23/07/2025
On March 19, 2025, shortly after 6.30pm, Liam O’Neill died on the pitch at Naomh Mairtin GAC - No pulse, no heartbeat.
He had been refereeing a Ladies Football minor club game and suffered a cardiac arrest just minutes after throw-in.
Last Thursday, June 19, 2025, Liam was back in Monasterboice thanks to the quick reactions and efforts on that March night, on the pitch, of club members including a nurse and someone club-trained in how to use a AED (Automated External Defibrillator) who revived him, saving his life.
Liam was at Naomh Mairtin to host a fundraiser for the club and to thank those who had saved his life. He also presented a ‘Safe Shell’, a tent that provides privacy when someone is being treated on the pitch.
Asked if he remembered anything of the incident, he said he remembered it “quite well.”
“The only thing that flashed across my mind at that time was, I won’t use the phrase here, but WTF were the three words. What is this?
“The next thing I remember was waking up, lying on the pitch, speaking to a few people. Some I recognised, some I didn’t.
“But I certainly owe my life to the Naomh Mairtin club because if I’d have been at home or anywhere else other than being out there on the pitch, I wouldn’t be here tonight, I’d have been six foot under, of that there’s no doubt."
