
Funeral mass hears photographer was 'solid bloke' who loved his family dearly
Mick sadly died aged 62 on July 12 after a motorcycle accident on the Old Airport Road in north Dublin. The talented photographer worked for the Irish Mirror and Irish Daily Star for over 20 years, and is dearly missed by all his colleagues.
His funeral mass took place at the Church of St Finian's in Swords on Monday morning, followed by burial in Dardistown Cemetery. A motorcycle helmet, press photographer awards and a photo of Mick and his beloved granddaughter Mya, 12, were brought to the altar as gifts.
Mourners heard that Mick, who was from Artane but lived in Swords, was a 'proud Dubliner' who was happiest when on his bike or with his family. His granddaughter Mya told the funeral Mass that he would do anything to make her happy, and was immensely proud of her.
She said: 'Grandad wasn't only my grandad, he was my best friend, we had such a strong bond. I'm not sure if he just liked breakfast or if it was an excuse to call me because every time he did it would be the same question- 'Do you want to go for breakfast?'
'Grandad always liked to keep his little princess happy, if I had a problem he would solve it. He was always so proud, he would make it out that whatever I did no one had ever done before.
"He did everything to keep me happy, he went all over Ireland to find Uggs for me for Christmas. We loved to eat chocolate together so if he was to buy me a gift that's what he could get but sometimes all I got was a photo.' Mick O'Neill is carried to his final resting place following his funeral on Monday morning. (Image: Collins Photos) Photographers form a guard of honour at the funeral of Irish Mirror photographer, Mick O'Neill. (Image: Collins Photos)
Mick is dearly missed by Mya, his son Karl, Karl's partner Vicky and mother Lorraine, brothers Terry and Owen and sisters Ann and Helena. On behalf of the family, Mick's close friend Noel Fay thanked everyone for their support, and the emergency service and hospital staff that helped him after the tragic accident.
Paying tribute to his dear friend during the mass, Noel said: 'Mick was a solid bloke, when you became his friend, you stayed his friend. I never heard him say a bad word about anyone, he had a great respect for people. He was well-liked because of his modesty, subtle sense of humour and his professional approach to his work.
'Everybody here has some memorable and funny stories of Mick but he wasn't perfect and he had his flaws. Mick was always early, it was so annoying. He was never late and I hated that. As for his antique phone, iPhone 1 I think. Everybody pleaded with him to get a new one.
'When at any restaurant he would try and order the most obscure things that weren't on the menu. But he loved his sticky buns.' On behalf of Crime Correspondent Mick O'Toole and his colleagues, Noel told the mass that he was 'a mentor and friend to dozens of reporters over the years'.
He added: '(Mick) would treat a homeless person with the same respect he would give to the president. He had a unique way of putting interviewees and people he was photographing at ease. His humour, energy, dedication and sense of decency all made a reporter's job easier. Pictured from left to right, Irish Mirror photographer, Mick O'Neill with Irish Mirror journalists Paul Healy and Michael O'Toole. Michael Kelley seen here on Michael Gaine's farm near Kenmare Co Kerry. (Image: Exclusive Image: Mick O'Neill/Daily Mirror)
'He travelled all over the world with his job, often on risky assignments. Some of the countries he went to included Peru, Lebanon, the Netherlands, Mauritius, India, Dubai and Spain. All of his colleagues are devastated by his loss, he is irreplaceable.'
Mick was a renowned news photographer in Ireland and won multiple awards for his incredible photos that no one else managed to snap. Mourners heard that the Dubliner would wait for hours to get the perfect shot, and was always highly professional when it came to his work.
Noel continued: 'With Mick, he was always the happiest when he was out on the bike with the lads. It was only when sharing a pint with Mick that you would get the full story about his work and his achievements. The problem was his modesty starved you of his news and you had to drag it out of him. Some of his stories were so outrageous but they were all true.
'I remember a few months ago I was trying to get Mick on the phone over the course of a few days, but each time I got no answer so I guessed that he was away or busy working. The next day I saw that famous dramatic photo on the front page of The Star of the guy with a big axe in his hands regarding the missing Kerry farmer Michael Gaine.
