Former FAI boss John Delaney revealed the birth of his new baby girl today as he said goodbye to his beloved mother Joan.
The ex-footie chief told how he was lucky to be able to introduce tot Josephine, who he had with new partner Natalia, before his mum passed away.
He returned to Ireland from the UK to attend the funeral following Joan Delaney’s sudden death in the early hours of Monday morning.
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Approaching the altar at her mass in St. Michael’s Church in Tipperary Town, a visibly upset Delaney spoke emotionally about the woman who was “always there for me”.
He said: “Of course, I will miss her. I spent three months with mam and dad during Covid doing the messages for her,
staying Monday to Friday and now those days mean a lot more to me than they did at the time.
“She was always a phone call away. In May, Natalia and I introduced her to her latest grandchild and I’m glad we had that opportunity. Josephine. She was delighted.”
He said the last time he spoke to her was last Saturday, with her last words to him was “I love you” and I said, “I love you too”.
“It was a common end to our phone calls.”
The emotional 54-year-old - who previously was engaged to former model Emma English - paid a glowing tribute to his mother to a packed church, describing her as a “lady”.
He told funeral goers: “If I falter a little, please forgive as these are the toughest of days.
“She was bright and she was intelligent and she had great empathy – she was not judgemental.”
He emotionally described his mother as “glamorous” with a “great sense of humour” who “loved her gold outfits”, revealing she was buried in one.
“She loved every one of us equally as children and grandchildren. No one was ever left out.
“She was thoughtful and consistent. Birthday cards appeared always on time. Christmas cards appeared always on time.
“She was loyal. Loyal to the core and she would defend all of us like the lioness would defend her cubs. She was great fun, and she had a great sense of humour.
“She was a great community person. She loved Tipperary town,” he said.
“She left a lasting impression on everyone she met. She was a lady. She was a different class.”
He said his mother had “great sayings” to comfort those who needed her.
“She is the most unselfish person that I’ve ever met in my life.”
Delaney also revealed how he woke to multiple phone calls at 1.30am on Monday as his family informed him that his mother had suffered a stroke, with doctors telling them to “prepare for the worst”.
She passed at 4.22am that morning.
“Sometimes our lives change in a phone call and so it was in London at 1.30am I woke Sunday night; Monday morning and I see a lot of missed calls.
I called Jane back, my sister, and the news was the worst imaginable.
“Mam has had a stroke and very quickly a doctor addresses it. Modern communication. My three sisters and brother were present and I’m attending by phone call, and we’re told to prepare for the worst.
“The modern world thankfully allowed us to say goodbye and Paul, Joanne, Mary-Pat and Jane are around her and Peter, her son-in-law and I attended by Facetime and WhatsApp.
“This great fighter, who had survived cancer twice, was suddenly taken from this world and from us.”
He said he was “eternally grateful” to his sister Mary Pat, who was with their mother in the house when she fell ill.
“We will be eternally grateful that Mary Pat was back from London with Paul and her husband, Ethan and Isabelle and was with her when she stumbled into the kitchen and passed into unconsciousness.”
He revealed her final words before she died were: “Take care of dad.”
He recalled people who visited the home house, including the great Jack Charlton, “who stayed overnight” and Bobby Ward, who “never left hungry”, adding: “Mam treated you the same. That was her way.”
“Problems were solved over a cup of tea and some sandwiches.
“She made everybody feel special with her kindness and her warmth.
“She looked for the best in everybody and in every situation. She would say if you had nothing nice to say, then don’t talk at all.”
Delaney’s father Joe, a former FAI treasurer, also said a few words, telling the congregation how Joan had a love of music.
Joe said: “She loved music. Not many people knew that. Irish ballads. They sang today as we left the house.”
He recalled how he met Joan at a hop in his house 68 years ago after he knew her two brothers when they were just 15-years-old.
Joe spoke about how she educated him on looking presentable.
“I don’t have to talk about how she presented herself. She taught me things about coordination. In my time, I could go out in a pair of black trousers and red shoes or brown shoes and she would have a slap at me to come back, your hair is not properly combed.
“That was her coordination and that is how I remember her.”
He added that Joan discussed her funeral mass before, saying: “She always said ‘please Joe wherever you get the money, we have flowers and that my hair is properly done.’”
John Delaney has been living in the UK since leaving the FAI stewardship following a series of financial scandals.
He is currently embroiled in a High Court battle with the Director of Corporate Enforcement over access to documents from his time as association chief.
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