The legendary half-back line was together one last time – as it always was with Finnerty on the right, Keady in the middle, McInerney on his left – a unit we marvelled at on the greatest of days, now sharing the load on the very worst of them too.
They’ll always be immortal in our memories, but in life, no longer; this time the lynchpin was being carried by his wingmen to his final resting place.
The other heroes of our halcyon days were there too to make one last journey with the swashbuckling centre-back.
Men like his old comrade on adventures on and off the pitch, Brendan Lynskey; his lifelong friend who hurled with him for club and county Eanna Ryan; Gort and Galway greats like Sylvie Linnane, Pearse Piggott and John Commins.
Everywhere you looked was a hero of the past – Cyril Farrell, Joe Connolly, John Connolly, Sean Silke, Iggy Clarke, Pat Malone, Martin Naughton, Noel Lane, Conor Hayes, Peter Murphy, right back to Jimmy Duggan, a hero from an earlier time.
The current crop of Galway hurlers turned up privately and in numbers to pay their tribute to a man who probably inspired half of them to hurl in the first place.
Old foes came too – old friends once battle was over – from Babs and his Tipp side that were there for our highest and lowest days at GAA headquarters, from Cork, from Offaly, from GAA heartlands where they know a star when they see one.
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