By Glenn Mason
It would be remiss of this column not to begin with the death of Shelbourne chief executive and majority shareholder, Ollie Byrne.
Byrne passed away after a short illness in the early hours of Sunday morning as he finally succumbed to the strain of the past year at the helm of the Tolka Park club.
He is easily one of the most colourful and controversial characters to grace domestic football in the past 30 years. He was loved and loathed in equal measure.
To Shelbourne fans, he was the hero who brought them from also-rans to the verge of the Champions League group stages. To many opposing fans, he was an easy target, the figurehead of a new and successful Shels and he received his share of criticism for his bloody-minded approach to ensuring his club's success.
His time at Shelbourne was one of unprecedented success: six League Championships, four FAI Cups and one League Cup. He dreamed of taking Shelbourne further than any other Irish club had been before and this ultimately was to lead to his and his club's downfall.
Just before he took ill in January, Byrne spoke to RTÉ about the pressure he was under trying to stabilise a club that had lost its manager and playing squad. He used phrases such as 'hardest year', 'tremendous strain', 'lived the dream', 'face the bullets' to describe what he was going through.
He went on to say that he made no apology for they way he had conducted things and ended by pointing out that he was still there to face the music. Sadly that is no longer the case.
Browsing through the Shelbourne fans' forum on Sunday afternoon it was evidently clear how highly Byrne was regarded by fans.
It was also interesting to see the posts by supporters from other eircom League of Ireland clubs. While many offered their condolences, there were those who noted how much he loved his club.
Byrne always had Shelbourne's interests at heart and would fight their corner at every opportunity. Many times last season Byrne rang our office to complain about what he felt was an anti-Shelbourne bias in this column and within RTÉ in general. Each time a journalist would take the time, and it took time, to explain to him that we had nothing against Shelbourne.
Some other sad news in the past two weeks was the shocking and brutal attack on former Ireland and Cork Hibernians winger Miah Dennehy.
Dennehy was stabbed in a pub car park in Mayfield in Cork on Friday evening last. He remains in a critical but stable condition at Cork University Hospital (at the time of writing).
Dennehy won 11 caps for Ireland (scoring twice) during a career that saw him line out for Cork Hibs, Nottingham Forest, Walsall, Bristol Rovers, Thurles Town and Galway United.
'Miah the Flyer' won a championship medal with Hibs in 1971 and gained cult hero status when he cracked in a hat-trick against the new league champions Waterford United in the 1972 FAI Cup final. Add to that five goals against Drogheda in an 8-1 win at Flower Lodge and you have a legend.
A £20,000 move to Dave Mackay's Nottingham Forest followed in January 1973. However, he played just one game under Brian Clough at Forest but went on to become a fans' favourite at Walsall and Bristol.
Indeed, in the past week both sets of supporters have been glowing in their praise for their former player.
Dennehy was the predecessor of Roy Keane, Kevin Doyle and Roy O'Donovan in travelling from Cork to the English League. Indeed for a time, Keane was seen by some as the 'New Miah Dennehy'.
Dennehy's time in the League of Ireland was a decade before I was born, so I have had to rely on the old man to relate how good he was. As a Shamrock Rovers fan, his sad reaction to the news of his attack signified to me the high esteem in which he was held by fans of the League of Ireland in the 70s.
On the pitch, the main story over the past month has been the demise of St Patrick's Athletic and Dundalk. Both teams had led their divisions for much of the season only to see their form evaporate as teams come racing past them.
Both now lie third in their respective divisions and in real danger of missing out on their pre-season objectives. In Dundalk's case, automatic promotion would have been essential given last year's events. Cobh Ramblers and Finn Harps are both on excellent runs and will be tough to stop.
For Pat's, a UEFA Cup place would have been the minimum they would have been expecting following their excellent start. It looks now that they have a real battle on their hands just to secure that spot.
They have been passed out by Drogheda United and Shamrock Rovers, while Bohemians, Cork City and Sligo Rovers have Johnny McDonnell's men in their sights.
The latest results for both teams would point to their lack of confidence and form. Dundalk were thrashed 4-1 by Limerick 37 and Pat's were beaten 2-1 by bottom side Longford Town on Saturday night.
Finally this week, The Sunday Tribune have provided proof that O'Donovan is proving himself in the FA Premier League.
Many supporters will have wondered if O'Donovan could have carried his goalscoring form with him across the water. The evidence is there to see as O'Donovan is at the top of the charts with four goals.
Four goals after just four games is an impressive ratio. It is even more commendable when O'Donovan has yet to start a game for the Black Cats' first team.
I'm aware it is standard practice for players to carry their goals with them when they move clubs but in this case it is stretching that tradition a bit too far.
