Tributes paid to ‘remarkable’ 1948 Grand Slam hero
The funeral Mass of the captain of the 1948 Grand Slam-winning team in his hometown of Kilcullen, Co Kildare, heard the respected sportsman and doctor described as “a remarkable man” by his great friend and playing colleague, Jack Kyle.
The former Irish out-half told a packed congregation at the Church of the Sacred Heart and St Brigid that there was no need for tears as his long-time friend had lived a full and rewarding life and had provided people with great memories.
He spoke eloquently of their friendship and how Dr Mullen regularly remarked, how much he valued their shared rugby experiences.
“Karl kept saying to me: ‘We had great times’,” recalled Dr Kyle. “It’s a wonderful thing to be able to say we had great times.”
He remembered the first time he met Dr Mullen was in December 1945 when Ireland took on a British Army team in Ravenhill, when the skill of the 19-year-old hooker was “in a class of his own”.
Dr Kyle also reminded mourners how the “quiet and authoritative” Irish captain encouraged his team to go out and win the final game against Wales in the Grand Slam year of 1948. “Karl just said ‘we have a job to do, let’s do it’.”
In his homily, Fr Michael Sheil remarked how the former Irish hooker had “bestrode the stage of Irish rugby greats alone”, until last month when Brian O’Driscoll became only the second Irish captain to take home the Grand Slam, while also recalling Dr Mullen’s distinguished career as a gynaecologist whose biggest gift was his “bedside manner”.
Fr Sheil also said how his three main passions in life were not rugby but gardening, entertaining and art.
Dr Mullen’s daughter, Mary, broke down in tears on the altar as she said her father had died of a broken heart after the death of their mother, Doreen, last year and how they would have celebrated their 57th wedding anniversary today.
She also recalled how delighted he had been that the baton of a winning Grand Slam team was finally passed on to the current squad in Cardiff last month.
Chief mourners were Dr Mullen’s eight children, Louise, Niamh, Mary, Gaye, Anna, Karl, Paul and March and his 18 grandchildren, who include Olympic showjumper Cian O’Connor and his sister, model Pippa O’Connor.
Members of the 1948 Grand Slam-winning team in attendance were Jim McCarthy, Jimmy Nelson and Bertie O’Hanlon, as well as other former Irish and Lions captains, Ciaran Fitzgerald and Ronnie Dawson.
Other leading rugby figures included IRFU president, John Lyons, and IRFU chief executive, Philip Browne as well as several former internationals — Ollie Campbell, Mick Quinn, Niall Brophy, Mick Hipwell and Bill Mulcahy.
Broadcasters Gay Byrne, John Bowman and Marian Finucane also attended and the Taoiseach Brian Cowen was represented.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
