Anthony Foley was many things, and a man steeped in Munster and Limerick rugby was one of them. Growing up in Clare, however, and hurling for the county at underage level - once admitting that he'd support Clare against Limerick - the GAA was evidently hugely important to him.
He wasn't slow to get the hurley out when an opportunity arose, as these pictures from Ireland World Cup squad training in 2003 show:
Fitting, then, that the GAA should show how important he was to them, with a minute's silence held before the Clare Senior Hurling Championship final between Ballyea and Clonlara at Cusack Park today.
You could have heard a pin drop, so reverential was the tone. Clearly the big man from Killaloe meant a lot to many of those attending the hurling final today.
There was also an Anthony Foley tribute before the Champions Cup rugby match between Exeter and Clermont Auvergne.
