THE IRISH FOOTBALL community, both north and south of the border, is today in mourning following the passing of former Derry City striker Mark Farren aged 33.
Farren passed away on Wednesday morning following a brave battle with cancer and FAI chief executive John Delaney described his death as a ‘devastating blow to everybody in Irish football.’
“He was not only a tremendous talent, but a real gentleman, who was widely respected in the League and very popular with his team-mates throughout his years in the game,” Delaney said.
“I would like to pass on my deepest condolences to Mark’s family.”
Derry’s all-time leading scorer was one of the most prolific strikers the League of Ireland has ever seen as he helped the Candystripes win the FAI Cup in 2006 and 2012 as well as five League Cup crowns.
He was presented with an FAI Hall of Fame award in 2014 and was voted PFAI Player of the Year in 2005. His final club football was played in the Irish League with Glenavon FC.
Ireland international James McClean, who played alongside Farren at the Brandywell, paid tribute to his former team-mate in an emotional post on social media, while Martin McGuinness and Gary Lineker were among those to pay their respects.
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Gone but not forgotten.
Great stuff what a great achievement. This 7s team should be talked about more their a credit to the country. Well done
Does it really generate a positive buzz?.Ireland’s 15′s team has been decimated to prioritise the sevens team. The fifteen’s game is what the Irish public actually see and we’ve seen the car crash it’s become.
Let’s face it, like the men’s team in the last Olympics, people will care about it for a couple of days and then go back to ignoring it.
So we’ll done to the squad but I’d still much prefer to see the likes of Parsons and Flood playing serious rugby for Ireland’s 15s team and trying to improve them rather than seeing them every four years in the Olympics.
@Jim O’Connor: would help if RTÉ broadcast the games
@Jim O’Connor: maybe the IRFU have done some research and have found that 7’s is a more attractive form of rugby for young women and girls ?? If you wanted to grow the game perhaps they think this is method to do it? Don’t know, just a theory
@Bert far: Would you give it a rest.
Brilliant!!! And puts the dismal 6nations 15’s performances into perspective- when you lose players of this quality to 7’s it was always going to weaken a 15’s team that was already behind the curve Vs the competition
Was Aoibheann O’Reilly playing?
Yawn.