Outside the wind howled and the rain lashed down, but serenity reigned within the confines of Christ The King Church on Cork City’s southside as hundreds of mourners gathered to pay tribute to Paddy Martin, father of Fianna Fáil leader Micheál and a well-known figure in sporting circles for decades.

The man responsible for starting Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin on his political career died yesterday afternoon.

WHEN he was still a political greenhorn Cork’s Fianna Fáil powerhouse Joe Walsh offered Micheál Martin advice: “You should be prepared for the long road and the long term”.