Tributes As Kerry Football Legend O'Se Dies

The GAA world has been shocked by the sudden death of Kerry football legend Paidi O'Se.

The 10-time All Ireland winner was found dead at his home in Ventry in Co. Kerry early on Saturday morning.

It's believed the 57-year-old suffered a heart attack.

He had not been ill, and had played cards with friends in Paud Quinn's pub in Ventry on Friday night.

The publican was one of the game's true characters, winning eight All Ireland medals as a player with Kerry in the '70s and '80s, and twice as a manager in 1997 and 2000.

He recently managed the Clare football team, and also managed Westmeath to the Leinster title in 2004.

"He was playing for the Kerry minors when I first came across him in the early Seventies," recalled Mick O'Dwyer, his former Kerry manager. "Even back then you could see he was something special.

"Wearing that Kerry jersey meant so much to Paidi. He'd fight to the last for the green and gold. It was his lifelong ambition to represent his county. To go on and win eight All-Ireland medals speaks for itself."

"There was hardly a person on the island of Ireland, never mind in the GAA, who did not recognise or know of Páidí Ó Sé, such was his contribution to the Association and to Irish life over a prolonged period," said GAA president Liam O'Neill.

"His excellence on the field of play in what was the greatest football team of all time still stands out to those of us who saw it and his passion for the game in no way ended with the completion of his playing days.

"He is one of the few people to have succeeded in claiming All-Ireland honours both as a manager and a player after a distinguished career that stretched far beyond his native Kerry.

"I extend my condolences to his wife Máire, his daughters Siún and Neasa, son Pádraig Óg, brother Tomás and the wider Ó Sé family, including his nephews Darragh, Tomás and Marc, all of whom followed his example in the green and gold of Kerry."

Arts Minister Jimmy Deenihan played alongside Paidi O'Se on the great Kerry team of the late Seventies.

"I was shocked to hear of the death of Páidi Ó Sé," he said, "Páidi and I were colleagues on the football field for over ten years, but were friends for much longer.

"Paidi will be remembered not only as one of the greatest footballers of his time and also as a very successful manage. His talent, commitment and energy were legendary.

"Paidi's lifetime of achievement earned him great respect, both in Kerry and across the country. His death, so unexpectedly and at so young an age, is a great loss.

Tanaiste Eamon Gilmore said: "Páidi was part of that golden generation of Kerry footballers who blazed a trail in the sport in the seventies and eighties, and was part of a team that played a significant role in modernising the game and safeguarding its future as a popular sport.

"Páidi was arguably the best defender to grace Croke Park and as a winner of eight All-Ireland medals, it is unlikley that we will ever see his like again.

"Páidi was renowned for his love of the Irish language, and he will be a sad loss to all of us who care about the future of the native tongue .

"He had a keen intererest in politics, and the hospitality he extended to politicians of all hues, who had the good fortune to include Ventry on their campaign trail, was legendary."

Fianna Fail leader Michael Martin described him as "a giant of the GAA and a gentleman to know."

"When it came to football Páidí had an extraordinary talent. I personally have great memories of stirring Cork - Kerry clashes through the years. He was an iconic figure and he personified that spirit of competitive rivalry that is the hallmark of the GAA," he said.

Players who trained under him paid respect too.

Dara O'Cinneide said: "They say Páidí Ó Sé broke the mould. There was no mould. He was an exception to every rule. He was an exceptional man in every single way."

Former Kerry GAA captain Ger Power said: "He played it hard and tough but at the end of the day, he played it fair."

It was a sentiment shared by his fiercest rivals.

Brian Mullins of the Dublin '70s team that rivalled O'Se's Kerry said: "He was always a very competitive opponent. He played the game at 100 miles an hour, which is what you'd expect. There was no surprise in that. He always played fairly and on the margins."