Tributes paid following death of Northern Ireland manager Michael O’Neill’s father

The Irish Football Association (IFA) expressed their condolences after the death of Des O’Neill.

“Our thoughts are with Michael and his family circle,” a spokesperson said.

Des O’Neill was a big supporter of his son’s career and was a successful sportsperson in his own right, excelling in hurling before taking a keen interest in golf later in life.

Mr O’Neill was originally a member of St Galls GAC on the Falls Road, and spent 16 seasons hurling for the Antrim seniors between 1951 and 1966.

He made his National League debut as a 17-year-old and also represented Ulster in the now defunct Railway Cup competition at just 18 years of age.

In 1959, Des was goalkeeper on the Antrim squad who won the ‘home’ All-Ireland junior hurling final against Cork at Croke Park.

While living in Portadown, Armagh persuaded Mr O’Neill to pick up the camán again to play league hurling for the Orchard County and after the family returned to Ballymena, he also turned out for local club All Saints GAC while in his late 30s.

Michael O’Neill’s mother Patricia passed away in 2017.

Speaking to this newspaper in 2016, he said growing up in a stable family environment along with his three sisters and brother helped make him the man he has become.

“The stability that my family has given me has been very important. I'm very fortunate to have had a stable family background,” he said at the time.

He added: “My parents always encouraged me to do the best I could at whatever I was doing.

“I was like that anyway, but to have their support and encouragement, be it academically or with all the sports that I did, meant a lot to me.

“Over the years my parents have been a great source of support and guidance to all the family and they have always been there for me.”

In a 2018 interview, Michael O’Neill also recalled his early memories of his father’s hurling career.

“I only really saw my dad play hurling right at the end [of his career] when we moved to Ballymena,” he told the Irish News.

“They coaxed him out of retirement, I think, to play in goals for All Saints. But I never saw him playing county hurling or for Ulster. You could see that he could still puck the ball almost the length of the pitch. There’s a very strong GAA background with my dad.”

Michael O’Neill is in his second spell as Northern Ireland manager, having guided the team to the European Championships in France in 2016 during a nine-year period in charge.

He was re-appointed as manager in 2022 after a number of seasons in charge of Championship side Stoke City.

His first game since retaking charge of the national side is a Euro 2024 qualifier against San Marino on March 23.