Legendary footballer and manager Mick O’Dwyer may have brought infinite joy to the people of Kerry but he was also loved the length and breadth of Ireland, mourners at his funeral Mass in his native Waterville were told today.
RTÉ Gaelic games correspondent Marty Morrissey recalled in a reflection at Mr O’Dwyer’s funeral Mass at St Finian’s Church in Waterville how Micko used to say how lucky he was to be born in the Kingdom of Kerry but it was the people of Ireland who were lucky to know him.
“Through your talents as a footballer and a manager, you brought joy to this magnificent county of Kerry – this is the Kingdom and you will always be the king but your gift went beyond the county boundaries when you brought happiness to people of Kildare, Laois and Wicklow.
“You brought these counties to levels they never really knew before or could hardly remember – that is a gift from God, that is a gift you gave, Micko, because of your passion for Gaelic football and community – you got people to believe that dreams do come true and anything is possible.
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“Thank you for being you, Micko, you were a kind and loving man who loved life, loved family, loved Waterville, loved Kerry, loved football but you need to know that all of us, across our nation, across the four provinces of Ireland, loved you and admired you with all our hearts.”
Mr O’Dwyer’s close friend, Cork property developer Michael O’Flynn, pointed not just to Mr O’Dwyer’s great record winning four All-Ireland titles as a footballer and eight as a manager with Kerry, but also to his great love of family and community in his native Waterville.
[ Mick O'Dwyer: A man who defied the oddsOpens in new window ]
“He donned the green and gold with pride and became an integral part of the Kerry team that dominated Gaelic football in the 1960s and 1970s. His style of play – composed yet aggressive, skilful yet relentlessly determined – won the admiration of his team-mates and opponents alike.”
Listing O’Dwyer’s achievements as a player including All-Ireland wins in 1958, 1962, 1969 and 1970 and Munster Championships and National League titles as well as county Championships with South Kerry, Mr O’Flynn turned to his career as a manager.
Micko’s greatest impact, perhaps, came as a manager – taking the helm at Kerry for over 15 years. His vision and leadership helped to propel Kerry football into a new era of dominance, but it was his ability to inspire and bring out the best in those around him that set him apart, he said.
Under Micko’s guidance, Kerry would win an unprecedented four consecutive All-Ireland titles between 1978 and 1981. This feat, never before achieved in the history of the game, marked Micko as one of the most successful and influential managers Gaelic football has ever seen.
“His strategic genius, paired with his deep understanding of the game, helped shape the careers of players who went on to become legends themselves, too many to mention. He had an innate ability to spot talent and nurture it.”
But Micko’s success as a manager would not have been possible without the support of his family – in particular his late wife, Mary Carmel, to whom he was devoted, while he was hugely proud of his four sons, John, Robbie, Karl and Haulie, who died in 2022, said Mr O’Flynn.
“Those who knew Micko would recognise that his late wife, Mary Carmel, was the unwavering strength in his life. A remarkable wife, mother and businesswoman, she deeply understood his passion for sports and offered steadfast support behind the scenes.
“Micko and I had many a conversation about our families over the decades and I know that Micko had a great love for his family. He appreciated the sacrifices they made so he could pursue his love of sport and always did his absolute best for all his family.”
[ Mick O'Dwyer: In his own wordsOpens in new window ]
Earlier mourners heard Waterville and Dromid parish priest Fr Sean Jones welcome Mr O’Dwyer’s second wife, Geraldine, as well as his sons, John, Robbie, Karl and other relatives to the concelebrated Mass at the church which looks out on Ballinskelligs Bay.
President Michael D Higgins was represented by his aide-de-camp, Col Tom McGrath, and Comdt Patrick Moroney represented Tánaiste Simon Harris while Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Minster for Agriculture, Martin Heydon, from Kildare, and local TD Michael Cahill were among the mourners.
GAA president Jarlath Burns and former Meath manager Sean Boylan joined with some of the greats of Kerry football to pay their respects.
[ Mick O'Dwyer: A life in picturesOpens in new window ]
Mr O’Dwyer’s coffin was draped in both the green and gold of Kerry and the red and white of Waterville before he was laid to rest beside his first wife.
Among the former Kerry greats to attend was his great friend and team-mate from the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, Mick O’Connell from Valentia, whom O’Dwyer used to guide home to the island by shining car lights on him as he rowed home from Renard Pier to Knightstown in the 1950s and 1960s.
Other Kerry footballers among the mourners were Mikey Sheehy, Pat Spillane, Jack O’Shea, Eoin Liston, Charlie Neligan, Mickey Ned O’Sullivan, Ambrose O’Donovan, John Kennedy, Maurice Fitzgerald, Darragh Ó Sé, Tommy Walsh, Brian Sheehan, Jimmy Deenihan and O’Dwyer’s fellow Waterville man, Denis O’Dwyer, as well as Kildare footballers Johnny Doyle, Martin Lynch and Glenn Ryan.
