Family and friends say farewell to Anthony Foley on sad day in Killaloe

“We hope that our prayers, good wishes and genuine love for you all over the weeks and months ahead will help ease your pain.”

Family and friends say farewell to Anthony Foley on sad day in Killaloe

Update 2.55pm: Olive Foley paid an emotional tribute to her "soul mate" husband with whom she had spent "seventeen wonderful years" of marriage.

She drew laughter from the packed church many times, describing life with Anthony and their children. Foley, who wasn't known as a talker, would "ring and ring and ring" Olive everyday, and when she would answer "he'd say nothing, sure".

"I never rang him back because I knew he'd be ringing me again," she quipped.

In one of several poignant moments during her emotional tribute, Olive described her last conversation with Anthony last Saturday week, just hours before he passed away.

Anthony Foley’s coffin is carried from the church in Killaloe.

"We chatted about the lads and how they were getting on in the athletics, and how Tony was faring in the javelin."

"Tony had a chat with too. It was a lovely conversation... I didn't know it would be our last," she said, breaking down.

"It was an idyllic life. Our home was so happy and it was a haven for all the most important things in life. Anthony's values were so perfect.

"The show will go on and I'm going to stick to our plan, because Anthony is going to be with us in spirit every step of the way. He was my soul mate and we were perfect together.. he will never leave my heart."

She said the last two years of Axel's life were "very stressful".

"He took that job as (Munster) head coach and he gave it everything, and he used the same passion he used whenever he pulled on a jersey. They were very rough days those last two years. He's smiling down now, knowing he gave it everything."

"He never held a grudge...he told me, 'I was never as bad as they say I was and I was never as good as they say I was, so read nothing (in the media)."

She thanked their friends and family, and those who organised the funeral which "enabled us to focus on what was important, and spend time with Anthony."

"I'm handing Anthony over to God now...We'll take it one day at a time," she said breaking down in tears to a loud applause.

Axel's former Munster teammates Peter Clohessy, Mick Galwey, Keith Wood, and John "Bull" Hayes, helped carry their former captain out of the church to his final resting place, as crowds of mourners applauded the great sportsman home.

Update: 2pm: Anthony Foley has been remembered at his funeral for the warm, indelible marks he left on life.

The Munster head coach died aged 42 in a hotel in Paris just hours before the team were due to play Racing 92 in the European Champions Cup last Sunday.

His coffin was carried into St Flannan's Church in his home town of Killaloe in Co Clare to the Toreador Song from Bizet's opera Carmen, adopted by Munster Rugby for the club's anthem Stand Up And Fight.

Players from the province past and present formed a guard of honour inside the church grounds.

Among them were former Ireland and Munster stars Paul O'Connell, Ronan O'Gara and Peter Stringer, along with ex-Ireland team-mate Brian O'Driscoll.

Hundreds of other mourners packed into the church and surrounding streets.

Foley is survived by widow Olive and sons Tony and Dan.

In a moving homily, Father Pat Malone, a family friend, spoke about Foley with glowing sentiment.

"It is fitting that we celebrate with dignity the life and achievements of a man who lived life with great dignity and personal and professional integrity," he said.

Fr Malone added: "His presence was reassuring, his ability to care, his sheer support, his sense of camaraderie, made all the difference and - to borrow from from another famous football anthem - knowing Anthony's presence, you knew 'You'll never walk alone'.

"Anthony 'Axel' Foley made many a mark in his 42 short years of life.

"Just look around and see; the indelible, warm, affirming marks he left in family, friends, colleagues, sports fans, this local community, rugby wherever it is spoken."

Update 13.10pm At the funeral mass for Anthony Foley today, it was hoped that “the presence of so many people from all over Ireland and, indeed, from way further afield is a comfort and a support” to his grieving family.

In his homily, family friend Fr. Pat Malone said: “We hope that our prayers, good wishes and genuine love for you all over the weeks and months ahead will help ease your pain.”

“I have been privileged to have you as my neighbours and I have tasted the hospitality, care and concern of your neighbourliness.

"My first, and I believe my longest lasting, memory of Anthony is and will be as a family man. His family meant all to him.

