Ronan O’Gara awarded Freedom of Cork

“A bit surreal and unbelievably humbling” was how former Ireland and Munster rugby player Ronan O’Gara described joining some of his sporting heroes on Thursday in being awarded the Freedom of Cork city.

O’Gara told a ceremony, attended by close to 1,000 guests, that he did not expect to receive the accolade.

“The kids are a little bit lost for words – it’s fantastic and it will be great day and it’s just hugely special for the family,” said O’Gara as he headed into Cork City Hall with his wife, Jessica and children Rua, Molly, JJ, Max and Zac.

“Cork means everything – I think in sporting terms Cork people always had the tone or the pitch of how you felt as a person and there were times when they picked me up off my knees and there were times when they brought me down to earth as well.”

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O Gara, who was capped 128 times by Ireland and 240 times by Munster, said he was delighted to join the likes of footballers Roy Keane and Denis Irwin, runner Sonia O’Sullivan and dual GAA player Seán Óg Ó hAilpin in receiving the accolade.

Standing ovation

“I’m up at the big table,” said O’Gara, who helped Ireland to a Six Nations grand slam and four Triple Crowns as well as winning two Heineken Cups with Munster.

O’Gara was given a standing ovation as he entered the main auditorium at Cork City Hall. Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr Des Cahill, said O’Gara was a worthy recipient of the honour in recognition of his contribution to rugby at local, national and international level.

He said O’Gara had shown leadership, resilience, skill and courage on the field of play and as result had been a source of massive pride and pleasure to the people of Cork, Munster and Ireland.

The civic recognition was an appropriate acknowledgement of his legacy to Irish sport, he added.

Poet Tom McCarthy hailed O’Gara with a specially commissioned poem recognising his prowess as an outhalf, referencing his record 2,625 points total with Munster. Soprano Cara O’Sullivan had the crowd singing along to renditions of the Munster anthem Stand up and Fight.

Among the many guests were former rugby players Tom Kiernan, Noel Murphy, Donal Lenihan, Peter Clohessy, Tomás O’Leary, Doug Howlett, Trevor Brennan, Alan Quinlan and former coach, Declan Kidney as well as former Cork GAA star Billy Morgan and comedian Mario Rosenstock.