I met James during his time in Birmingham. I was involved with the Aston University Gaelic team when he became the boys’ coach.

What I remember about James is his infectious smile, his laugh and his love of the game.

Aston Gaels wasn’t your typical gaelic team, we had very few players that had grown up in the game. Instead of coaching people who knew what they were doing, James shared his love and knowledge of gaelic sports, with people who didn’t even know that gaelic sports existed. And he made them love it too.

He was a character, a gent and made the world a better place simply by being in it.

I am sorry that we won’t be able to attend the funeral, that you won’t see all the people that would turn out for your son. But please know that there will be people across the globe raising a glass in his memory.

RIP James x