Tributes paid to Teddy McCarthy as funeral takes place

The Sam Maguire and the Liam MacCarthy cups were held aloft at the funeral mass in Glanmire, Co Cork of GAA star Teddy McCarthy.

The former Cork player is the only man to ever win All-Ireland senior hurling and football medals in the same season.

While he excelled as a sportsman and loved GAA, mourners were told that, prior to his death, Teddy dedicated most of his time to his "adored" grandchildren Joey and Tiernan.

Mr McCarthy passed away suddenly last Tuesday, just a month shy of his 58th birthday.

His sons Cian and Niall were among those who shouldered his coffin from the funeral home in Glanmire this morning to a hearse.

Hundreds of people then lined the route and clapped as the cortege travelled to nearby St Joseph's Church for his requiem mass.

His coffin was shouldered in to the church by famous Cork GAA names such as Larry Tompkins, Jimmy Barry Murphy, Billy Morgan, Dr Con Murphy, Tomás Mulcahy and Niall Cahalane.

In an emotional and often humurous tribute to his father, Cian McCarthy said Teddy had mellowed in the years before his death.

"We joked about it at home," he said. "All his life he was so wound up because he sacrificed his life to GAA. When my two lads were born he really put time in to them, teaching them to play hurling and football. He would be giving out to me for giving out to them.

"Myself and (my brother) Niall used to be slagging him saying 'if only he was like that when we were growing up'. It was great to see, because he really took pride in seeing his grandkids getting a kick out of playing games and carrying his legacy to another generation. Well, he was really proud of that.

"There was an ongoing slagging. He would call down and he would be looking at Tiernan and saying 'greatness always skips a