PROLIFIC racegoer and former racehorse owner Liam Heron passed away on Tuesday. He turned 90 in September.

From Swords in North Co Dublin, Liam is believed to have attended every single Irish racing fixture for a number of years. He attended his first Irish Grand National in 1946 and never missed a running since then.

Unmarried, he owned a butcher shop in Swords which he leased out and this allowed him to indulge his passion for racing. He also had letters published in The Irish Field regarding racecourse facilities or admission prices.

Liam only managed to go racing twice this year due to health issues and died peacefully in Beaumont Hospital. His funeral Mass is on Monday at 10am in Swords.

James Griffin, friend of Liam, assistant trainer and racecourse commentator, said: “Liam was from a non-racing background but he just loved the game. They used to joke in Swords that Liam’s butcher’s shop was often closed because Liam was next door in Bobby Savage’s bookies watching racing.

“When the late Val Joyce broadcast his Airs & Races radio show from the track, Liam would act as runner and supply Val with people to interview. He also used to collaborate with the late Maureen Mullins on the Tote Jackpot.

“As a member of the [now defunct] Racing Club of Ireland, Liam went to Melbourne Cups and the Japan Cup. He just loved the game. He had horses in training with my father Paddy. The best of them was Cathom, who we believe remainsthe only mare to have won at all three Kerry tracks in the same season.

“Liam remained very active on the Leinster circuit up until the Covid shutdown. When racing resumed Liam was no longer driving and so he only went racing on the big days. He was not a family man but racing was his number one love.”