Donegal needs no greater incentive to go on and win the All-Ireland than to honour drowned GAA fan Andrew Duffy, a priest at his funeral said.
Fr Pat McHugh, the parish priest of Termon, said people had been deeply affected by the death of the young farmer, who drowned in Dublin after celebrating his team’s semi-final victory at Croke Park.
Mr Duffy (24) fell and slipped into the Royal Canal at Binn’s Bridge at Phibsboro.
Among the 1,500 mourners at yesterday’s funeral at St Columba’s Church were Donegal GAA players Michael Murphy, Karl Lacey, Mark McHugh and Brendan Boyle.
Fr McHugh said: “Everyone felt for the Duffy family in their suffering and grief. I watched the Donegal flags flutter in the breeze as I travelled to Termon and thought to myself how happy we should be but sadly we find ourselves in the throes of grief.”
His thoughts and prayers were with Mr Duffy’s mother Margaret, father John and sisters Leanne and Carolyn.
Members of Mr Duffy’s club Termon provided a guard of honour to and from the funeral Mass, as did a number of other clubs including Glenswilly and Gaoth Dobhair.
“At times like this, one often thinks of erecting a monument in memory of the deceased, but Andrew left his monument in this community and it is a monument of a life well lived,” Fr McHugh added.
“If the Donegal team needs an incentive to win the All-Ireland, it would be to honour the memory of Andrew Duffy.”