BRIAN O’DRISCOLL WAS presented with a commemorative, framed picture to mark his service to Irish rugby by Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore in Paris this afternoon.
The Irish rugby star, who will sign off from international rugby at Stade de France, tomorrow, met the Tánaiste in the team’s Paris hotel for the presentation. The picture included some words of thanks to O’Driscoll from the Irish Government and a picture of O’Driscoll waving the tricolour after his memorable hat-trick against France in 2000.
Photo op or not surely its only right that the government recognise a sportsman of the stature of BOD on his retirement from international duty. Even if posters here dont like it I’m sure O’Driscoll appreciates the gesture. Great man and an awesome player who deserves every plaudit he gets.
Great picture ,,glad they did this for Brian , how we will miss him , thanks for everything Brian ..
A statue outside The Aviva is a must!
It will always be Lansdowne Road!
BOD is a legend and a statue would be fitting. However a statue of big Paulie just before passport control in dublin airport might also be handy. Could put the fear of god into in those IMF types.
Would love to kick Eamon Gilmore into touch…
Yes, politicians desperate for popularity like to associate themselves with successful sportsmen.
It works though.
I remember as a lad pictures of Jack Charlton arriving back in Dublin airport post Euro’88 & Italia’90, Charlie Haughey attached to his side like a limpet.
Charlie also did it with Stephen Roche and a few others. It’s one of the downsides of being a successful athlete. I doubt that it has a long term popularity by association effect.
Im remember haughey getting in on Roche and Italia 90. Politicians doing that pisses me off something terrible
My dad always jokes that that’s the year charlie won the Tour de France! If you see roche in the videos now he hasn’t a breeze what’s going on, nor does anyone around him know who this creep is who’s after muscling his way in. It’s comical!
Behave. Can the feckin love-in not wait until after he has retired? There is a game to play tomorrow, which may not be the procession many expect..
It won’t be a procession at all. I do however think he deserves this. He was and is as good as everyone is gicing him credit for. I do however feel that there are other servants of irish rugby who deserve to feel hard done by, in particular the likes of peter stringer and especially ronan o’gara who got no fanfare whatsoever. That should be righted.
Even the great Bod couldn’t save this clown come election time.
Sickening watching a politician fasten on to a hero for a photo op…
That Gilmore fella is bad luck. Stay away please from us and our Irish team. Hang with your French and German buddies.
Hero and zero
Gilmore desperate for a +ve photo opportunity….. The electorate will have their photo opportunity in May
Nice junket for Eamo. Wonder did he get tickets for the match!
Yawn
Take a long walk on a short pier donkey.
any excuse to get a photo opportunity by gilmore
And he is the leader of the party who wants to remove subsidies to private schools …. Hypocrite.
Bit like Haughey in Paris when Riche won the Tour de France.
There are many public schools schools which play rugby and there is no reason why schools transferring from fee paying to state funded would not continue to play rugby. The demographics of who plays rugby has changed significantly in the past twenty years with more and more school teams and local clubs being born. There is even a rugby team here in the Liberties, so toss off with your stereotypes
Complete waffle. It is a FACT that in Dublin private schools dominate the rugby horizon at both National and interprovincial levels. How many international players from Dublin can you name that come from ordinary state schools ……..
Well said Bernard. Rugby is everywhere and open to everybody.
Except small weedy fellas.
There are more places in Ireland than Dublin!
Rog barely got a mention when his international career finished,I know o’driscoll was better player and will be remembered as Ireland’s greatest ever but I think media have blown his retirement way out of proportion.
Bernard, the’re has been a change for the better but 90% of all senior players have come from the private schools. It think the game has done very well in the last 10 year’s with great appeal to females as spectators. Success has driven this when this drops off as all countries do sometime this will be the acid test.
I don’t know if the relevance of players coming from private schools is worth mentioning in the context of the discussion. If so, popularity is the only factor that will change this being fact. Rugby doesn’t owe anything to Ireland and its appeal is finding universality across Ireland. It’s filling the void left by poor performances in international soccer. As GAA is endogenous to the country, this would make for unfair comparison. Still, most people welcome alternatives to the tribal competition that it offers. Constantly. All year long…
If your good enough doesn’t matter public or private
The highlight of BOD’s career…..*rolls eyes*