LAST UPDATE | 24 Jul 2022
IN HIS FINAL broadcast with the Sunday Game, Pat Spillane paid a tearful tribute to his late father as he explained the significance of Kerry’s All-Ireland win.
Spillane’s nephews Killian and Adrian became the latest members of the family to win Celtic Crosses.
Their grandfather Tom died aged 41 from a heart attack, when Pat was just eight.
“Just from a personal point of view, in 1964 my father was a selector for Kerry against Galway (in the All-Ireland final),” he recalled. The night before the game he had a pain in his chest, wouldn’t go to the doctor.
“He went to the game the following day as a selector and was dead on Tuesday. Kerry-Galway matches to me always bring back this memory. My father never saw his three sons play.
“The three sons have 19 All-Ireland medals and his two grandsons today Killian and Adrian have two more.
“He would have been a proud man. 21 All-Ireland senior football medals into his house. It’s just a special day.”
An emotional Pat Spillane speaks about the legacy of the Spillane family as more All-Ireland medals are added in this generation #sundaygame #rtegaa pic.twitter.com/wsUpZZgLP4
— The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) July 24, 2022