Tributes flood in for photojournalist who died in road crash

Sunday World

2 days ago

Michael O'Neill (62), was taken to the Mater hospital after his moterbike crashed with a tractor and trailer and he was later pronounced dead
Tributes have been paid to press photographer Michael O'Neill, who died in a road crash on Saturday in Dublin.
Known as Mick to friends and colleagues in the Irish Daily Star and Irish Mirror, Mr O'Neill died after his motorbike crashed with a tractor and trailer on the Old Airport Road (Collinstown Lane) in North Dublin at around 11am.
Mr O'Neill (62), was taken to the Mater hospital but was later pronounced dead.
He was a hugely respected and award-winning photojournalist and had a passion for motorbikes, travelling annually to the Isle of Man with friends to watch the TT Races there.
Mr O'Neill is survived by his wife Lorraine, son Karl and two grandchildren, Mya and Kai, as well as a wide circle of family members and friends.
Star and Mirror photographer Mick O'Neill
News in 90 Seconds - Sunday July 13
In a moving tribute, his close friend and colleague of many years, Michael O'Toole, the crime and defence editor of the Irish Daily Star and Irish Mirror, posted online: 'Mick was the snapper's snapper. There was nobody who came close to him. He travelled all over Ireland and the world doing a job he loved and excelled at, one which came naturally to him'.
The papers' crime correspondent Paul Healy said Mr O'Neill was everything you would want in a mentor and colleague, but most importantly, a friend.
'We worked closely with one another almost every day for the past ten years, and in that time confided in one another and often sought each other's advice. But it was usually Mick's advice that I needed,' Mr Healy said.
'He also had an incredible way with people, and even though it would be me doing the interview he was often the one that had gotten the best lines out of someone. He had a keen news sense, incredible contacts, and after over 30 years in the business still had an incredible appetite to work.
'I know he loved his family and his two young grandchildren especially. He also adored his bike and if he wasn't working, he was usually out on it, down the country enjoying himself. He never sat still. He lived his life to the fullest. We will be lost without him.'
Editor of the Irish Star and the Irish Daily Mirror, Neil Leslie, said all of Mr O'Neill's colleagues on the Irish Daily Star and Irish Mirror and in the wider Reach Ireland family are devastated at his tragic and untimely loss.
'Mick was a truly outstanding journalist and photographer. Moreover, he was a great friend and a wise mentor to the other journalists who worked alongside him over many years.
'While his loss will be felt deepest by family and friends, his passing is also a heartbreaking blow for his colleagues.'
Group picture editor Zoe Watson said that earlier this year one of Mr O'Neill's images was named in the top 50 photos at the World Press Awards ahead of tens of thousands of others.
"Over the last 24 hours it has become apparent just what Mick meant to those who knew him. I've answered dozens of calls and messages from photographers across Ireland. Everyone had a tale to tell and spoke of their genuine love and care towards a man who to many was not just a colleague but a friend,' Ms Watson said.
Gardaí have issued an appeal for anyone who may have witnessed the collision to make contact with them.