Pa O’Dwyer 'always stood up for the underdog', funeral told

Family, friends and fans gathered in Rathkeale to honour the life and legacy of five-time Ireland’s Strongest Man

The coffin of Pa O’Dwyer is carried from St Mary’s Church, Rathkeale, Co Limerick. Picture: Chani Anderson

As the lyrics of Creed’s One Last Breath resonated through a church in Rathkeale, mourners paid a final farewell to Pa (Patrick) O’Dwyer, remembered as a “gentle giant” with an “infectiously loud” laugh.

In a packed St Mary’s Church in Rathkeale, friends, family, fans and neighbours paid their respects to the man fondly nicknamed the "Limerick Lion".