Philly Ryan receives fitting send off

By Shane Brophy

The love for the late Tipperary senior football manager Philly Ryan was evident at his funeral mass in Clonmel on Wednesday.

Ryan's funeral took place at St Peter & Paul’s Church, following his untimely passing at the age of 56 on Saturday morning. Among those present were GAA President Jarlath Burns, as well as former Dublin manager Jimmy Gavin, as well as current Limerick and Mayo managers Jimmy Lee and Andy Moran respectively. Tipperary County Board were represented by CEO Murtagh Brennan and Fundraising, Finance & Administration Officer Jonathan Cullen.

Many of Philly’s former Clonmel Commercials Tipperary teammates down through the years were also in attendance including Brian Lacey, John Owens, Niall Fitzgerald and Liam England, along with members of the Tipperary senior football panel, led by skipper Steven O’Brien who provided a guard of honour to the funeral cortege on route to St Patrick’s cemetery for burial, along with members of his beloved Clonmel Commercials, many of whom were understandably distraught at the tragic death of such a popular clubmate and mentor.

They were also there in support of the Ryan family, wife Anna, daughters Amy & Katie, and son Shane who followed in his father’s footsteps by becoming goalkeeper of the Commercials and Tipperary senior teams.

Ryan - a multiple-time county-winning player with his club - was the Tipp 'keeper from 1990 to 2003, captaining his side to an All-Ireland ‘B’ Championship title in 1995.

Chief celebrant Fr. Deo Mayanji described Philly as being “extremely loyal, faithful very selfless, and put others to the forefront.”

In his eulogy, Shane Ryan described his late father as his “hero, best friend and role model” whose "legacy will live on forever".

"Philly Ryan, a name that will never be forgotten," Shane said.

"Dad has coached me my entire life, starting at under-six all the way up to senior level.

"He always wanted to get the best out of me and that was evident in my first-ever under-six blitz when he whipped me off by the scruff of the jersey for not pulling my weight against Moyle Rovers.

"He did apologise years later and felt it was a bit over the top at the time. Dad was my idol and my role model. He played such a huge part in everyone's life, and that is clear in the stories being shared about him.

"Surprisingly, me and dad never fought. We were best friends, two peas in a pod, and he often saw a bit of himself in me.

"Dad was a huge Leeds United supporter and growing up, he told me he didn't mind who I supported as long as it wasn't Manchester United. Dad would often sing the Leeds United song, 'Marching on Together,' and I find some of the words very fitting right now. 'We've been through it all together and we've had our ups and downs. We're going to stay with you forever, at least until the world stops going around.'"

Shane concluded: "Dad, if I turn out to be half the man you are, I'd be doing very well for myself.

"Your legacy will live on forever throughout Clonmel Commercials and Tipperary. This is just goodbye for now, until we meet again. My hero, my best friend, my dad."

Amy Ryan spoke of their admiration for both their "wise" and "larger than life" father and his "partner-in-crime" - his wife Anna.

"They were husband and wife and ultimate best friends. They gave 35 years doing everything together and you'd rarely see one without the other.”

In a few words from her mother Anna, she said: “The message that she really wants to put across is, like, if you love someone, you know, tell them you love them because you never know when they're not going to come back through the door. And I suppose that's something that's really hit home for us for the last few days.”

Kate Ryan said: "The best way to describe Dad is he's like a Creme Egg. He's hard on the outside, but soft and full of sweetness on the inside. Dad was an amazing father.

"He never failed to make us smile. No matter what was going on or how busy life got.”