Munster mourn former media chief Pat Geraghty

Munster Rugby led the tributes last night to their former media manager Pat Geraghty, who has passed away following a long illness.

Kildare native Geraghty, who had also served as Leinster’s media manager during the 1990s, joined Munster in 2000 and served the province for 13 seasons, a golden era for the men in red during which two Heineken Cups and four league titles were garnered and the media man was a popular and integral member of the backroom team. An often combative sparring partner for journalists and broadcasters, Geraghty was fiercely protective of Munster’s players and the organisation itself but was never one to harbour grudges with members of the press corps for too long, with many considering him a friend.

His affection for the province’s players and staff was reflected in the tributes paid to him yesterday with Munster Rugby speaking of its “great sadness” at his passing.

“Our thoughts are with his wife Kathy, daughters Sarah and Mary-Kate, and all his family and friends at this time,” the statement read.

Paul O’Connell also spoke of his sadness while former Munster hooker Frankie Sheahan tweeted of Geraghty: “Munster had legends on and off the field and he was a legend off it! RIP Pat.” While former forwards coach Laurie Fisher took to the social media platform to write: “Such a wonderful person, the quintessential Irishman. One of the great characters.”

Indeed, such was Geraghty’s profile and standing within the game that news of his passing yesterday saw his name trending on Twitter, while the IRFU postponed a press briefing with performance manager David Nucifora, scheduled for tomorrow at Aviva Stadium, to avoid a clash with his funeral.

A former pupil of Clongowes Wood College, Geraghty, who was in his early 60s when he passed away, had a lifelong affiliation with North Kildare Rugby Club, first as a player and latterly as director of rugby following his departure from Munster at the end of the 2012/13 campaign. Yesterday they described Geraghty as a club “legend”.

Pat Geraghty’s funeral Mass is on Thursday, in St Patrick’s Church, Celbridge, at 11am, followed by burial in Donacomper Cemetery.