FERGUS SLATTERY RIP: Lions memories and touring Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa

About this episode

The episode reflects on the life and legacy of Fergus Slattery, one of Ireland's greatest rugby players, following his passing at the age of 77.

Fergus Slattery, one of Ireland’s greatest rugby players, has died at the age of 77. In a statement, Blackrock College RFC announced the news this morning, hailing their former flanker as a “Lion of Lions”. Born in 1949, Slattery attended Blackrock College and won the 1966 Leinster Schools Senior Cup, before joining the club as a 17-year-old and excelling in senior rugby. He went on to win 61 caps for Ireland, captaining the country and winning the Five Nations Championship in 1974 and Triple Crowns in 1982 and 1985 as part of a legendary back-row with Willie Duggan and John O’Driscoll. He was also part of the 1979 series win in Australia. Slattery is also a legendary Lion and was called up to the tours of New Zealand in 1971 and South Africa in 1974 where he played in the Test series win. He was also a key part in the Barbarians’ most famous try against the All Blacks in 1973. In total, he played 18 times for the invitational club. After retirement, Slattery remained heavily involved in rugby through his media work with the BBC and with Blackrock College where he was a keen proponent of the sport’s amateur values. In recent years, his family disclosed that Slattery suffered from…

People in this episode

Host: Nathan Murphy

Topics covered

• rugby
• Fergus Slattery
• Lions tours
• Ireland rugby history
• dementia awareness
• sports legacy

Keywords

• Fergus Slattery
• rugby
• Lions
• Ireland
• Blackrock College
• dementia
• sports history
• Five Nations
• Triple Crown
• Barbarians

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Blackrock College RFC, BBC

Places: Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa

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