He died in December 1999 at the age of 80 and was survived by his wife, Eileen, two sons, Pat and Brian, and three daughters, Maura, Trisha and Catherine.

However he subsequently decided to concentrate on football and began his senior career with Limerick United where his teammates included Davy Walsh.

Aherne was also at Celtic during the infamous Boxing Day riot which broke out during a game against local rivals Linfield.

Together with McMillan, Campbell, Lawlor, guest player Mick O'Flanagan and manager Elisha Scott, he went on the Celtic tour of the North America.

Aherne played competitive football into his late thirties and was an ever-present during the 1954–55 season when Luton won promotion to Division One.

He remained a regular in the FAI XI throughout the late 1940s and early 1950s and featured prominently in the qualifying rounds for the 1950 World Cup.

Although only a friendly, the game quickly became heated and at one point, Aherne chased Raymond Kopa down the tunnel after play had been stopped for a foul.

Aherne, together with Con Martin, Reg Ryan and Davy Walsh, was one of four players from the Republic, included in the IFA XI that day and as a result he played for two different associations in the same FIFA World Cup tournament.

This situation eventually led to intervention by FIFA and as a result Aherne became one of the last four Republic-born players to play for the IFA XI.