Heffernan funeral held in Dublin

The funeral has taken place of Kevin 'Heffo' Heffernan whose management skills transformed the fortunes of Dublin GAA over several decades.

The service at the tightly-packed Church of St Vincent de Paul, in Mr Heffernan's Marino heartland, was led by Mgr John Fitzpatrick and co-celebrated by Fr Tom Noone and Fr Liam Murtagh

Mr Heffernan (83), who died on Friday, was a Dublin All-Ireland winning captain and later manager in the 1970s and 1980s. He spent 36 years with the ESB, retiring as personnel manager, and he also served as chairman of the Labour Court.

Mr Heffernan’s wife and daughter, Mary and Orla, were joined by his two grandchildren for the requiem mass.

President Michael D Higgins was represented by Cmdt Tony Whelan and Taoiseach Enda Kenny by Cmdt Mick Treacy.

Minister for Jobs Richard Bruton and Minister for Tranport Leo Varadkar were present, as was local TD Finian McGrath. Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin and his predecessor Brian Cowen were also in attendance as was GAA president Liam O’Neill and Dublin Lord Mayor Naoise Ó Muirí.

The church was packed with GAA stars past and present. GAA football greats who attended included Jimmy Keaveney, Ciarán Duff, Eoin 'the Bomber' Liston, Paddy Cullen and GAA and soccer star Kevin Moran. Also in attendance was current Dublin manager Jim Gavin and former managers Paul 'Pillar' Caffrey and Pat Gilroy. Current players present included Bernard Brogan and Brian Cullen.

Also present were several stars from the famous 1970s team including Paddy Cullen, Seán Doherty, Robbie Kelleher, Pat O'Neill, Alan Larkin, Brian Mullins, Fran Ryder, Bobby Doyle, Jim Brogan and Anton O'Toole. Mickey Whelan who was a member of Dublin’s 1963 All-Ireland winning team was also there as was the former Offaly and UCD All-Ireland winning manager Eugene McGee.

In a moving homily, Mgr Fitzpatrick said: “All who knew Kevin must have found inspiration for themselves from his qualities of leadership and personal integrity. He was a driven person. He aimed high and he aimed well.

“I have no doubt that there is a celestial branch of St Vincents already established ready to do battle again against a team of their old earthly rival assembled by Páidí (Ó Sé).”

Sinéad Clarkin read the Pádraig Pearse poem Bean tSléibhe ag Caoineadh a Mic.

Former Dublin captain and player manager Tony Hanahoe and 2011 All-Ireland winning manager Pat Gilroy spoke in appreciation of their former mentor.

“To say a few words about Kevin almost seems an impossibility in itself,” Mr Hanahoe said. “To merely say that Kevin took over as manager of the Dublin team in 1973 is to do the man a huge injustice. Kevin was always involved in Dublin football and hurling."

Mr Hanahoe spoke of Mr Heffernan’s involvement “as a star player” in Dan O’Mahony’s 1955 Dublin team and won an All Ireland “in a match that really defined most people in Kerry and Dublin – and the results are there ever since.

"The rivalry of the seventies was born in 1955 and has continued and hopefully will continue forever,” he said. “In the 1970s he created the whole idea – he put the team together – he put the whole idea together.

"Kevin was omnipresent as far as Dublin football was concerned. In his playing career he was a legend ever before the seventies. He was selected on the team of the century in 1984, he was selected on the team of the millennium. He was an exceptional footballer, athlete and hurler himself.

“All that without mentioning St Vincent's. He was the passion. He was the heartbeat of the club. It would take me all day if I was to go into the history of the victories of the 40s and the 50s. They were the first superstars”

Under Mr Heffernan's leadership during the 1970s, Mr Hanahoe spoke of a Dublin team fueled by nothing other than "Chrissie Thomson's tea, Marrietta biscuits and sheer determination.

"I'm sure the late Tom Crean on his Arctic expeditions, with his huskies, would have felt little out of place in that hut in Parnell Park

"One had to understand where we were coming from those days. In 1974, odd of 1,000/1 wouldn't have been outrageous. We had successfully lost first round championship matches against Westmeath, Laois, Kildare. We were the all-time great no-hopers. I remember the first round well when we played Wexford in Croke Park. The replay of the National League Football final between Roscommon and Kerry was taking place after. We were definitely the Mickey Mouse show before the main event.

"In fact, the crowd were highly amused with the amount of mistakes that were being made. No-one would have believed that we could have moved on and won the All Ireland that year," he said.

"I remember coming in at half time. We had played so badly. Kevin was livid. He was always thinking football. He was always thinking ahead. He was always seeing around corners. He came in to one of the old dressing rooms in Croke Park. He was absolutely livid and he tore strips off everybody.

"Eventually, he said: 'look, there's a guy there playing left-full back for Wexford. He's so slow he must have come straight from the Ploughing Championships...If we can't take advantage of him...' and then he said, like a flash, his mind always thinking: 'No...'. He said: 'give him a few easy balls in case they take him off'."

Mr Hanahoe spoke of his manager's humour. Speaking of two engineers who were on the Dublin team, Mr Hanahoe, careful not to mention names, said Kevin Heffernan saw something on the field that he "didn't exactly agree with".

Jumping out of the dugout, Kevin Heffernan shouted: "Typical engineer. If he can't weigh it or measure it, he can do nothing with it.

"Croke Park, in front of 82,00 people when things are going wrong in every sector of the field. There's nothing in the manual that tells you what to do next. If you don't have the instincts, then you're doomed. Kevin had great instincts and that was a feature of his character and a feature of his success."

Pat Gilroy, whose late father was a close friend of Kevin Heffernan's, shared his personal insight. "Kevin was a remarkable man," he said.

"As a friend, he was instinctively loyal, dedicated and committed. To my father, he helped him through the darkest of times. His midnight visits became legendary in many hospitals around the north side.

"He had great friends simply because he was a great friend. As a father I saw how proud and protective he was of [his daughter] Orla. He truly loved her unconditionally. As a person to get advice from, Kevin was the go-to man for family and friends," he said.

"When you did go to seek the advice, you needed to be prepared because it was only going to come at you one way - and that was straight. It might'nt be what you always wanted to hear but it was what you needed to hear."

Kevin Heffernan's coffin was led out of the church bedecked with a Vincent's jersey. The pall bearers were Lorcan Redmond (1970s Dublin selector), Paddy Cullen (1970s team) and Seán Doherty ('74 captain).

As it was carried out of the church grounds and onto Griffith Avenue at the start of his journey to his final resting place at St Fintan’s Cemetery in Sutton, the assembled crowds gave Heffo one final round of applause.