logo
Award-winning photographer was a mirror to the world and a dear friend to many

Award-winning photographer was a mirror to the world and a dear friend to many

The funeral of our photographer Mick O'Neill, tragically killed in a road traffic accident last weekend, took place on Monday, July 21, in Swords.Mick had travelled all over the world with his job, on often risky assignments, sent home pictures from places as far flung as Peru, Lebanon, The Netherlands, Mauritius, India, Dubai and Spain.But it is also fair to say many of our sports-mad readers had a brush with his lens at times as he covered, by choice, a lot of domestic sport.Myself and Mick's long standing joke about some of the more obscure games we covered was that 'we were not so much outstanding in our own fields but out standing in someone else's...'
It never ceased to amaze me either that he was on first-name terms with so many. He had privately organised/sent on pics, to players, clubs, charities and they remembered him. Photographers form a guard of honour at the funeral of Irish Mirror photographer, Mick O'Neill. (Image: Collins Photos)
I've done every sport imaginable with Mick as well as news stories encompassing everything from astronauts to Holocaust, from Ballyragget to Ballymun, Ploughing Championships to Galway Races.Mick was a tough newspaper character, stoic by times, with an often 1940/50s lazy carry of the camera but with a hawkeye for a picture, especially a compassionate one amid chaos.Indeed, we recently found ourselves in a corner in a tough, some might say infamous neighbourhood where his bravery behind a quick smile got us out. It is not easy carrying a couple of thousand euros worth of cameras, it makes you an easy target, but he just had that carriage - trust me.Reach PLC's Head of Photographic Zoe Watson was Mick's boss but it also made her the person responsible for delivering the roster/bad news to photographers.That they have to spend some time in a cold ditch or cramped in our 'secret' van without heating or a toilet or in Mick's case he had to go somewhere where there was sun."I've some great memories of the few times we'd been together, the last being at the photography awards in February," says Zoe.
"I'll always remember his mischievous snigger when you knew he was up to something and always had a sparkle in his eye. The funeral of photographer Mick O'Neill at the Church of St Finian's, River Valley, Swords, Dublin this morning. (Image: Stephen Collins/Collins Photo)
"He was a chancer who once tried to claim expenses for three deodorants, three bottles of suncream and four shower gels - he was only going on a four day trip to the Leb."I remember phoning him about it and the both of us just burst out laughing, he knew he wouldn't get away with that one."Multi-award winning sports writer and documentary maker David Coughland ('Louder Than Bombs: The Smiths in Ireland, 1984', 'Cigarettes and Samba', 'Crossing The Line', 'Hello Spaceboy', 'Green and Gold') is also a sports editor with this paper.If photography is about the instant, it sometimes needs a cross between Billy the Kid and Butch Cassidy - quick on the draw - or miss the moment.
"One of my favourite photos by Mick is from a job we did together down in Youghal," says Coughlan of a split-second, single frame shot he will always remember. "It was the week before Cheltenham and Davy Russell's last Festival.
"Mick lined up a photo of Davy and his father Jerry - now also sadly gone - when up popped then-four-year-old Liam in between them in sunglasses and a cowboy hat.
"Mick pressed the shutter and captured a special moment." Jockey Davy Russell with his son Liam, 4, and father Jerry in the family home in Youghal in Cork (Image: Mick O'Neill)
The Star's Deputy Sports Editor - and former Target kingpin - Paul Kavanagh recalls another deodorant related tale.
"We were in Vienna for on night to cover a motorsport event and we both had ours sprays taken from us going through the airport.
"The next morning we went wandering through the streets of the city, no clue where we were going and no shops pandering to the Lynx effect.
"We had a great laugh , and that was Mick all over, easy company and good craic."
Of course Mick O'Neill's most celebrated shot was that of the family and the big wave coming over the wall.It is a PPAI (Press Photographers' Association of Ireland) award winning shot and I remember him telling me that shot came a different way.The family had been walking along completely oblivious that the storm wall was breached every so often, it was a question waiting.
When the wave finally crashed over top, the family's St Vitus Dance wasn't just captured in one shot. There is actually a succession of them, one after another with so much movement they are almost 3D. Mick O'Neill with his PPAI award and award-winning picture
That's the same PPAI that accorded Mick one of their highest marks of respect - members formed a guard of honour for the coffin as it left the church with their cameras on the ground at their feet.Chief Crime Reporter and fiction author Mick O'Toole (Black Light, Goodreads, 2022) recalls: "As far as I am concerned his best 'sports' picture is from a golf course where, naturally enough, he wasn't a member. It was the one at Shelton Abbey prison in Co Wicklow.
"Regarding this, we believe he is the only person in Irish history ever to break INTO a prison when in September 2021, he learned that the criminal, serving life for the murder of Veronica Guerin, was now locked up there.
"Mick gained access and fought his way through woods and heavy undergrowth before hiding for several hours to get photos of his target playing pitch and putt in the prison grounds – his images deservedly made the front pages the next day."
Mick is gone but may have one big headline left in him. His picture of Michael Kelley, taken from tracking the subject deep into a wooded area in Kerry, may yet be a 2025 PPAI award winner. Michael Kelley seen here on Michael Gaine's farm near Kenmare Co Kerry. (Image: Exclusive Image: Mick O'Neill/Daily Mirror)
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Irish Love Island star takes swipe at villa mates after being dumped from show
Irish Love Island star takes swipe at villa mates after being dumped from show

