As captain of the team which won the Triple Crown and Five Nations Championship in 1985, Ciaran Fitzgerald will be invariably linked with Mick Doyle. The two were also close friends, so Fitzgerald knew Doyle better than most.

CIARAN FITZGERALD

"It's fair to say he was larger than life, very gregarious. He was very witty and engaging company, a great storyteller, but the irony, given that public persona, was that he had a sensitive side to his personality and that helped him in his dealings with people.

"He was emotional and passionate with regard to things that he cared about.

"He was a very intelligent man, as reflected in his university qualifications, which saw him become a vet and a leading authority on poultry, and he had a huge interest in horses.

"His major achievement as a coach will be seen as masterminding the 1985 Triple Crown triumph. He was way ahead of his time in terms of preparation, short-tracking off-field organisation, looking at nutrition and diet. Along with Mick Cuddy, he took control of running the team on and off the pitch, oblivious to IRFU committee influences that would have been prevalent in the past.

"He will be missed by an awful lot of people, crossing the sporting divide.

"He was a brave individual in the manner in which he fought back from illness, and the irony was that he was in flying form recently. I'd noted a significant improvement from the previous year; he was far more alert, his analysis was sharp. It's a tragedy."

DONAL LENIHAN

Donal Lenihan, another senior figure on the 1985 Ireland team, also has fond memories of Doyle.

"One of the most striking things about him was his outstanding good humour, a true larger-than-life figure. He instilled in a group of young fellas the belief and determination to win a Triple Crown. He was ahead of his time as a coach, structuring the team in such a way as to bring out the best in everyone's talent.

"There is a very strong bond that has lingered from that team and he was central in creating that. He gave eight or nine players their debuts that season, and I suppose Phil Orr, Ciaran Fitzgerald and myself were survivors from the '82 triumph.

"Prior to that, Irish rugby had been very forward-orientated, but he was very good at including people, getting them to contribute to the game plan.

"Everyone felt part of the squad and the enjoyment levels as a result were huge. We'd look forward to going training, never mind playing matches. It's a very sad day."

MOSS KEANE

Moss Keane, a member of the 1982 Triple Crown team and a fellow Kerryman, said: "It's hard to believe. We met just last Saturday at a function in Clongowes Wood college and Mick was Mick - cheerful and gregarious and talking at a million miles an hour.

"The thing about Mick was - and I mean this kindly - he would waffle on at an alarming rate, but when you sat down to think about what he said, it always carried a lot of weight. There was always meaning to the humour and anecdotes.

"I remember first seeing him outside the church after Mass in Castleisland when we were boys. He was about eight years older than me and because of that our rugby paths never really crossed. Still, my father's farm is beside his brother's land and there was a close connection because of that. He always wrote to me or called to give advice before Munster or Irish trials.

"I think he retired in 1968 when I arrived in Dublin. When I retired from Irish rugby in 1984, he came back as coach so we missed out again. Of course, he tried to persuade me to stay on a season but I was having none of it.

"That 1985 team he coached to a Triple Crown was very different in forward play to what I grew up with. I think when you get to the bones of it, Mick Doyle knew the game of rugby inside out.

"It was only in the last 10 years that we began to meet regularly and I suppose we were making a bee-line for each other at functions in the last few years.

"He was great - a true original. You would spend nights in his company and not get a word in edgewise. It is just a very sad day."

JIM GLENNON

Jim Glennon, the former Leinster and Ireland second row, is especially grateful to Doyle, who revived his career seven years after he'd won his first two caps, in 1980.

"He brought me back just prior to the 1987 World Cup and I travelled there, having previously played for him at Leinster.

"I suppose they'd be viewed as the golden time with the province from 1979 through to 1983. Having previously been a selector, he took over as coach in 1979 and Leinster won five interprovincial titles.

"Underneath that careless, almost feckless, exterior was the razor-sharp wit of a very intelligent man. The trust he generated between players and management was a huge step forward both at Leinster and Ireland level. The 'give it a lash' philosophy was a bit simplistic but it suited Mick's mischievous sense of fun. He was a real friend to all the players."

MICHAEL BRADLEY

Michael Bradley, the current Connacht coach and another member of that 1985 Ireland side, said: "It's very sad and I'd like to extend my sympathy to Mandy and family.

"He was full of life with a great personality. He went on gut instinct in terms of players and then set about bringing out the best in them."