Irish Times angling correspondent Derek Evans has died at the age of 80.
Evans died on Tuesday a day after celebrating his 80th birthday. He had been diagnosed with a brain tumour in October 2023.
Evans was from a Church of Ireland family and grew up off Oxmantown Road in Arbour Hill, Dublin 7.
He emigrated to London as a young man and developed his love of angling from fishing in the rivers, lakes and canals around the city.
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He returned to Ireland and got a job as a printer with The Irish Times. Evans worked at the newspaper for more than 20 years before becoming angling correspondent.
His son Peter Evans said his father was “still in his prime” when he was diagnosed with brain cancer.
“He was a very fit man. He was still driving around, still fishing and doing his fishing article for The Irish Times. It [the diagnosis] knocked him,” he said.
Evans took early retirement as a printer and started as an angling columnist. His last column was published on November 24th last year.
He is survived by his wife Marjorie, sons Mark, Peter, Simon and David, daughter Racheal and 13 grandchildren.
The funeral will take place on Friday at St Columba’s Church of Ireland, Swords, arriving for 11am.
