{"id":490025,"date":"2026-06-09T04:06:17","date_gmt":"2026-06-09T04:06:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/490025\/"},"modified":"2026-06-09T04:06:17","modified_gmt":"2026-06-09T04:06:17","slug":"a-true-lion-fergus-slatterys-funeral-hears-he-was-a-force-of-nature-on-and-off-the-field-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/490025\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018A true lion\u2019: Fergus Slattery\u2019s funeral hears he was \u2018a force of nature on and off the field\u2019 \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

Irish rugby great Fergus Slattery<\/a> was a \u201cmagnificent seven on the field, and a magnificent man off it\u201d, his funeral in Glasthule, Dublin, was told on Monday.<\/p>\n

Slattery, who died in Blackrock Hospital on Wednesday aged 77, was \u201cstrong, loyal and unafraid to do the right thing\u201d.<\/p>\n

Hugo MacNeill, former Ireland and Lions fullback, said getting to pay tribute to his \u201cgreat friend Fergus\u201d was one of the \u201cbiggest privileges and pleasures\u201d of his life.<\/p>\n

McNeill said Slattery \u201creally was an all-time great. He captained every team he ever played in\u201d.<\/p>\n

He read out the words of another former Irish rugby player, Ollie Campbell, who described Slattery as \u201ca force of nature on and off the field\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cA man among men, the rock in Blackrock, a leader as well as a captain,\u201d Campbell was credited as having said. \u201cHe was a rare combination, a man of action as well as a man of vision.\u201d<\/p>\n

Born in D\u00fan Laoghaire, Slattery was educated at Blackrock College<\/a>, where he played on the famous 1966 Senior Cup team before joining Blackrock College RFC at the age of 17.<\/p>\n

MacNeill said at the funeral Slattery \u201clived for and adored\u201d the team and was \u201crelentless\u201d in driving fundraising for it. <\/p>\n

\"AA photo of Fergus Slattery sits on top of his coffin at St Joseph\u2019s Church, Glasthule. Photograph: Stephen Collins\/Collins Photos <\/p>\n

The \u201ccourage\u201d of Slattery, his wife Margot and his family in discussing the impact head injuries had on his neurological health and suffering with dementia, could be his \u201cgreatest contribution of all\u201d, MacNeill said.<\/p>\n

His \u201cvery lucky\u201d only daughter Nikki, or \u201cGoose\u201d to her father, said Slattery was born a \u201cwhopping 13lb\u201d.<\/p>\n

[\u00a0Fergus Slattery: I know rugby has a serious problem with concussionOpens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n

\u201cHe landed with impact, only the start of what was to come,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

He first met a rugby ball while at school in \u201cthe Pres\u201d, Presentation Brothers Glasthule, which started a long-term love for the sport.<\/p>\n

She said her parents were a \u201cpowerhouse of a couple\u201d who provided \u201cgreat times\u201d in a rugby-packed life for their two children, Nikki and Cameron.<\/p>\n

She said her mother was a \u201crock\u201d for Slattery during his health challenges, and thanked the medical staff who looked after him in his later years on behalf of her family.<\/p>\n

Mementos of his life were placed on a memory table by his grandchildren.<\/p>\n

Among the items brought forward were a Lions rugby jersey, a copy of The Irish Times, a work diary, a mobile phone and a hockey stick, representing the sport he took up on retirement from rugby. <\/p>\n

\"RugbyRugby analyst Brent Pope among the mourners at Fergus Slattery’s funeral at St Joseph\u2019s Church, Glasthule. Photograph: Stephen Collins\/Collins Photos <\/p>\n

Slattery, who captained Ireland on 18 occasions, made 61 Test appearances between 1970 and 1984. He was regarded as one of the best flankers of his generation.<\/p>\n

He was a crucial member of the Ireland team that won the Triple Crown in 1982 and was central to the achievements of the British and Irish Lions tour of New Zealand in 1971 and, three years later, in South Africa. He also played for the Barbarians on 18 occasions and for UCD. <\/p>\n

\"MinisterMinister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill at Fergus Slattery’s funeral in Glasthule. Photograph: Stephen Collins\/Collins Photos <\/p>\n

Slattery was inducted into the International Rugby Hall of Fame in 2007.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnforgettable, that\u2019s what you are. Unforgettable, though near or far,\u201d the funeral heard during communion as a rendition of Nat King Cole\u2019s song encapsulated the impact of Slattery\u2019s life and playing career.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnforgettable, in every way. And forevermore, that\u2019s how you\u2019ll stay.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Irish rugby great Fergus Slattery was a \u201cmagnificent seven on the field, and a magnificent man off it\u201d,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":490026,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[56297,61,60,3654,112],"class_list":["post-490025","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports","tag-blackrock-college","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-rugby","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/490025","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=490025"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/490025\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/490026"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=490025"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=490025"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=490025"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}