A fitting tribute to a fallen hero

THE accidental and sudden death of Leitrim inter-county footballer, Philly McGuinness sent shock waves through the GAA community.

It was hard to comprehend that a single moment of impact between Philly’s head and an opponent’s knee could have had such devastating consequences. It was probably a one in a billion chance. One inch higher or lower, one millimetre backwards or forwards or one second sooner or later and the impact wouldn’t have been so tragic. A similar clash occurred between Brian O’Driscoll’s head and Paul O’Connell’s knee in a recent rugby international.

I made it to the funeral in Mohill and even though it was a sad and sombre occasion one had to be proud of the way gaels from all over the country made the effort to attend. Club players from all over Leitrim were there in their club colours. Particularly, prominent were his own playing colleagues from Mohill and the players from Melvin Gaels, their opponents when the tragic accident occurred.