great characters of the League of Ireland, noted for his predatory poaching instincts which saw the Dubliner represent Ireland at youths’ level and enjoy a great career in domestic football with Shamrock Rovers, Athlone Town, St Patrick’s Athletic, Bohemians and Bray Wanderers.
Davis’s eight years spell with Athlone was the most productive of his long career, where he scored 22 goals in their 1981 winning campaign. “The week we won the league in Limerick was probably the highlight of my career. We needed a point to win the league and I needed a goal to get the Soccer Reporter-sponsored prize of £1,500 for 22 League goals. We won and I got two goals,” he later recalled.
Frank “Sniffer” O’Neill was another great servant to the League of Ireland, also known for his poaching ability in stints with his beloved Cobh Ramblers and a spell with Cork Celtic.
Freddie Strahan passed away in December just a week before his 86th birthday. A noted hurler in his youth, winning a Dublin minor championship with his club Kevins, he focused on soccer in adult life and played for Shelbourne (1957-1969) and St Patricks Athletic (1969-1972) winning five international caps for Ireland, famously scoring against England in a match in 1964 two weeks after his debut against Poland. He was awarded the “FAI Legend” award for his services to football ahead of the Ireland-Poland match in 2008.
Jim McLaughlin enjoyed a fine playing career – starting with Derry City and also included stints at Shrewsbury Town, Swansea Town, Peterborough United, Swansea City and Dundalk – and he was capped 12 times for Northern Ireland.
McLaughlin, who passed away in August aged 83, however would make a huge impact in a managerial career which started at Dundalk where the led them to three League of Ireland titles and three FAI Cup wins. On taking over the reins at Shamrock Rovers, McLaughlin’s Midas touch saw the Hoops win three league champions and two FAI Cups in three years. On moving on to Derry City he led them to a historic treble in 1989.
Charlie “King” Hurley died in April aged 87. Born in Cork before the family moved to Essex in England, Hurley enjoyed a brilliant career earning 40 caps for Ireland and playing for two decades in England with Millwall, Sunderland and Bolton Wanders. He played 402 competitive matches for Sunderland and was named “Player of the Century” by the club’s fans in 1979 on the occasion of their centenary.
Born in Dublin, Joe Kinnear – who died in April aged 77 – was a defender who played 196 times for Tottenham Hotspur and finished his playing career with Brighton. The highlight of his playing career was playing at full-back in Spurs’ FA Cup final win over Chelsea in 1971 and he would also win the Uefa Cup in 1972 and two League Cups (1971 and 1973). He played 26 times for Ireland.
As a much-travelled manager, which started with stints in Dubai, India and Nepal, Kinnear had seven years in charge of Wimbledon and also spells with Luton Town, Nottingham Forest and Newcastle United.
The jumper
Captain Con Power – who died aged 71 – was one of the great showjumpers of his generation, a member of Ireland’s Aga Khan three-in-a-row winning team which dominated from 1977 to 1979 at the annual Dublin Horse Show.
Power was an integral part of that famous quartet – which also included Eddie Macken, James Kernan and the late Paul Darragh – and uniquely used three different horses (Coolronan, Castlepark and Rockbarton).
Among Power’s career highlights included leading rider titles at the RDS in 1976 and 1979 and in New York, Washington and Toronto in 1978 and Aachen in 1979, where be won the prestigious puissance and was also on the Ireland team that won the Nations Cup.
After he retired from military service, Power – a native of Wexford – continued riding as a civilian and was named Irish Showjumper of the Year from 1983 to 1986.
Jessica Harrington, the trainer, remarked of Power: “Someone said he could see a stride from one end of the RDS arena to the other. He had that style of riding, long rein and leg, and was just a fantastic rider and teacher.”
The rugby icons
Ronnie Dawson, the former Lions, Ireland, Barbarians, Leinster and Wanderers hooker and a celebrated player and administrator, died in October aged 92. He made a try-scoring debut for Ireland against Australia in 1958, the first of his 27 Irish caps, and was selected for the Lions in 1959.
He captained his club, province, country and the 1959 Lions on their tour of Australia (six matches), New Zealand (25 matches) and Canada (two matches).
He made the first of his 17 Lions appearances against Victoria, captaining the Lions in six Test matches, a record only equalled by Martin Johnson. Playing an attacking brand of rugby, the 1959 Lions scored 842 points in 33 matches, a record for a Lions team. He was captain during the final test in Eden Park which the Lions won 9-6.
The Dubliner, who played his club rugby for Wanderers FC, made a try-scoring international debut against Australia in 1958, and represented Ireland on 27 occasions between 1958-1965 and Leinster a further 28 times over a six-year period between 1958 and 1964.
One of Ireland’s most successful businessmen, Tony O’Reilly began his senior playing career with the Belvedere third 15 but enjoyed a meteoric rise that saw him create records on his Lions’ tours of 1955 to South Africa and 1959 to Australia.
O’Reilly scored a try in his first Lions test against the Springboks and would become the top scorer of the tour and he excelled again when the Lions toured Australia and New Zealand in 1959: he held the Lions record for scoring most tries (37).
The Dubliner won 29 caps for Ireland, his final cap being won in 1970 – after a seven-year gap – where, legend has it, he arrived to training in a chauffeur-driven Bentley.
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