Jimmy Doyle: Gone but never forgotten

The hurling world at large mourns the sad and unexpected death of Tipperary hurler extraordinaire Jimmy Doyle, but for the multitudes of people who knew him — team-mates and opponents at club, county and provincial level, friends, acquaintances — the grief is personal.

To have known Jimmy off the field was to have been touched by the innate decency and humility of a wonderful human being, who made little of the fame and greatness which surrounded his lengthy and successful playing career.

I was privileged to know him as a friend, having first got to know him over 40 years ago — in America — and, since I heard the shocking news just a few hours after returning home from a daughter’s wedding in Dubrovnik, I have been reflecting on the many times we met over the years.