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Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
Sport
Sarah Magliocco

Kerry's Graham O’Sullivan dedicates All-Ireland to underage teammate who passed away

Graham O’Sullivan has paid tribute to the late Tristan Huggard, who passed away days before Kerry's All-Ireland final victory over Galway.

Tristan was a talented golf and football player, representing Waterville GAA Club at underage level. He passed away peacefully on July 19 surrounded by his loved ones, reports RSVP Live.

Graham shared the thoughtful and poignant words while on stage giving a speech while touring Kerry with the Sam Maguire Cup on their winner's route around the county.

READ MORE: Aisling Donoher reflects on her arduous journey after POTM display in All-Ireland for Laois

The All-Ireland champions are out and about visiting schools, towns and clubs at the moment.

Speaking on how the death impacted him, and influenced his feelings towards the game, he shared:

“The week before the game, there were lots of people coming up to me and chatting away. A lot of people were asking if I was nervous, what was the pressure like, and all this."

“I suppose I was a bit nervous but the same very week, a young fella I played football with when I was younger back in Waterville sadly passed away.

He explained that is made him take stock of how precious life is.

“I was thinking about it, and I was thinking, ‘Jesus, how can I be nervous when I’m getting to live the peak of life at the moment? This experience is unbelievable.’

“So, I just want to remember Tristan tonight. He was a great character and a great young fella that I got on with very well. Just enjoy the moments that you get in life, no matter what age you are just enjoy it, because you’re just never going to know.”

He described the young sportsman as a "shining light."

Tristan's death occurred just days before the final, which saw Kerry overcome Galway 0-20 to 0-16 in a thrilling match, with The Kingdom reclaiming Sam for the first time since 2014.

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