PORTARLINGTON town was brought to a standstill as hundreds of mourners gathered for the removal of sporting legend Moss Keane last night.
Among the visitors to Mahers Chapel of Rest were Paul O’Connell, Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh and Keane’s former team-mates Mike Gibson and Willie Duggan. President McAleese was represented by her aide-de-camp Murt Larkin, while Minister for Sport Mary Hanafin and former Labour leader Dick Spring also attended.
Portarlington Golf Club provided a guard of honour as the hearse was led through the streets of the town to St Michael’s Church.
Inside the thronged church, Fr Michael Noonan told of Moss’s less reported “dedicated commitment to his faith and his church”.
“For Moss his faith, his belief in Christ his commitment to the Catholic Church, all of these were of paramount importance.”
Friend of almost 40 years and former president of Lansdowne Rugby Club Michael Kearney paid a glowing tribute to the sporting hero.
“He was naturally modest and he always spoke well of others never about himself. He was well able to put you in your place with a cutting comment but if he thought he had upset you in anyway he would be mortified and it would play on his mind until he was happy that no offence had been taken,” he said. “I had the great pleasure of spending a lot of time with him over a six-month period when he was writing his book. I was always very keen that he put his life story down on paper as he indeed was an extraordinary man who led an extraordinary life.
“The only way I could convince Moss to write the book was to take responsibility for every aspect of it as Moss was far to modest to approach anybody about it himself.
“For six months we met two or three times a week, sometimes down in Listowel where we picked up with Billy Keane. His overriding sentiment was to make sure not to upset anyone. So many wonderful stories did not appear in the book.
“As already mention Moss was a very spiritual man with a great knowledge and feeling for religion. He had a very deep faith and this was one of the cornerstones of his life.
“He was a wonderful club man and it gave him particular joy to captain Lansdowne to a league cup double in 1981. When I emigrated to Australia the same year, he made a special effort along with Kieran Fitzgerald to visit.
“He was an extraordinary, sensitive, shy, loving and caring man and this is the Moss Keane I came to know and love so well.”
Keane is survived by his wife Anne and his two daughters Sarah and Anne Marie, and his grandchild Ellie.
He will be buried in St Michael’s Cemetery in Portarlington today following 1pm funeral Mass in St Michael’s Church.