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‘Dalymount will be a lonely place without Mono’

Bohemians will pay tribute to one of their most popular and indispensable members Derek Monaghan when they face Shelbourne in the SSE Airtricity League tonight, with manager Keith Long describing him as “a big loss” to the club and community.

On Thursday, the club announced that Monaghan, known as ‘Mono’ to many of those who knew him, had died aged 41, highlighting his multitude of contributions behind the scenes at Dalymount Park, where he served as everything from bar manager and pitchside announcer to steward. They also confirmed that a GoFundMe page has also been set up to support his young family.

Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Irelandfirst-team manager Long said Monaghan would be sorely missed.

“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,” he said.

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“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.”

Long added that the outpouring of tributes since news of Monaghan’s passing demonstrates “the esteem and affection in which he was held at the club for generations”.

He said Monaghan would be in the thoughts of the team and staff as they play tonight’s away game at Tolka Park.

“What we would like to try and do is honor 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.”