LEITRIM FOOTBALL coaches Mickey Moran and John Morrison last night expressed their admiration and profound sadness over the death of Philip McGuinness after attending his funeral yesterday. The Mohill man was laid to rest in St Patrick’s Church in his home town.

The death of the 26-year-old stilled Leitrim as a county this week and yesterday, GAA president Christy Cooney was among the mourners in attendance.

Moran and Morrison had preferred not to speak in the aftermath of Monday’s news, which confirmed McGuinness had died in Beaumont hospital after his condition deteriorated following an accidental collision in a club match on Saturday evening.

Last night, however, Moran paid this tribute to his player.

“He was the heart of our team, and I mean that. His happy demeanour and his attitude and his sense of humour gave him a very special place in our squad.

“All members, from the senior lads like John McKeon down to lads who have just recently joined, looked up to him. He was an exceptional footballer, yes, but he had this determination about him and just didn’t want to hear any negativity.

“He used to come up from Belmullet for training and made light of it. He set an example to everyone else and it is just unbelievable, unbelievably sad that a young lad like this could be cut down in his prime. That word ‘tragedy’ doesn’t even cover it.

“It has been such a long, hard last journey that his family made with him, from that match to Sligo hospital and then to Beaumont.

“And the staff in both places were incredible in the way they made family and visitors feel welcome. And from there to the vigil and the journey home and the dignity, the absolute dignity with which the town and GAA club in Mohill have dealt with this has been something to see.

“This lad was an absolute hero to a lot of youngsters around Mohill. That was clear yesterday.

“And you know, it is easy to say nice words about someone after they die in terrible circumstances. But everything that has been said about Philly can be taken as gospel. He was a special young man. And I know it is going to be very hard for his parents and brother but I think they know that if anyone is looking for a role model in terms of how you would hope your son would turn out, Philly was it.”

Morrison was equally devastated, speaking after the funeral.

“We used to call Philly the Brian Dooher of Leitrim. That is how he was to us. He was the engine of our team, he was everywhere, all the time. This has been incredibly upsetting and it will be for a long time. I honestly felt at that funeral as if I had lost a son there.

“And it was a strange day because even though it was heartbreaking, the way his family and his friends and team-mates and the people in Mohill GAA conducted themselves today made me feel very, very proud. We have had calls and messages from so many people in every county since this awful accident took place.

“This was a young man who had made a strong impression.”

The scenes at yesterday’s funeral bore comparison to those which followed the death of Shane McGettigan, the young Leitrim footballer who died in a building site accident in Boston in 1998 at the age of 21.

The Connacht club championship cup has since been named after him. Already, it has been confirmed the Mohill football park – currently closed for renovation – will be named after Philip McGuinness when it is officially opened.

Moran admitted the idea of assembling his panel for training in the weeks ahead and of participating in the championship seemed remote at this point.

“It is new territory for us. It is going to be incredibly tough. You can’t get over the fact that this is a cub of 26 that has been lost to us here.

“But when you think of Philly, you think of that attitude he had. He just wanted to get on with playing his football and he didn’t want any excuses, didn’t want to hear them. And hopefully we can remember that now in the weeks ahead.”