The grieving wife of a Fermanagh GAA star who was laid to rest in Co. Derry has paid him a poignant tribute at his hugely attended funeral in Swatragh, Co. Derry.

Sally Coyle, whose husband Paul (56) died suddenly at his home last Monday night, told almost 1,000 mourners in the St. John The Baptist Church in Granaghan that the “one big lesson from his death is don’t wait for perfect times to do things because that time might never be given to you".

GAA stars from all over Ulster were among the huge crowds at the funeral of the father-of-six and at his wake in the family home in Swatragh.

They included former Fermanagh GAA, Devenish, Ulster University, Jordanstown and Swatragh Michael Davitts teammates and there were guards of honour from Devenish and the Davitts. 

Mrs. Coyle added that their plans for “Monday night were to be at the pitch in Swatragh supporting our team and of course, Paul would have been giving me an in-depth analysis of the game.

‘But instead, our world fell apart and despite all we did he did not make it back to us.”

Mrs. Coyle said: “Paul will be laughing now when he hears me up here talking because he was the talker in our house, and I was the listener.

“And we all loved to listen to all the stories Paul had.

“We might have heard stories about Paul scoring amazing goals but his main goal in life was making us all happy.

“And he spent a great deal of time arranging and re-arranging things in order to make everyone as happy as he could."

Mrs. Coyle said her late husband was so proud at celebrating our 30 years of marriage with our six brilliant children.

“He was especially proud of all things Fermanagh and if we were away and told people that we lived in Derry he never failed to add ‘but I am originally from Fermanagh’.

“Paul was very kind and very generous, but he was exceptionally generous with his time and gave it freely to everyone.

“People talk about someone being the love of their life, well Paul was the love of all our lives.”

Meanwhile, Fr. Charlie Keaney recalled how Paul met his perfect match when he met Sally at a Sigerson Cup match in Bellaghy many years ago.

“It was a match that was made at a match.

“He was there, and Sally was there, and they were introduced and 30 years later they had six wonderful children.

“And he married our Sally in this church."

Fr. Keaney said they were thankful “for a life well lived for his love, his commitment and his joy.”

He added that “both communities in Swatragh in Derry and Fermanagh were in shock". 

Fr. Keaney remarked that Paul’s home townland in Fermanagh was Laughill which was certainly well named as Paul certainly loved to laugh and make others laugh as he loved people.

Fr. Keaney outlined Paul’s stellar GAA career and how he excelled on the field of play and how he was a force for so much good for so many people.

He added that Paul played a huge role in the Swatragh GAA club and in the local mart and “was a very hard worker".

“Paul was such a good lad, a devoted, loyal husband and a father to his six children and a very devoted son to his mother Breege and he phone every morning.

“But he also helped so many people quietly and that was the kind of man he was.

"He had a short life but it was so kindly, so generously and so lovingly lived."

Paul Coyle is survived by his wife Sally, and children Aoife, Peadar, Niall, Emer, Meabh and Fergal, his mother Breege and brothers and sisters, Patsy, Caroline, Sharon, Adrian, Declan and Kevin.

He was pre-deceased by his father Paul Coyle who passed away in 2013.

After Requiem Mass he was laid to rest in the adjoining cemetery.