The remarkable life and generosity of Ollie Horgan, one of the most beloved figures in Irish football, were celebrated today at a warm-hearted funeral.
The Galway-born sports legend, a long-serving manager for Finn Harps and a teacher at St Eunan’s College, Letterkenny, passed away on Thursday, at the age of 57 after a battle with cancer.
Today, he has been celebrated as a man who was sharply intelligent, unapologetically himself and whose kindness often went under the radar.
His Funeral Mass today was attended by Ollie’s family and friends, members of football clubs from the length and breadth of Ireland, colleagues from St Eunan’s College Letterkenny and Loreto Letterkenny, where his wife Anita is a teacher.
Among them were President Michael D Higgins as well as sporting personalities including former Ireland and Chelsea star Damien Duff, Shamrock Rovers manager Stephen Bradley, former Celtic star Paddy McCourt as well as Finn Harps captain Tony McNamee and manager Kevin McHugh.
Other sporting personalities including UCD boss Willie O’Connor, former Finn Harps captain Dave Webster and Shelbourne manager Joey O’Brien also paid their respects at the funeral.
Soccer fans have paid tribute to Ollie throughout this week, remembering his iconic moments and spirited pitchside moments.
Ollie’s son Brendan said it was impossible to do his father justice.
A great father who “always kept the craic going”, Ollie’s virtues were remembered by Brendan who said: “Dad was very mentally strong. It took a lot to rattle him. He wasn’t afraid to speak his mind, to call out an injustice or fight for what was right.
“He did a lot for people in and out of sport, whether it was spending hours in A&E with players and students or driving lads across the country, he would do things quietly and never looked for the favour returned.”
Ollie’s natural humility and values have been recalled in many stories shared following his passing.
“He was so unapologetically himself.” Brendan said. “He didn’t care about how he was perceived by others and certainly there was no sleep lost over what people might think of him.”
Ollie, a native of Dalysfort Road, Salthill, moved to Letterkenny in 1989 to take up a teaching job at St Eunan’s College, where he taught science and maths and later, PE, during his 36 years at the school.
It was in Letterkenny that he met his wife-to-be, Anita, a teacher at the neighbouring girls’ school, Loreto Letterkenny. Together they have five children, Emma, Anthony, Brendan, Conor and David.
Galway United players provided a Guard of Honour for the late Ollie Horgan as his remains left the church of Christ the King. Students and staff from St Eunan’s College, Letterkenny lined the route. (North West Newspix)
The solid foundation of Ollie’s life freed him to be the ‘Ollie’ who was so well-known and loved, said Letterkenny priest Fr Ciaran Harkin in his eulogy.
“The Ollie of the sideline, berating the injustice of the world like a Shakeperean King Lear, the Ollie who was a complete messer, constant pranks and divilment, the Ollie who loved winding people up, the Ollie who loved to party, play the piano, tell yarns and stories, and indeed who borrowed my hat regularly without telling me, only to find it months afterwards,” Fr Harkin recalled with fondness.
Ollie had a kind, compassionate and caring heart, said Fr Harkin, and often privately helped students who struggled with maths or had an impoverished home life.
“His alms-giving was done in secret,” said Fr Harkin. “His left hand not knowing what his right hand was doing. That was Ollie, that under-the-radar way he lived his life.”
Today’s Funeral Mass at Church of Christ the King, Salthill, was celebrated by Fr Ciaran Harkin, Parish Priest of Aughaninshin, Letterkenny, and con-celebrated by Fr Damien Nijad, chaplain of St Eunan’s College, Father Michael McLoughlin, Parish Priest of Salthill, Fr. Des Walsh, chaplain to the Uachtarán na hÉireann Michael D Higgins, and Fr Michael Carney, former principal of St Eunan’s College.
Among the attendees was President Michael D. Higgins, who paid tribute to Ollie in recent days, describing him as a man who will be “warmly remembered for his wonderful management and intense passion for the game”.
President Michael D Higgins share an anecdote with Ollie Horgan’s sons. (North West Newspix)
On moving to Donegal in the 80s, Ollie played for and managed Fanad United but will be etched in LOI history for his work at Finn Harps from 2013-2022. Amid the good times and bad times at Finn Park, Ollie defied the odds to bring the team up to the Premier Division in six of his nine years.
More recently, Ollie played a key role as assistant to Galway United Manager John Caulfield.
John Caulfield, the manager of Galway United Manager paid tribute to Ollie as a “phenomenal character and a phenomenal person”.
“He was the most intelligent person I ever met. It was a privilege for me to have him around for the last couple of years and it was a privilege for me to have met him 25 years ago. I had the greatest education with him.”
Galway United providing a Guard of Honour for the late Ollie Horgan as his remains left the Church of Christ the King. (North West Newspix)
Fr Harkin said Ollie “loved the drama of the sports field, the tactics, the getting one over on the opposition manager, getting the best out of players that he had and the constant hunt and chase for new signings, he seemed to thrive in the chaos at times.”
For a man who had so much to do and give, Fr Harkin said that Ollie’s terminal cancer diagnosis was “crushing”.
“As we know, he was never a man to feel sorry for himself. He was always the man to put up a fight and a struggle. He was determined to take up all the treatment they were offering him, severe as it was, in order to buy as much time as possible. That was only known to a few.”
When news of his illness, much of it fought in private, filtered out in recent weeks, Fr Harkin said: “The suddeneness of it came as a shock but a great relief that his suffering was at an end.”
“Ollie Horgan fought the good fight to the end, he ran the race to the finish and he kept the faith,” Fr Harkin said.
“We thank God for the gift of his life. A man who enriched all our lives, who brought so much fun and laughter and excitement into our lives and who taught us an important lesson – that the road of humility that he undertook is a road that opens many doors and builds many bridges of friendships from those who have plenty to those who have not.”
Following the funeral mass, Ollie was laid to rest in Rahoon Cemetery.
May he rest in peace.
Ollie Horgan funeral a fitting tribute to a man of humility and heart was last modified: September 1st, 2025 by Staff Writer
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