Con Houlihan (6 December 1925 – 4 August 2012) was an Irish
sportswriter. Despite only progressing to national journalism at the age of 46, he became "the greatest and the best-loved Irish sports journalist of all".
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Journalism career
Over a lengthy career, Houlihan covered many Irish and international sporting events, from Gaelic football
Gaelic football ( ga, Peil Ghaelach; short name '), commonly known as simply Gaelic, GAA or Football is an Irish team sport. It is played between two teams of 15 players on a rectangular grass pitch. The objective of the sport is to score by kic ...
and hurling
Hurling ( ga, iománaíocht, ') is an outdoor team game of ancient Gaelic Irish origin, played by men. One of Ireland's native Gaelic games, it shares a number of features with Gaelic football, such as the field and goals, the number of p ...
finals, to soccer and rugby World Cups, the Olympics and numberless race meetings inside and outside Ireland.
He was a journalist with the Irish Press group writing for '' The Irish Press'', '' Evening Press'' and sometimes '' The Sunday Press'', until the group's demise in 1995. He wrote the "Tributaries" column and ''Evening Press'' back sports page "Con Houlihan" column.
Death
Houlihan died in the morning of 4 August 2012 in St James's Hospital in Dublin. Often considered one of Ireland's finest writers, he left behind a legacy of immense sports journalism that spanned over 60 years. A minute's silence was observed in his memory ahead of Kerry's All-Ireland Senior Football Championship quarter-final defeat to Donegal Donegal may refer to:
County Donegal, Ireland
* County Donegal, a county in the Republic of Ireland, part of the province of Ulster
* Donegal (town), a town in County Donegal in Ulster, Ireland
* Donegal Bay, an inlet in the northwest of Ireland b ...
at Croke Park
Croke Park ( ga, Páirc an Chrócaigh, ) is a Gaelic games stadium in Dublin, Ireland. Named after Archbishop Thomas Croke, it is referred to as Croker by GAA fans and locals. It serves as both the principal national stadium of Ireland and he ...
the following day. His last column, in which he wished Katie Taylor well, was published the day after his death. His funeral took place on 8 August 2012.
Awards and honours
A bronze bust of Houlihan was unveiled in his hometown of Castleisland in 2004. In 2011, a bronze plaque was installed outside The Palace bar in Dublin.
List of works
* ''More Than a Game''
* ''A Harvest: New, Rare and Uncollected Essays''
* ''Close the Wicket Gate: Tales from the Kilmichael Bar'' Foreword for Johanna O'Mahony Walters
* ''Death of a King and Other Stories''
* ''In So Many Words: The Best of Con Houlihan''
* ''Windfalls''
References
External links
Con Houlihan
Independent.ie
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Houlihan, Con
1925 births
2012 deaths
Evening Press people
Gaelic games journalists
Irish columnists
The Irish Press people
Irish Independent people
Irish sportswriters
People from Castleisland
The Sunday Press people