'An unflappable giant among bookmakers' - tributes pour in for David Power ahead of funeral on Thursday

Legendary layer David Power has been labelled an "unflappable giant among bookmakers" by those who knew him best ahead of his burial at Mount Jerome Cemetery in Dublin on Thursday. 

Power passed away on Monday at the age of 77 after a long illness, and the tributes have poured in for the co-founder of Paddy Power who spent decades in the heart of the betting ring as a fearless on-course bookie who never let his emotions get the better of him. 

Stewart Kenny, who co-founded Paddy Power with Power and John Corcoran, said David was brilliant to deal with in business but, more importantly, was a pleasure to have known on a personal level. 

Kenny said: "David was the most warm-hearted person you could wish to find, he had a huge heart, and the three partners of Paddy Power never had a cross word in all the 30 years we worked together. 

"Even though his shareholding was worth megabucks, all David wanted to talk about was his horses. He had no interest in the shares; shares could go up or down and it wouldn't matter to David. When I visited him last week, the first thing we both commented on was how we never had a row in all those years of business."

He added: "On a personal level, he was so supportive and wonderfully loyal. He was unflappable. He was a lovely family man and it's no wonder his kids have turned out to be so solid and warm. 

"He was a great listener and didn't try to dominate conversations. He was just such a lovely, lovely man. He enjoyed life and he loved, loved, loved his horses.  

"When you're looking at bosses and business people, I always ask myself this: 'Would you be happy if your kids were working for them?' Well, with David, you would be so happy and you know he would look after them brilliantly. He was just a lovely, lovely man."

Kenny said: "What set David apart was the fact that he had time for everybody, no matter who they were. He would happily spend the same amount of time chatting to somebody in a shop as he would to a big CEO. It didn't matter to David who you were. He will be sadly missed by everyone who knew him."

Ray Mulvaney, the current chairman of the Irish National Bookmakers Association, echoed those sentiments and said Power had time for everybody, hailing him a heavyweight bookmaker who he would always seek out for advice. 

Mulvaney said: "David was a giant among bookmakers. He was great for the game and a pleasure to have known and looked up to. 

"One of his many great characteristics was that he had time for everyone, whether you were a big or small bookmaker, it didn't matter to David, he would treat you the same way. 

"He was a heavyweight bookmaker who laid substantial bets and he was a very confidential man, who kept himself to himself."

He added: "David was chairman of the bookmakers' association here in Ireland for years and was always somebody I looked up to. I would have always phoned David looking for his thoughts on something if any issue arose. He was a great person to sound out for advice and I genuinely could not speak highly enough of the man.

"He will be sadly missed, and my thoughts are with Sabena and all his family."

As well as being husband of Sabena, David was a father to Willie, Paddy, Shani and Tessa, and a brother of Diana and the late Richard. His removal will take place in Harold's Cross, Dublin this afternoon to the Church of St Paul of the Cross, Mount Argus, arriving for the funeral mass at 1.30pm followed by burial at Mount Jerome Cemetery.