We started by meeting in Thomond Park where we got the stadium tour (well worth it!; particularly loved Jack Gleeson (Joffrey in Game of Thrones) in the "We Are Munster" video) before being whisked off to Adare Manor for a nice bit of grub. During lunch, Keith Earls and Connor Murray arrived in, said hello to us all individually and sat down for their own well-deserved meal post-training.
A little later, Paul O'Connell joined us...again saying hello to each supporter. I was well moved by Paul remembering immediately. Once he had finished introducing himself, he came over to me to sympathise and ask how we had been getting on since Sproggy passed away. Paul said they all could not believe the news at the time and that they had to know him so well during our previous encounters. We got to chat a bit... about Sproggy, life after, Skippy, cats and children. I said that while things are tough, life just drags you along after something like this...you don't get much of a choice. You could bury your head in the sand but where is the point in that. He agreed...
Keith too made a point of saying he was sorry to hear of our loss and I got ask him how is little daughter was doing. I suppose, Keith himself would have held Sproggy in a couple of pictures when he was very young still and as a new father himself...
Those lads are just so nice, approachable, genuine...and...well TALL! I think we all felt dwarfed by especially Paul towering over us with his almost 2meters! One of the lads (proud Munster supporter for half a century!) asked what the weather was like up there where he was :).
We all got our pictures taken as part of the launch of the new jersey. We got to chat to the players, got autographs (and I got my new little secret project well under way! Thanks Paul!), more pictures and the lads even played with the kids of one of the winners.
And...to top things off...the weather was absolutely beautiful. First proper summers day in AGES.
Thank you Sproggy!
Always loved, always missed but never forgotten...by anyone including the good folk at Munster Rugby! xxxxx