"Olive, you were his true love, and how good ye were together. One could sense the strength of your relationship, the warmth of your love for each other, and the ways you supported each other through the easy as well as the difficult moments of life. Ye complimented each other so well, Ying and Yang in perfect balance with each other.”

Fr. Malone praised the huge impact Anthony had on the lives of others.

“What touched me most in all the statements I heard or read about Anthony in the past week is the amount of care he offered to so, so many different people. He had that great human capacity to sense or notice those who were struggling in one way or another and the ability to reach out to them and include them in a sensitive and caring way.”

See below for the full homily

Update: 12.30pm: Shortly after noon the Foley family arrived at the church to the haunting strains of the operatic Munster rugby anthem Stand Up and Fight played by solo Irish Chamber Orchestra violinist Diane Daly.

Munster star Donnacha O'Callaghan helped pull out the coffin carrying the body of his former captain from the hearse and helped hold it high for the eight chief pallbearers, including Anthony Foley's father Brendan, and Axel's sisters Orla and Rosie (a former Ireland rugby international), who carried it into the church.

Mourners arriving this morning for the funeral of Anthony Foley.

Past and present members of the Munster team will help carry the coffin of their former teammate to his final resting place. Past Munster players will be directed by Paul O'Connell and present members of the club will be led by team manager Niall O'Donovan.

Earlier: Munster flags are flying from almost every home and business as you make your way towards Anthony Foley's hometown this morning.

21 October 2016; Ireland captain Rory Best and Glasgow Warriors head coach Gregor Townsend arrive for the funeral of Munster Rugby head coach Anthony Foley at the St. Flannan’s Church, Killaloe, Co Clare.
21 October 2016; Ireland captain Rory Best and Glasgow Warriors head coach Gregor Townsend arrive for the funeral of Munster Rugby head coach Anthony Foley at the St. Flannan’s Church, Killaloe, Co Clare.

Thousands of fans queued for hours in Killaloe yesterday to pay their respects and another large crowd is expected for the former Munster rugby captain's funeral mass. There are heavy traffic restrictions in place around the town.

Axel Foley died last weekend of heart failure while with the Munster squad in Paris.

At noon his family, friends and former teammates will pay their final respects to the Munster legend.

The red of Munster is everywhere around Killaloe, Picture: Brian Arthur.
The red of Munster is everywhere around Killaloe, Picture: Brian Arthur.

In addition to the current Munster squad, Peter Stringer, Joe Schmidt, David Wallace, Tony Ward, Peter Clohessy, Declan Kidney and Paul O'Connell are in attendance.

Outside the world of sport, ministers Michael Noonan, Simon Coveney and Patrick O'Donovan and Fianna Fail leader Michael Martin are also in Killaloe for the funeral.

Mourners at St Flannan's Church in Killaloe yesterday.

Homily of Fr. Pat Malone, PP, Clarecastle and family friend of Anthony Foley, R.I.P. and his family delivered at today’s Funeral Mass at St. Flannan’s Church, Killaloe.

My first words and thoughts today go to you Olive, to Tony, Dan, Shelia, Brendan, Rosie and Orla; and they are simple words we use at funerals when we don’t know what to say.

“I am sorry for your trouble”. These words say it all today.

Sorry to see you in such shock and pain. Sorry to hear, as you expressed it yourselves in your very moving family statement earlier in the week, that “we have been plunged deep into an incomprehensible darkness and sense of loss”.

Sorry to hear that Anthony has died.

We gather to be with you today to share your grief and we hope that our presence today and the presence of so many people from all over Ireland and, indeed, from way further afield is a comfort and a support to you at this very difficult time.

We hope that our prayers, good wishes and genuine love for you all over the weeks and months ahead will bring you comfort and help ease your pain.

Olive, you have asked that we remember Anthony here this afternoon in prayer. We thank you for the beautiful, dignified and simple choices you and those who assisted you have made for this Mass. We know that as a woman of deep personal faith, our praying together today is very important to you and I am very pleased to give you and all of us that space where we can continue that great Christian tradition of praying for the dead in the assurance of faith and the belief that what we engage in here today is that ceremony of the handing over of our loved one in the company of the angels to the care of our God.

