Lover and fighter who lived life to full
HE was a lover and a fighter, he liked a jar, a good yarn and a sing-song. When a great man dies, clichés litter the air like confetti at a wedding, or indeed snuff at a wake, but in Mick Doyle's case, the phrase "he lived life to the full" sums up the man perfectly.
He hailed from Currow, that remarkable village in Kerry which, although besieged on all sides by Gaelic football, still managed to provide Irish rugby with Doyle, his brother Tom and a pair of iconic second rows in Moss Keane and Mick Galwey.
On the pitch, Mick Doyle was a fearsome competitor, good enough to win 20 consecutive caps for Ireland (three with Tom) and gain test selection on a Lions tour to South Africa.
"He wasn't a big man but he gave 150% every time he went on the pitch," said his former teammate Willie John McBride.
When Doyle went into coaching, he steered Leinster to five consecutive Interprovincial championships between 1979 and 1984 and the players adored him.
"We want Doyler for our leader 'cos he's big and f**king fast," they would chant on the team bus. The lyrics may have been less than subtle but the level of affection was clear.
Doyle's success with Leinster saw him replace McBride as Irish coach in 1984 and he immediately brought his gregarious personality to the international arena. "I don't believe in beating players around the park," he said. "If they want to play for Ireland, they will show up in the right condition to play."
Dispensing with the "Dad's Army" wooden spoon team of the previous season, Doyle picked a young, adventurous squad and immediately set about trying to dispense with provincial prejudices.
As RUC man Jim McCoy was heading for the showers after one of their first Sunday morning training sessions, Doyle called after him: "Hey McCoy, get a move on or you'll be late for Mass."
The Ulster prop turned around, his face wreathed in smiles, and gave his new coach a two-fingered reply.
There was freshness about Ireland going into that Five Nations as Doyle adopted the famous "give it a lash" policy causing England coach Dick Greenwood to remark that Irish rugby would need a "brain transplant" if this new approach was to work. Winger Trevor Ringland recalls the time well.
"I will always remember him turning to us before the first match against Scotland saying: 'Boys, I want you to run the ball and if it doesn't work, I still want you to run it'."
Ireland played with such abandon and energy that they captured the Triple Crown against England in Lansdowne Road before a banner in the crowd proudly acclaiming "Dr Doyle's transplant clinic".
Two year's later, he suffered a heart attack at the inaugural World Cup in Australia, but refused to travel home.
"We got an awful shock when he got the heart attack," recalls Terry Kingston, who won his first cap at that World Cup. "He had a very good relationship with the players. Doyler was great company and socially, always led the posse. He was a larger than life character."
He recovered strongly from his scare Down Under but handed over the Irish reins to Jimmy Davidson before embarking on a career in the media as a rugby pundit.
Although his forthright opinions ruffled more than a few feathers, Doyle excelled in the role and it gave him a platform to display his natural abilities as a raconteur.
On one occasion, on TV, he was bemoaning the lack of steel in the Irish forwards and recounted a tale from his own playing career when he was pack leader. One of his charges had shipped an underhand blow and Doyle angrily called his men together as the victim was receiving treatment.
"Right lads, listen up," said Doyle, "Whoever did this, I want the bastard 'got' in the next 10 minutes."
The ref was passing by and overheard the instruction.
"You've got five Mick," he said.
He also famously described Ireland's epic victory over England in 1993 as an "80-minute orgasm" an observation that reduced his fellow panellists to tears of laughter.
Doyle's increasing profile and popularity led him to publish his autobiography, Doyler, in the early 1990s.
True to form, the book didn't pull any punches and went into graphic detail about Doyle's drinking, his split from his first wife and his courtship of Mandy, who became his second wife.
Some of the more lurid passages caused quite a stir.
"I thought this was a book about rugby," was Gay Byrne's comment when Doyler appeared on the Late Late show.
Health problems continued to hound him and in 1996, Doyle suffered a severe brain haemorrhage.
Despite being in a coma for four weeks, he again recovered and then released a second book entitled, Zero point one six, referring to the percent%age of those who recover from the illness.
Truly, Doyle led a remarkable life and will be remembered as one of Irish rugby's great characters.
As Trevor Ringland put it yesterday: "Irish rugby will be a lot quieter and duller without Mick Doyle."
May he rest in peace.
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