Funeral for Olympic icon and Irish News photographer Hugh Russell held in Belfast
Funeral for award-winning photographer and Olympic boxer Hugh Russell took place on Wednesday morning at St Patrick's Church in Belfast.
Thousands of mourners gathered at Little Donegal Street to offer their condolences.
Politicians, boxers and journalists were amongst those who gathered to say their goodbyes to Hugh.
Professional boxers Carl Frampton and Paddy Barnes were in attendance, as well as track athlete Dame Mary Peters.
Addressing the funeral, Father Michael Spence, noted mementoes brought to the front of the church in memory of Russell, including a pair of boxing gloves, a camera, a golf score card and a family photograph.
He said Russell was a role model and inspiration for many, adding his life had a "ripple effect on so many other lives".
Hugh, 63, peacefully passed away at his north Belfast home following a short-illness.
Members of the Holy Family Boxing Club, where Russell got his start as a young boy, stood in a line outside St Patrick's Church on Belfast's Donegall Street as the coffin was carried in.
Hugh, known as ‘Little Red’, was a former professional boxer who competed from 1981 to 1985.
At the 1978 Commonwealth Games he won a bronze in the flyweight division. He won bronze at the Moscow Olympics two years later. He then signed with Barney Eastwood and winning the Irish Bantamweight title and the British Flyweight title.
Following his retirement from the sport he went on to become an award winning photographer with The Irish News.
Earning a reputation of one of the region's best photographers recording "momentous historical events".
Russell was at the forefront of news reporting, capturing images across decades of the Troubles, peace process and politics in Northern Ireland.
Among his best-known photographs was one of Gerry Conlon of the Guildford Four celebrating with supporters after walking free from prison in 1989 following the quashing of his wrongful conviction as an IRA bomber.
Turning to his 40-year career as a photographer, Fr Spence said Russell has left a record that will provide a window for future generations.
"He captured moments of ordinary every day life in this city and beyond, he captured moments of horror and heartbreak, he captured moments of ecstatic joy, he recorded momentous historical events.
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