GAA PRESIDENT Christy Cooney paid tribute yesterday to Leitrim inter-county footballer Philly McGuinness who died on Monday after sustaining an accidental head injury playing for his club Mohill last Saturday.

Cooney echoed the sentiments of the entire GAA community as it struggles to come to terms with the 26-year-old’s untimely passing.

“It must be a hard thing to cope with,” said Cooney. “I find it hard to imagine if one of my own brothers suffered in that way, so my heart goes out to their family, very genuinely.

“It is an absolute tragedy, something that nobody would have predicted would have happened and the broader association would give every support we can to the family. I know his club and the county board will be looking to help them to overcome their loss over the next couple of days in particular but also after that.

“It is in time that they will really miss him – over the next couple of months. They will get over this next couple of days because there will be an awful lot of people around to support but in the cool light of day when you think about it in a couple of months’ time, when you wonder where your son is or where your brother is, that’s the time that people need support. It is really, really sad and we send our sympathies to the family.”

Cooney confirmed preliminary talks have begun with the Leitrim County Board to commemorate McGuinness’s contribution to Gaelic football, while the Leitrim GAA website has already posted a slide show of McGuinness in the county colours.

His father Michael snr also played for Leitrim as do his brothers Michael jnr and John, both of whom were on the pitch against Melvin Gaels when the accident occurred.

“We had planned to have the opening of our refurbished museum on Thursday and we’ve cancelled it as a mark of respect to his death,” continued Cooney. “I’m going up there tonight to the wake and Páraic (Duffy) is going there on Thursday.

“I thought the chairman of the county board (Joe Flynn) paid great tribute to him this morning on radio and I know the Leitrim County Board are very upset about his death and will do everything in their power to support the family over the next couple of days. . .

“Would you ever imagine when you go out to play a game of hurling and football that somebody could come off practically dying on the field of play? It’s unbelievable really. It’s a real tragedy.”