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30th July 2015
05:19pm BST
'I brought my laptop to my Dad's hospital room so he could watch the fight. He was out of it for most of the event, but I looked over at him when McGregor landed that big left [on Mendes], and his face was lit up like a kid on Christmas. Might be the last fight we watch together... And it was perfect. Thanks Conor.'Joseph Hayden's condition deteriorated soon after that night. Suffering from advanced emphysema, Joseph fought his disease as it took root and left him hospitalised for two months. It has only been since his father's passing, Cormac tells us, that more and more stories from his past are emerging. 'The old letters he wrote to Mum, while he was travelling to places like Singapore and Bali show another side – the old romantic. 'He travelled a lot through his jobs, with Aer Lingus, TWA and PanAM. He had a real sense of wanderlust. 'He once told us that he hitch-hiked from Paris to South Carolina. He got to the South of France after about a week and got chatting to an America yacht owner, who's deck-hands had been arrested. He was stranded there but Dad told him he was a sailor and, the next day, they were off to America.' [caption id="attachment_33987" align="alignnone" width="630"]
Joseph and Geraldine Hayden.[/caption]
Along with his wife, Geraldine, Joseph Hayden made the permanent move to the USA in 1979. Colorado, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Colorado (again), and Florida hosted the Haydens until, in the 1990s, they settled in Texas.
A massive boxing, football [GAA] and hurling fan, Joseph's link to his homeland was split between family and sport.
It was Cormac that got him into the UFC.
'I showed him some WEC [World Extreme Cage-fighting] and it took him a while to get into it. He thought they were fighting dirty. Once he watched a bit more, he accepted it was a real sport with real fighting. We watched a lot of fights together after that.'
It was Joseph that introduced his son to Conor McGregor.
'We watched his first UFC bout together [in April 2013]. He was such an impressive fighter. Dad liked his brash personality and the fact that he backed it up. He was a big boxing fan so loved when McGregor opened up with that big left hand.'
As McGregor's MMA star rose, Joseph's health took a downward turn.
Cormac was fearful that his father, hooked up to oxygen tanks and tubes, would not be in a fit state to watch UFC 189, held 1,900 kilometres away at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
[caption id="attachment_33990" align="alignnone" width="630"]
Joseph sporting an Irish sweater.[/caption]
'That was the last day he was fully conscious,' said Cormac. 'I put on the laptop and had the main card on but Dad was drifting in and out; falling asleep a lot.
'When Conor's fight came up, he perked up. He was alert for the full two rounds. When Conor won, his face lit up. His face beamed like a kid - a kid with an oxygen mask on him and hooked up to tubes. It was his eyes, though, that shone. He was so excited. So proud.'
Cormac says, 'I hope Conor knows the positive impact his career, and his achievements, are having on people's lives.
'Sport gave Dad a real connection to home and nothing pleased him more than seeing this young, confident, man from Dublin making waves on the world stage.'
[caption id="attachment_31980" align="alignnone" width="549"]
Conor McGregor revels in his UFC title win.[/caption]
Joseph drifted off soon after the event wrapped up. Cormac packed up and left his father in peace.
It was the last time that any of the Hayden family would share such a connection with Joseph. His condition worsened until machines were doing the breathing for him.
As a family, the realisation was reached. 'He's not coming back from this. He's not coming home.'
The family allowed nature to take its course and, surrounded by loved ones that included recently arrived brothers from Ireland, Joseph Hayden passed away.
'Dad had an accident out on Grapevine Lake, some years back. He injured his back, badly, yet walked around with that and several busted ribs for an age before he was finally convinced to see a doctor. He was a typical, stubborn old guy.'
So stubborn that he would not go without witnessing one last, great Irish sporting feat.
74 years. Seven children, countless countries visited and miles travels. The love of a fine woman and a passion for his homeland that never faded.
Half the story is in the telling.
It is a maxim that Conor McGregor would appreciate.
[caption id="attachment_33985" align="alignnone" width="630"]
The Hayden Clan: [L-R] Jimmy (Oisín), Alanna, Cormac, Alison, Kevin, Geraldine (Joseph's wife), Michael and Aisling. Joseph is at the front.[/caption]Explore more on these topics:
