Former Sunday Game presenter Michael Lyster dies aged 71

Michael Lyster, who was the face of the Sunday game, has died aged 71.

Lyster presented the station's flagship GAA show for 34 years, until he retired in 2018.

Michael first joined RTÉ as a sports newsreader in 1980 but quickly moved into presenting, anchoring the Olympics in 1984.

He also presented radio coverage of the All-Ireland hurling and football finals in those early years at the broadcaster and anchored the Saturday mult-sport highlights show Sports Stadium.

In '84, he took over from Jim Carney as presenter of The Sunday Game, when it was chiefly a highlights show and also became its live presenter when more games were screened on Sunday afternoons.

The punditry trio of Joe Brolly, Pat Spillane and Colm O'Rourke became regulars on The Sunday Game, with Lyster proving the perfect host to set the agenda and stir debate. It was mirrored in hurling with the likes of Cyril Farrell and Ger Loughnane.

He suffered health issues during his time at RTÉ, suffering a cardiac arrest in 2015.

Michael married his wife Anne in 1985 and they share four children, sons Mark and Jack, and daughters Rebecca and Ellen.