'It then made sense to me why I couldn't get him on the phone. The photograph was by Mick O'Neill, exclusive image for the Star and Mirror. There he was doing what he does best, making the news. But today my friends, in a sad way, Mick is the news.'
Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Irish Daily Mirror
11 hours ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Inside Helen Mirren's scandalous romance with Liam Neeson
Legendary actress Helen Mirren had a one-time scandalous romance with actor Liam Neeson that she still says was "amazing", even if they weren't "meant to be". Mirren, 80, and Neeson, 73, confirmed their 1980s romance in 2018 after appearing on the Graham Norton show together. While appearing on the program, they spoke about their romance after Norton confronted them about it. While their interaction was seen as them being "determined to show mutual respect" despite the "awkward" encounter, it also led to some new details about the former couple's relationship being revealed. It was during that appearance that Neeson remembered his reaction to seeing Mirren for the first time on the set of Excalibur. "I remember being on the set and standing with Ciaran Hinds as Helen walked toward us dressed in her full Morgana Le Fey costume, and we both went, 'Oh f**k' and I was smitten," he recalled at the time. "I think Ciaran was, too, but I was very smitten!" Neeson also revealed that Mirren was the one to try to pick him up and express interest first because he had previously heard about the tactic she used to get attention when she liked someone. Helen Mirron and Liam Neeson on the Graham Norton Show "Before I met her and we worked together, I had read somewhere that if she fancied a guy, she would imitate his walk behind his back," he revealed. "And I turned around one day and she was doing that to me." Mirren chimed in after his recollections to admit that she "never knew" his initial reaction to seeing her, because he'd never told her that before. The two went on to date from 1980 to 1985, and even lived together for four years before eventually calling it quits. Mirren met Taylor Hackford shortly after the relationship with Neeson came to an end. They married in 1997. They had no children of their own, but she did become a stepmother to his two children from previous marriages. Neeson, meanwhile, was linked to Julia Roberts, Barbra Streisand, and Brooke Shields before marrying Natasha Richardson in 1994. They shared two sons, Michael and Daniel. Richardson died in March 2009 after suffering a traumatic brain injury in a skiing accident while at a resort in Montreal. Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here.


Irish Examiner
a day ago
- Irish Examiner
Irish producer of The Osbournes pays tribute to late trailblazer Ozzy
The Irish producer of The Osbournes Hit TV series has paid tribute to the late trailblazer Ozzy Osbourne who he has described as a 'down to earth man who loved the Irish.' The heavy metal pioneer died on Tuesday at the age of 76 just weeks after performing with Black Sabbath at a big farewell show in his hometown of Birmingham. A statement from the family said: "It is with more sadness than mere words can convey that we have to report that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed away this morning. He was with his family and surrounded by love. We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time.' Dubliner Marcus Fox won an Emmy for The Osbournes series which ran for three years on MTV from 2002 to 2005 and went on to become the biggest rating show on American TV at the time. He formed a close relationship with the family during that time and said Ozzy had a 'particular fondness for the Irish.' 'He was a very simple man, a really kind person, I was very sorry to hear he passed on,' said Mr Fox. 'He had a soft spot for the Irish; he loved to hang out with us in the shed at the back of his house. There were cameras rolling 24 hours a day, there was a day crew and night crew, and Ozzy would sneak out and have a can of Guinness with us. "He had so much time for the Irish, there were four Irish lads working on the show, he got on well with all of us. 'It seems to me, Ozzy held on to do his farewell gig and he meant it. 'He was very nice to crew, very easy to work with, easy going, not easy direct or produce, but easy going. 