Friendship and rivalry wave same flag

GAA rivalry has long pitted parish against parish and turned county against county, but it was impossible to distinguish friend from foe at the funeral of Dublin football hero Kevin Heffernan.

Even Kerry stalwart Eoin “Bomber” Liston, who featured in the epic battles between The Kingdom and Heffo’s Dublin in the ‘70s, forgave his long-time adversary the loss of his beauty sleep.

“We often lay awake at night thinking had he our measure,” confessed Bomber as he recalled preparing for the famous Croke Park clashes. But Bomber bore no grudges.

“We had very good days against him,” he said. “There was great battles and great friendships made.”

Those sentiments were expressed repeatedly at the Church of St Vincent de Paul in Marino, Dublin, yesterday as players, officials and fans from both sides of that famous divide and many counties in between gathered to say farewell to a man whose popularity transcended the colour of his jersey.

“Which one of us did not believe that we were soldiers in Heffo’s Army and loving every moment of it,” said chief celebrant Mgr John Fitzpatrick, who urged the congregation to emulate their hero by putting their all into the Mass celebrating his life.

“All who knew Kevin must have found inspiration for themselves from his qualities of leadership and personal integrity,” he said.

“He was a driven person. He aimed high and he aimed well. Kevin was an achiever and he excelled in his achievements. He was what we would call a natural. He influenced those around and about him without deliberately or intentionally trying to do so.”

The priest’s words were heard by a crowd that packed the church to standing room and spilled out into the blustery day beyond. Inside, a Dublin flag hung by the altar as Kevin’s widow Mary, daughter Orla, son-in-law Paul O’Connor, grandchildren Aisling and Kevin, and sisters Pauline and Claire led the mourners.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny and President Michael D Higgins were represented by their aides-de-camp, Cmdt Michael Treacy and Cmdt Tony Whelan, and the Government by Minister for Sport Leo Varadkar, Minister for Jobs Richard Bruton, and Minister for the Arts Jimmy Deenihan.

Former taoiseach Brian Cowen also attended, as did Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin, Dublin Lord Mayor Naoise Ó Muirí, and TDs Aodhán Ó Ríordáin and Finian McGrath.

Sporting figures included president of the GAA, Liam O’Neill; former director general of the GAA Liam Mulvihill; past president Dr Mick Loftus and veteran broadcaster Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh.

Kevin Moran, who was part of Heffo’s Army before reaching similar heights with Manchester United, had one word to describe his old mentor who was brave enough to give a chance to eager but inexperienced young players.

“Awesome,” he said. “It’s ironic. He didn’t set out to change anything, he just wanted to make Dublin successful, but he changed everything.”

In agreement was lifelong Dublin fan Jerry Gowran, known to generations of Hill 16 occupants simply as Dublin Jerry, who first saw Heffo captain Dublin to victory against Derry in the 1958 All-Ireland and has hardly missed a match since.

“Football was dead and gone. Soccer was taking over. Heffo changed everything,” he said. “I started out in Croke Park as a kid standing on orange boxes. From orange boxes to corporate boxes, Croker would not be what it is today without him.”

Michael Claxton who, like other fans, wore blue, not black, to the funeral, couldn’t find praise high enough for Heffo. “He was our Messiah,” he said.

Then, in the spirit of the day when friendship and rivalry waved the same flag, he added: “Himself and Mick O’Dwyer were the greatest men ever in GAA.”

Kevin Heffernan was buried at St Fintan’s Cemetery in Sutton, overlooking Dublin Bay.