THE funeral Mass of legendary on-course bookmaker David Hyland took place on Monday. The 67-year-old passed away late last week following a battle with cancer.

Hyland was one the best-known characters on Irish racecourses for decades and had a reputation for taking on the biggest punters in the pre-online era.

Ray Mulvaney, chairman of the Irish National Professional Bookmakers Association [INPBA], described him as “one of a kind - a colourful, charismatic, engaging, warm character and certainly a fearless layer.”

Speaking to The Irish Field this week, INPBA secretary Ricky Gernon said: “Davy was the centre of attention at every betting ring in the country, long before the advent of online betting and exchanges. He was possibly the biggest bookmaker in Europe.

“Back in those days, you could have bought a house for what he was standing horses for, and you would never know whether he was winning or losing. He was a real old-fashioned bookmaker. He went with his own prices and he would take on anyone.

“He was great with the banter. The punters would queue around him. If he was going ‘evens’ on a horse that was odds-on everywhere else, he’d start slagging the punters and he’d be saying: ‘Did you all get into the race meeting for nothing? Have you no money in your pockets?’”

Hyland had been battling with cancer for some time but continued to live his life to the full and was laying punters as recently as this year’s Punchestown Festival. “He was told not to go racing but he basically got off his death bed for the Punchestown Festival this year, just to say ‘I bet at one more Punchestown Festival before I died’. That’s what kept him going.

“He’s like every big bookmaker, the punters eventually caught up with him unfortunately. You can’t do what he did in his day, you can’t roll the dice every race and stand horses for 20, 30 and 40 grand. He had a fair go of it - he was the king of the ring for 10 or 15 years on Irish racecourses.”

Hyland lived in Ballybrack, Dublin, all his life and his funeral took place in the same church he was baptised in. He was a good snooker player, excellent card player and liked to enjoy himself, both at the races and away from the track.

He is survived by his wife Collette, who he married 19 years ago, brothers Francis - a former secretary of the INPBA - Robert and John, and sister Marguerite.

Hyland planned his own funeral and wanted it kept simple, with no eulogy. The ceremony ended with the priest reading out a short poem David had penned:

Dave Hyland has left the table, finished the game

He was well able to play another frame

But God decreed otherwise

So just blow out the flame