Michael Lyster, ‘The Sunday Game’ Icon, Funeral Details Announced
Funeral details have been announced for Michael Lyster, the former host of RTÉ’s The Sunday Game, who passed away on March 22, 2026, at the age of 71.
Lyster will be reposing on Wednesday evening, March 25, strictly from 5pm-7pm, at Fanagans Carnegies Funeral Home, Monkstown. A funeral ceremony to celebrate Michael’s life, for family and friends only, will take place at 4pm on Thursday afternoon, March 26 in the Victorian Chapel, Mount Jerome Crematorium.
Broadcasting ‘Gift’ Remembered by Colleagues
Anthony Daly, a former colleague of Lyster’s on The Sunday Game, described him as a “gift to broadcasting” in Ireland. Daly, who worked regularly with Lyster before becoming Dublin hurling manager in 2009, noted how Lyster eased his transition into media function and fostered compelling on-air discussions.
“Talk about helping you and putting you at ease; if you were sweating, he was sweating with you,” Daly said on the Irish Examiner podcast, Dalo’s Hurling Display. “If it was warm in the box, Mikey L was warm as well. He was great. He would just set you at ease. He was a pro and he wanted the show to go off smoothly. He wanted to talk about what the people would want to talk about and he knew, he smelled that and that’s why I liked him. If this is good chat, let it go.”
A Safe Pair of Hands in the Studio
Former Tipperary manager Liam Sheedy echoed Daly’s sentiments, highlighting Lyster’s reassuring presence in the studio. “I think everybody had a warm affection to Michael,” Sheedy said. “We can all remember the first time we sat in the seat in the studio and you just felt like you were in safe hands here. You knew there was someone there that was going to look after you and never got excited unless Galway (were playing).”
Sheedy recalled Lyster’s passionate reaction to a memorable point scored by Joe Canning in 2017. “I can still remember when Canning’s wonder point went over in 2017 (the All-Ireland semi-final against Tipperary) and himself and Farreller (Cyril Farrell) nearly got out through the roof of the studio. We were sitting there going ‘jeez, no’.
“When they got over the line (and won the All-Ireland), to see the elation when the camera goes off and he just gets up by his chair and he lets a jump out of him. He was just such an incredible character and a real gent.”
Friendships and Legacy
Sheedy also spoke of the close friendships Lyster shared with Irish Independent journalists Vincent Hogan and Martin Breheny, observing their camaraderie on All-Stars trips. “They’d take off in the morning and they’d finish in the evening and all there was was craic and fun and laughter,” Sheedy said. “If it happened that Liverpool were playing Man United, the three would probably fall out before they went to bed and then they’d get up in the morning and they’d go again.”
Lyster presented The Sunday Game from 1984 until his retirement in 2018, becoming a household name in Irish sports broadcasting. He also presented RTÉ’s coverage of the Olympic Games and anchored sports news programs, including Sports Stadium. RTÉ reports that a minute’s silence was held before a recent Allianz Football League match between Galway and Dublin in his memory.
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