Tadhg Coakley: Why was the loss of Anthony Foley so overwhelming for so many people?

We also saw at his funeral the grief of Anthony’s former coaches and teammates and opponents; the players he, himself, had coached. How bereft they were, how lost and helpless. Men we mythologise week in, week out, humbled and shrunken into vulnerability by sorrow

Anthony Foley. Picture: INPHO/Ryan Byrne

It’s hard to believe, today is the fifth anniversary of Anthony Foley’s tragic death. It seems in one sense like it was only a few months ago. In other ways, it feels like it’s been decades. I guess time has lost all its meaning over the last two years.

Do you remember exactly where you were when you heard the news that dark day in October 2016? I think you do. I certainly do. I was in France on a walking holiday with my brothers and the shock and upset we felt has stayed with me. It was one of those JFK or 9/11 moments that etch themselves indelibly into your memory.