Former The Sunday Game presenter Michael Lyster's funeral details announced

Olivia Kelleher

Funeral details have been announced for popular sports broadcaster and journalist, Michael Lyster, who presented The Sunday Game from 1984 to 2018.

The 71-year-old, who was late of Cabinteely in Dublin and Barnaderg, Co Galway, died on Saturday following a long illness. His family were by his side at St Vincent’s University Hospital in Dublin.

Lyster is survived by his wife Ann, adult children Mark, Rebecca, Ellen and Jack and their partners, his sister Anne, grandchildren Molly and Tadhg, extended family, friends and colleagues.

He will lie in repose on Wednesday evening from 5pm to 7pm in Fanagan’s Carnegies Funeral Home, Monkstown, in Dublin.

A funeral ceremony for family and friends will take place at 4pm on Thursday in the Victorian Chapel, Mount Jerome Crematorium.

The funeral will be streamed using the chapel webcam.

Mourners are invited to donate, if desired, to the Irish Heart Foundation in lieu of flowers.

In a family note on Rip.ie, the Lyster family said they “would like to thank all the staff of the ICU at St Vincent’s University Hospital for all of their care and compassion.”

Meanwhile, Lyster was born in Dungarvan Co Waterford in 1954 with the family moving to Barnaderg when he was four years old.

He began his journalism career at the Tuam Herald before joining RTÉ in 1979 as a sports bulletin broadcaster.

He covered All-Ireland hurling finals and the Olympic Games, and in 1984 he replaced Jim Carney in presenting The Sunday Game.

He also presented a wide range of sports programmes for RTÉ, including motorsport, horse racing, athletics, greyhound racing, soccer and rugby.

A minute’s silence was held before Galway’s match with Dublin in the Allianz Football League on Sunday afternoon in memory of Lyster.