'Sharon his wife is the boss, she was very caring and protective of Ozzy, and family was family, she accepted his children from his first marriage into the family, she was very welcoming'. Ozzy's daughter Kelly Osbourne this week said she has lost her "best friend" following the death of her father. She had attended his last concert where she got engaged backstage to her long-term partner Sid Wilson from the band Slipknot. Marcus Fox who was living in the US at the time and had been working on the Anna Nicole Smith reality show, pitched the idea of a reality TV show to the Osbourne family to their agents. Dubliner Marcus Fox won an Emmy for the Osbourne series which ran for three years on MTV from 2002 to 2005 and went on to become the biggest rating show on American TV at the time. Picture: Marcus Fox 'Sharon was very interested in Anna Nicole Smith' said Marcus. 'She had this idea of interviewing her in a big bubble bath, but one show was on the channel E and the Osbournes was on MTV, and we would have loved to work with the two, but the networks wouldn't agree, so that never happened. They would do it in a heartbeat now. 'We went to the Osbournes with the idea of a reality show, they were interested. 'We met the family and then we did a pilot and then went on to make the show. 'It was the early 2000's but we got three seasons out of it, and then we did a couple of specials. We talked a few times about going back to another season, but it never happened. 'After that I did another show, Battle for Ozzfest,' said Mr Fox. Ozzfest was also a reality show aired on MTV in 2004 and saw eight bands 'battling' it out in a series of challenges to win a spot on the stage at the heavy metal festival, Ozzfest. Fox said he stayed in touch with the Osbournes and described Sharon and Ozzy as a 'couple very much in love'. 'I know they had tough times' he said. 'He met her through her father; he was on her dad's label. She went on to become his manager and they were just madly in love'. The couple made no secret of their challenges. They were married for four decades and during that time Ozzy battled with alcohol and drug addiction and became violent to Sharon before he was arrested for attempted murder. 'She stuck with him,' said Mr Fox. 'Love prevails and they were like two teenagers together; they were really in love'. He said Ozzy spent most of his days painting and lived a very simple life. He was incredibly talented, and his music was a soundtrack to many people's lives, he did around 19 albums and was a prolific song writer and a poet and an artist. He was always painting in the house. 'We had 24-hour coverage, with two shifts for the crew, night and day, you had to be prepared because the kids were only teenagers at the time, and they would often come in from a night out and you didn't want to miss that. 'Their house was really nice, but it wasn't a mansion or anything like that, it was a five-bedroom house in Beverley Hills, and we were there all the time. 'They have since moved away'. He said that Ozzy had crucifixes all over the house and they were used as 'doorknobs and handles.' 'They were all around the bath and toilet too,' he said. 'I don't know if he was religious, maybe it was beat into him growing up. 'I never went to church with him, but he did not have a lavish lifestyle, he had very simple needs and means, he didn't buy into all that. 'His son Louis who didn't want to appear on the show used to hang around with us, and he would go out with us for drinks. We introduced him to a girl on the crew called Lisa who was from Dublin, and they fell in love and got married. 'They are living in the UK now but were living in Ireland for years. 'Louis and his sister have a different mom to Sharon but that didn't matter to Sharon, she was very open." Marcus said he hopes to attend Ozzy's funeral to pay his respects. 'I would like to go, there hasn't been a memorial for him yet, the family is just in bits now over him. They all adored him'.


Irish Independent
2 days ago
- Irish Independent
Gavin James on Kneecap, TikTok, playing Van Halen on the tin whistle and sharing his love for Dolly Parton and Lizzo
The acclaimed Irish singer songwriter was in an energetic mood ahead of his upcoming Wexford gig New Ross Standard Although a proud Dubliner, Gavin James is no stranger to the sunny South East. Growing up, he spent most summers in south Wexford on family holidays in a mobile home but next weekend, along with his guitar and well-travelled band, he promises to build on the Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann excitement building up around the town when he appears at the Breakwater Festival. On a recent advance trip to Wexford ahead of his concert, Gavin fondly told of how he enjoyed spending time with his cousins during the summer months, which would later turn to a trip on the train with a 'cheeky crate of beer' in tow and being surrounded by a few good friends having the craic on 'sofas from the 90s that look like seats on Dublin Bus' – with no mobile phones, of course.