Irish rugby great Fergus Slattery was a “magnificent seven on the field, and a magnificent man off it”, his funeral in Glasthule, Dublin, was told on Monday.
Slattery, who died in Blackrock Hospital on Wednesday aged 77, was “strong, loyal and unafraid to do the right thing”.
Hugo MacNeill, former Ireland and Lions fullback, said getting to pay tribute to his “great friend Fergus” was one of the “biggest privileges and pleasures” of his life.
McNeill said Slattery “really was an all-time great. He captained every team he ever played in”.
He read out the words of another former Irish rugby player, Ollie Campbell, who described Slattery as “a force of nature on and off the field”.
“A man among men, the rock in Blackrock, a leader as well as a captain,” Campbell was credited as having said. “He was a rare combination, a man of action as well as a man of vision.”
Born in Dún Laoghaire, Slattery was educated at Blackrock College, where he played on the famous 1966 Senior Cup team before joining Blackrock College RFC at the age of 17.
MacNeill said at the funeral Slattery “lived for and adored” the team and was “relentless” in driving fundraising for it.
The “courage” 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 “greatest contribution of all”, MacNeill said.
His “very lucky” only daughter Nikki, or “Goose” to her father, said Slattery was born a “whopping 13lb”.
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“He landed with impact, only the start of what was to come,” she said.
He first met a rugby ball while at school in “the Pres”, Presentation Brothers Glasthule, which started a long-term love for the sport.
She said her parents were a “powerhouse of a couple” who provided “great times” in a rugby-packed life for their two children, Nikki and Cameron.
She said her mother was a “rock” for Slattery during his health challenges, and thanked the medical staff who looked after him in his later years on behalf of her family.
Mementos of his life were placed on a memory table by his grandchildren.
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.
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.
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.
Slattery was inducted into the International Rugby Hall of Fame in 2007.
“Unforgettable, that’s what you are. Unforgettable, though near or far,” the funeral heard during communion as a rendition of Nat King Cole’s song encapsulated the impact of Slattery’s life and playing career.
“Unforgettable, in every way. And forevermore, that’s how you’ll stay.”
