Tipperary legends gather for farewell to Mickey 'The Rattler' Byrne

The last surviving member of the three Tipperary teams who won three All-Ireland senior hurling titles in a row from 1949 to 1951 was laid to rest yesterday in his native Thurles when hundreds came together to say goodbye to Mickey “The Rattler” Byrne.

The Cathedral of the Assumption was the venue for his funeral Mass but it was in the great cathedral of hurling barely a kilometre away in Thurles, Semple Stadium, where The Rattler made his name during a hurling career that stretched from the 1940s until the mid-60s.

Five All-Ireland medals were won during that time with Tipperary, along with a remarkable 14 county titles with his beloved Thurles Sarsfields.