Con leaves for snug corner of great pub in the sky

The scene is one which would have embarrassed and delighted Con Houlihan in equal measure as the funeral Mass for the legendary and much-loved journalist saw a gathering of his admirers and devotees in the guise of former newspaper colleagues and readers.

St Kevin’s Church on Haddington Rd, close to Con’s home in the Dublin suburb of Portobello, was packed with friends and fans anxious to pay tribute to the gentle giant from Castleisland, Co Kerry, who has been widely hailed as one of Ireland’s finest sportswriters.

The 86-year-old, who died in St James Hospital last Saturday after a long illness, was renowned for his eloquent, descriptive powers which employed his vast literary knowledge to bring the most mundane of sports fixtures alive through his regular column in the Evening Press.