Remembering Phelim: The Galway icon who distributed the golden tickets

The late Phelim Murphy served for 23 years as Galway hurling board secretary

The late Phelim Murphy at his home in September 1988 with some of the vast ammount of letter requests for All-Ireland tickets. Photograph: Joe O'Shaughnessy

As he lay in repose at Our Lady’s Chapel, Lackagh last Monday evening, the throngs of people queuing outside to pay their respects to the late Phelim Murphy was a throwback to simpler times.

Earlier that day, thousands of Galway supporters had queued online from 12 noon in the hope of getting their hands on a ticket to today’s All-Ireland quarter-final. Several ended up empty-handed, the online allocation selling out in minutes.