"It's the end of an era in Boston politics with the passing of Dapper O'Neil," Mayor Thomas M. Menino said Wednesday. "He was the greatest storyteller there ever was. The real question is whether all those stories are true."

A photo from the annual St.Patrick's Day breakfast before the South Boston parade in 1975. From left, then-City Councilor Ray Flynn, state Senator William Bulger (behind Flynn), O'Neil (center) with Governor Michael Dukakis, and US Representative Joe Moakley (right).