Irish Daily Mirror

time2 days ago

  • Irish Daily Mirror

Irish Love Island star takes swipe at villa mates after being dumped from show

Irish Love Island star Billykiss Azeez has taken a savage swipe at her villa mates after she was dumped from the show. Billykiss' journey came to an abrupt end on Wednesday night when her fellow Islanders chose to send her packing. The Irish content creator has now spoken out following her departure and disclosed what one solid pairing are genuinely like away from the cameras. "My dumping was very interesting. Within the top four was Ty who was getting to know Angel, and Cach who was getting to know me. I feel like that must've been such an awkward and uncomfortable conversation for them," Billykiss confessed. "I'd like Angel and Ty to win. Ty is literally the sweetest person ever and the same goes for Angel. They genuinely really like each other." Billykiss Azeez (Image: ITV/Shutterstock) Taking a veiled swipe at some of the villa's remaining partnerships, she added: "I could see them really blossoming, which can't be said for some of the other couples. But I can see Ty and Angel having longevity." Despite Cach seeming conflicted between Billykiss and Toni, Billykiss hasn't dismissed the possibility of a future with him once the series concludes. "Something could definitely have blossomed into something beautiful with Cach, but at the same time, if we were meant to be together in the villa, I'd still be there," she expressed. "I have so much love and respect for him as a human being. I think we'll still be really good friends on the outside. In terms of a romantic aspect, who knows." Speaking about her Love Island experience, she said: "It wasn't a rollercoaster as such, more of a wave in the way it went up and down. "The festival was really good, Meg and I got a little shout out from Tinie Tempah! Overall I had a very fun experience. "I laughed so much that I cried and those are the moments I'll take home with me. I don't regret anything or any decision I made throughout my journey and everything panned out the way it was supposed to. "It helped me build character and grow and develop as a person, and I have love for everyone who was part of my journey." Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here.

From distorted GAA jerseys to retro football shirts: Robyn Lynch's new collection at Brown Thomas
From distorted GAA jerseys to retro football shirts: Robyn Lynch's new collection at Brown Thomas

Irish Times

time2 days ago

  • Irish Times

From distorted GAA jerseys to retro football shirts: Robyn Lynch's new collection at Brown Thomas

