Neil with Jamsey Corcoran and the Lord Mayor Tom Fitzgerald at City Hall

Sad news at the death of Neil O'Brien after a short illness. Neil was a lifelong Rockmount supporter and was a regular visitor to Rockmount Park for many years. In his younger days Neil played schoolboy football for Lee Rangers, where he starred on the same team as current Rockmount president John O'Shea before both went on to be hugely involved in the development of Rockmount from the1970s on.

In recent years Neil was undoubtedly the main ticket seller for the Rockmount Lotto, helping the club to raise much needed funds. A true northside character, Neil was a familiar sight around Shandon Street and Dominic Street, always ready for a slagging, particularly if the person talking to him had a connection with St Mary's, Castleview or Temple. I last met him at the recent Shandon Festival outside his favourite watering hole Jack Fordes, where it seemed that at least every second person in the crowd knew him. He was in his element meeting familiar faces in the warm sunshine, sharing a joke here and a slagging there, and you could see he was proud of the Rockmount under 10s taking part in the parade before their tournament.

Neil will be sadly missed by all at Rockmount and I'm sure everyone in the Shandon area. He is survived by his sister Catherine and brothers Fintan and Mervyn and we send our condolences to them.

The last time I met with Neil who always had a slag for everyone he was wearing a baseball cap with "The Legend" embroidered on it and how apt it was as he was and will remain a LEGEND.

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a hanam