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Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
Sport
Vincent Whelan

Keith Long pays emotional tribute to tragic Derek 'Mono' Monaghan

Keith Long paid an emotional tribute to Bohemians legend Derek 'Mono' Monaghan after he tragically died on Wednesday.

'Mono' was a beloved figure around Dalymount as a lifetime volunteer who did every odd job going from running the bar to pitchside announcer to steward.

He was only 41 and leaves behind a wife and three children. A GoFundMe has been set up to help them in the challenging months ahead.

READ MORE: Bohemians mourn the passing of club legend Derek 'Mono' Monaghan

Long appeared on Morning Ireland to speak about what a loss he was to the wider Bohs community.

He said: "He did everything for the players, everything for the staff, loved the players, loved the staff, loved the club and obviously the club had a special place in his heart."

"If it was barman, bar manager, if it was DJ, MC'ing at the stadium, hosting Christmas parties and running events for children, he just basically did everything for the club and the love of the club.

"Without people like him, clubs up and down the country just can't function. So he will be a big loss to us and the people at Bohemians, to his friends at Bohemians and people like Mono are very, very special.

"Dalymount will be a lonely place without Mono and we'll all desperately miss him. He would get involved in any aspect of the club.

"Most recently he would have been involved with a small group of supporters that helped renovate the old home dressing room in Dalymount, to try and make the dressing room space more comfortable for players.

"So in an era when a lot of people talk about what they do, Mono was the type of guy who just got on and did things. He was a doer."

Derek 'Mono' Monaghan (Bohemian FC)

He added: "The outpouring of grief and tributes we've seen shows the esteem and affection which he was held in at the club."

The Gypsies head to Tolka Park tonight to face Shelbourne so Long ended by saying they hope to honour Mono's memory with a performance he'd be proud of.

"What we would like to try and do is honour Derek's memory tonight with a good performance and hopefully we'll make him a happy man this evening come the end of the game."

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