She's well known for referencing her father Mick's old GAA jerseys and using stereotypical Irish imagery as a form of communication in her collections . London-based Robyn Lynch made her debut at London Fashion Week in 2022 with an unforgettable menswear collection held in the old Selfridges hotel, and last year hosted an even more memorable presentation centring on the colour green, introduced by Mayo harpist Róisín Berkeley. Streetwear hoodies, tracksuits, gilets, fleeces and cargos along with Aran sweaters were given a fresh new twist in four different shades of green. One hoodie was emblazoned with an abstracted shamrock motif, another with a similarly abstracted tourist map of Ireland. [ Robyn Lynch: 'I want to put Ireland on the fashion map' Opens in new window ] The designer, a finalist that year for the Woolmark Prize, is not afraid to tackle stereotypical Irish imagery and give it a modern wallop and flamboyance. 'We wanted to take ownership of the green and the colour palette is the number one starting point,' she says of the collection. READ MORE From Malahide in Dublin, Lynch originally applied for fashion at the National College of Art and Design, but was accepted for textiles instead. 'It was the best thing that could have happened to me because you learnt about the fundamentals of colour, hue, handle, fabric,' she says. After that she did a menswear MA on what was then a new course at the University of Westminster, before launching her brand. 'I needed that time to learn about pattern cutting. I found amazing energy in men's fashion week in London at the time, whereas womenswear was harder to get into – menswear was a bit of a back door in. A lot of women borrow from boys – there doesn't have to be a bridge between them. Personally, I have always bought from menswear more than womenswear brands.' She returns to Ireland this month with a new collection for Brown Thomas - which goes on sale this Saturday - after menswear buyer Emer Keating visited her studio last year. 'We discussed how we could make the best product at a price point for her customers. This collection is smaller, super concise with nice fabrics, and wearable. We are teasing out the business elements and price points that are accessible and not as expensive as some of our things in the past. I am using cotton, for instance, instead of wool. Our colours include navy, bright red and black.' There are garment dyed cotton T-shirts screen printed with Celtic graphics and a distorted Dublin GAA jersey, an exclusive retro football jersey with long or short sleeves. 'We also have a classic crew knit and laser etched denim – a denim suit – cargos with matching overlay shirt with reflective embroidered threads of both. And for the first time, caps and beanies.' Robyn Lynch X Synflux sublimation printed sports jersey (€110) cotton drill cargo trouser (€175) Robyn Lynch black polar fleece hoodie (€115), cropped cotton drill jacket (€225) and screen printed linen trouser (€195) Robyn Lynch cotton knit crew neck jumper (€250) and laser etch denim jean (€215) Robyn Lynch red polar fleece hoodie (€115), cropped cotton drill jacket (€225) and cotton drill cargo trouser (€175) Robyn Lynch technical pull over jacket (€320) and cotton drill cargo trouser (€175) Robyn Lynch menswear Based in Hackney where there is a strong Irish community , she is a four-minute walk from the new V & A storehouse 'which is like walking into IKEA, everything is displayed on racks and stacked and you can see anything from their collections and it is free'. She has made unisex utility vests for the storehouse, fabric dyed, screen printed and embroidered in the UK. 'They needed to be functional and designed to fit every shape – we used a burnt orange with contrast details to reflect the wood surface – it was a nice project.' She also has another project dear to her heart, a collaboration with the Italian shoe company Geox, famous for their slim lightweight shoes. Mick, her father, is a huge fan with a pair in every colour lined up outside the hallway in their home. 'We have worked closely with them, and I've been back and forth to Italy – the shoe will be launched at the end of the year. I don't think anyone stocks them in Ireland as my dad has always had to get them abroad, so I will be the first to bring Geox to Ireland,' she says proudly. She comes from a strong supportive family. 'Everyone helps me emotionally and physically and makes my ideas come to life. It's not just the catwalk show, but with everything else.' Fashion designer Robyn Lynch and harpist Róisín Berkeley at the Robyn Lynch Ready to Wear Fall/Winter 2023-2024 fashion show as part of the London Fashion Week. Photograph: Victor Virgile/ Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images Asked what she loves most about her work, she recalls that the first time she saw people wearing the brand at a music festival in Barcelona. 'That gave me the greatest satisfaction. It is really rewarding seeing how people wear it and style it in their own ways. That is really huge for me. Celebrities [wearing it] are great, but when people buy it with their own money, that means so much.' The Robyn Lynch collection launches in Brown Thomas, Dublin, on Saturday, July 26th

Thousands to attend Paddy Power Comedy Festival as legendary comics announced
Thousands to attend Paddy Power Comedy Festival as legendary comics announced

Irish Daily Mirror

time2 days ago

  • Irish Daily Mirror

Thousands to attend Paddy Power Comedy Festival as legendary comics announced

Tens of thousands of fans are set to descend on Dublin's Iveagh Gardens for a weekend of laughter at the Paddy Power Comedy Festival. The four-day festival returns to the Dublin venue from today, Thursday, July 24 to Sunday, July 27, 2025. Over 90 artists are set to perform at the festival across four stages, including Tommy Tiernan, Deirdre O'Kane, Jarlath Regan , Neil Delamare and Gearóid Farrelly. Festival Director, Bren Berry, Aiken Promotions said: 'Next year will be our 20th anniversary in stunning Iveagh Gardens and we are delighted to be back this summer for another Paddy Power Comedy Festival. Irish comedy has had another stellar run since last summer and we are proud of the work we do, in particular, with Irish comedians at the festival and throughout the year.' Paddy Power Brand Manager, Dean Finn said: 'We are super excited to once again celebrate the brilliance of Irish comedy and this year's festival looks to be top notch, with homegrown talent out in force alongside some incredible international acts. 'We have been title sponsor of the festival since 2022, and each year gets bigger and better, and we are delighted to once again be a part of showcasing talent of razor-sharp wit and tongue in cheek attitude. 'It's comedy that doesn't hold its punches. Music to our ears,' he added. Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store