It is fitting that we celebrate with dignity the life and achievements of a man who lived life with great dignity and personal and professional integrity. There have been many beautiful and moving tributes paid to Anthony from so many people over the past week and I am certain that many more will come in the time ahead.

How can one be so bold as to speak of the life of another on a day like this? I believe it is only words spoken from the well of experience of the person that allows one to engage in such a task, and so I will share fa few reflections of the man I know myself.

I have been privileged to have you as my neighbours and I have tasted the hospitality, care and concern of your neighbourliness. My first, and I believe my longest lasting, memory of Anthony is and will be as a family man. His family meant all to him. Olive, you were his true love, and how good ye were together. One could sense the strength of your relationship, the warmth of your love for each other, and the ways you supported each other through the easy as well as the difficult moments of life. Ye complimented each other so well, Ying and Yang in perfect balance with each other.

As parents together, ye were second to none. My memories of Anthony as a loving, caring and interested Dad, revolve around the magical family moments in the garden. Anthony pucking a sliothar with his lads, kicking a football, swinging a golf club and erecting a trampoline.

I could see he enjoyed the different temperament of his two boys, and with the wonderful sports brain he had, he was silently assessing their temperament for future sporting engagement. I remember him when the excitement of the hens’ arrival was the flavour in family life, him searching with his boys for the eggs that were laid. The excitement when they were found was shared and young Tony would look over the fence and invite all to the breakfast.

These happy, cherished moments will hopefully in time offer many moments of pleasure to Tony and Dan.

Brendan Foley, I can honestly say, is one of nature’s gentlemen. I can see some of you saying to yourselves ‘that guy knows nothing of rugby’. Brendan, you and Shelia handed to your son a deep sense of being loved, valued and cared for, he has handed it on to his sons and, please God, having known that love themselves, they too, in time, will hand it on to their children. A treasured gift that truly enriches lives.

What touched me most in all the statements I heard or read about Anthony in the past week is the amount of care he offered to so, so many different people. He had that great human capacity to sense or notice those who were struggling in one way or another and the ability to reach out to them and include them in a sensitive and caring way. That outreach made all the difference to these people. He offered people hope when they felt hopeless, confidence when they were deflated and simply wished them on when they were unable to do it themselves.

In this way, he lived his Christianity in the real world and loudly gave witness to the message of Jesus - “do unto others as you would like done onto you”.

In your family statement issued during the week, you said of Anthony, and I quote, “he was a central, go-to figure for the wider Foley and Hogan families”. He was that surely and so much more. From what we heard people giving personal witness to, he was also a ‘go-for’ and a ‘go-with’ person.

His presence was reassuring, his ability to care, his sheer support, his sense of camaraderie, made all the difference and, to borrow from another famous football anthem: knowing Anthony’s presence, you knew ‘You never walk alone’.

There is a lovely story, the Parable of the Pencil. I love it and often use it to encourage young people as they set out on their journey in life. The message to the pencil is to make your mark.

Anthony ‘Axel’ Foley made many a mark in his 42 short years of life. Just look around and see; the indelible, warm, affirming marks he left on family, friends, colleagues, sports fans, this local community, rugby wherever it is spoken of – to name but a few. Olive may the benchmark of his love be the ray of light that dispels the incomprehensible darkness you speak of in the family statement, a darkness “that we must work our way through over the coming, days, weeks and years”.

Be assured of our prayers and good wishes for you all on that journey. Today, as we commend Anthony to the care of God, we ask that he may sleep that sleep of peace in God’s presence. I am fairly certain God could do with a top-class Number 8.

Our prayer for you Olive, Brendan, Shelia and your families and, indeed, for the extended family is¨

May the warmth of the love you had for each other act as a blanket to wrap around you

May it be warm enough to keep away the chill of loneliness

Soft enough to soothe you

Strong enough to support you

And may your beloved Anthony, rest in peace in the loving embrace of God.

Additional reporting by David Raleigh.

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