Dubs fan Peter who fulfilled his dying wish passes away

Just six weeks after being in Croke Park to witness his dream come true, Peter Murphy has lost his long battle with cancer.

In September the 64-year-old made an emotional appeal in the Herald for a ticket to the historic final against Kerry.

Mr Murphy was able to see his team lift the Sam Maguire thanks to an anonymous benefactor who gave him two tickets.

The Clondalkin man, who was originally from Ringsend, passed away on November 1 "after a long illness, very bravely borne".

He was laid to rest two days later in Newcastle Cemetery after a moving service at the Church of St Peter Apostle, in Neilstown.

His wife Mary told the Herald today that his fellow supporters "made him very happy with the tickets for the All-Ireland final" and thanked everyone for their help.

Mr Murphy is survived by his wife, his children Peter, Aisling and Sinead and his grandchildren Niamh, Aoibheann, Sadhbh, Jesse and Grainne.

Peter had been a true blue fan for as long as he could remember and GAA was one of his great passions in life.

He hadn't missed a final since the 1960s but he was forced to give up on his passion when he was diagnosed with cancer of the oesophagus last year, which then spread to his liver.

Although the trip to Croke Park on September 18 was tough on him physically, he insisted that it had been "worth it".

"When you're watching a game like that, you get carried away and you forget about everything else," he said the following day.

"It was really a major boost for me to be able to go one last All-Ireland final and the icing on the cake was to see Dublin win.

"I'm really glad I didn't miss it and I'm very grateful to the person who donated the tickets.

"It was just so exciting to be there, the atmosphere was electric and I was going through all possible emotions in the last 15 minutes of the game. I'm really tired but it was worth it."

Peter's daughter Sinead (33) accompanied him to his final match.

hnews@herald.ie