John Halligan’s Irish eyes were always smiling. In three decades that I was lucky enough to know this special soul and kindred spirit, there was never a scowl, a contrary word, always a positive attitude. We should all follow his lead, every day. “Don’t worry. Be Happy!”

The smile was infectious. John lit up a room. Everybody wanted to be around him, the life of the party.

John died in his sleep last Wednesday at age 68. He and his beloved wife Janet weren’t blessed with children, yet John took an endless list of youngsters who craved a career in sports by the hand, and guided them to success. Lucky me, I was one of them.

My first encounter with John was a beaut in 1975 or ’76, when I was a fledgling student broadcaster at Fordham’s WFUV Radio. Hockey play-by-play was a passion. My cohort, Dennis D’Agostino, and I precociously applied for credentials to a Rangers game to hone our broadcast skills. Game night, there we were, in the hockey press box with the “real media,” calling the game into our tape recorder. And to simulate a “real broadcast,” we audaciously requested a between-periods guest. Whom did John escort to our location? None other than Rangers general manager Emile “The Cat” Francis. What I didn’t realize then was John was a Fordham grad taking care of his own.

One phrase a lot of us will miss is John’s frequent reply to the question: How’s it going? “Busier than a one-armed paper-hanger!” Classic Halligan.

His legion of friends, all with heavy hearts and weary heads, bid John adieu, wishing he were here to console us. Be comforted with a lifetime of memories. The many who knew him are rich in the truest sense of the word. The tales and his spirit, live on. Rest easy, John.

John Cirillo, a longtime New York public relations man and president of Cirillo World, worked closely with Halligan from 1986-90, when the duo headed the Knicks and Rangers PR departments, respectively.