[2] After graduating with a Masters in English he returned to England to teach at a prep school in Hastings.

Over a lengthy career, Houlihan covered many Irish and international sporting events, from Gaelic football and hurling finals, to soccer and rugby World Cups, the Olympics and numberless race meetings inside and outside Ireland.

[citation needed] Houlihan died in the morning of 4 August 2012 in St James's Hospital in Dublin.

Often considered one of Ireland's finest writers, he left behind a legacy of immense sports journalism that spanned over 60 years.

[4] A minute's silence was observed in his memory ahead of Kerry's All-Ireland Senior Football Championship quarter-final defeat to Donegal at Croke Park the following day.