Pat Geraghty was always there. Through a decade at Leinster in the crossover days to professional rugby. Followed by thirteen years at Munster with a short break only to pop up at the London Olympics, his was a sure hand behind the stories that illustrated some golden moments in Irish Rugby.
His passing yesterday, after a long battle with illness, has been mourned by all those who knew him within the world of Irish sport and they are many.
Geraghty was media manager with both provinces and was a regular at the shoulder of O’Connell, O’Gara, O’Callaghan and all those who made up that double Heineken Cup winning Munster team.
He understood what media wanted and what the players wanted to give and struck a great balance between the two.
Alan English shared a great anecdote from his book on Munster yesterday via Twitter.
Saddened by Pat Geraghty’s death, RIP.
Story here from my book Our Road to Glory which kind of sums up what he brought to Munster’s set-up pic.twitter.com/HEr7flqN1j— Alan English (@AlanEnglish9) September 19, 2017
Pat was a regular reader of our Sport for Business digest and attended a number of our events. Always quick to praise when he thought we had done something right, he was equally never slow to advise when he thought we had missed the mark.
We will miss his presence now. Our thoughts go out to his wife Kathy Sheridan of the Irish Times and his daughters Sarah, also in the PR business, and Mary Kate fresh from another great display at the Electric Picnic.
He lived life well and left behind memories that we will cherish. What more can you say at the end of a life that came far too young.
Pat Geraghty’s funeral mass will take place on Thursday morning in his native Celbridge.
Ar dheis dé go raibh a anam.
Image credit Inpho Dan Sheridan
