Sadness and laughter as legend Mossie laid to rest

THE GRIMY, well-worn Ireland rugby jersey, size 42, had pride of place at the head of the coffin

THE GRIMY, well-worn Ireland rugby jersey, size 42, had pride of place at the head of the coffin. It was a flag of honour, marking the pinnacle of the sporting career of Mossie Keane, the rugby legend who died on Tuesday at 62.

But this was just one of five neatly folded mementoes that told a rich story about "a gentle giant of a player, a truly great Irishman who enriched everybody's life", in the words of Dick Spring. The second jersey bore the deep red and three castles of his beloved Munster: "Without Mossie, I wouldn't have played rugby", said Mick Galwey. The third represented Lansdowne RFC.

The final two told of an enduring love for GAA, where Keane's great sporting journey began and was nurtured - in his native Kerry and at UCC.

Dr Martin McAleese, a great friend and flatmate after they marked one another in a Sigerson Cup final in 1969, spoke of a man with "a real sensitivity about him, a man who was tuned into people, an erudite man, a big character with a big personality . . .".

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Brian and Una Mangan, the parents of Stuart, who died last year after a catastrophic rugby injury, recalled how Keane had continued his charitable work even as his illness advanced.

They all stood to chat as legends of Irish sport and official representatives of both the President and the Taoiseach gathered in brilliant sunshine at St Michael's Church, Portarlington, for the funeral Mass, in a celebration of pride, stoicism, wistfulness, sadness, and much laughter amid stirring renditions of Bread of Heaven, The Rose of Tralee and the Special Olympics song.

Later, Keane's daughter Sarah conquered a trembling voice to talk about her "fantastic father . . . just the humblest, gorgeous soul".

"He showed us time and time again the importance of belief, the importance of dreaming and achieving . . . He gave us constant praise and kind words of support. Criticism only featured if it was about himself. He'd always put out the hand - 'sure you're miles ahead of me' . . . The lessons he taught us as he neared the end of his life became powerful. He took us down a really deeply spiritual path in order - in retrospect - to equip us with the strength and hope that we'll need now to cope with his passing".

In a quivering voice, she finished with lines from a poem chalked on to the road by "this lovely lad" in Grafton Street a few weeks ago: 'The wind will blow but you decide the direction of your souls'. And dad proved that in the last 18 months".

The main celebrant Fr Thomas Dooley, also spoke about Keane's final struggle, paying tribute in particular to the care and devotion of his family, extended family and huge circle of friends.

"His courage and his strength on the field of play are legendary but he fought his greatest and most courageous battle for the past two years against sickness and cancer . . . At each setback, there were moments for Mossie of doubt and anger, of fear and even despair. But he did not hide these feelings . . . and he bounced back quickly.

"Last Monday evening I brought him Holy Communion for the last time and I watched with him the last three holes of the Ryder Cup . . . He believed in God, he said his prayers. I think he accepted the cross of sickness in the same way as he accepted the crown of glory . . . "

Fr Dooley was about to end his homily with a quote from the final paragraph of Mossie Keane's autobiography, when he announced that he'd got a signal that he was taking someone else's lines. Amid much laughter and clapping he decided to forge ahead anyway. The quote included the lines : "I'm not one that thinks of how I'd like to be remembered. I've had many great days and I've been lucky in life . . ." Only when Mossie's brother Brian proceeded with the same reading, did the congregation realise Fr Dooley had omitted a quintessential Mossie phrase. The complete quote - read with relish by Brian - went: "I'm not one that thinks of how I'd like to be remembered - or shite like that. I've had many great days and I've been lucky in life . . ."

Brian talked about the 14lb baby born into the Keane family farm in 1948, a time when there was no electricity, no cars, no tractors or running water - "but we had plenty to eat, good neighbours, a good community and we had Mossie - with Mossie you always had fun and you always had mischief . . ."

He gave a detailed round-up of Mossie's golden GAA years beginning with the 1966 Kerry county minor championship for Castleisland district, through to three Sigerson Cups with UCC. And in a moving passage, he described how Mossie's selection as an international led to "a major, life-changing event" for their parents, "two shy and retiring people, but immensely proud of their son", now making two trips to Dublin each spring for 11 seasons, where they stayed with Aunt Jo. "She must have been wondering would he ever be dropped."

As the coffin was borne from the church, the mourners were led by Keane's wife, Anne, his two daughters, Sarah and Anne Marie and his granddaughter, Ellie.

Among the many sports figures were; Donal Spring (who gave the graveside oration), Donal Lenihan, Michael Kiernan, Reggie Corrigan, Willie John McBride, Ciaran Fitzgerald, Ollie Campbell, Tony Ward, Michael Kearney, Des Fitzgerald, Hugo McNeill, Philip Matthews, Dr David Irwin, Mick Quinn, Noel Murphy, Rodney O'Donnell, Michael Bradley, Dr John O'Driscoll , Terry Kennedy, Seán Boylan, Donal Canniffe, John O'Shea, Colm Tucker, Christy Cantillon, Bill Mulcahy, Ned Thornton, Paul Wallace, IRFU president Caleb Powell, Munster Branch president Cyril Fitzgerald and chief executive of the IRFU Philip Browne. Charlie Flanagan TD was also present as were former politicians Ger Connolly and Cathy Honan.