PATRICK O’REILLY HAS long been one of the biggest enigmas in Irish rugby.
Better know by his ‘Rala’ nickname, he has served as bagman for the Irish rugby team for nearly 20 years. There has always been something more to him than just an organiser though; there have been glimpses of a genuine character, stories of a man who is a hugely important part of the Irish set-up.
Two Lions tours have only confirmed Rala’s status, with the behind the scenes videos, tweets from players and even a recent YouTube series co-starring Jamie Heaslip confirming that there is indeed wit and humour behind the serious work the Terenure College RFC club man does for Ireland and the Lions.
O’Reilly’s first book hit the shops on Friday the 25th of October and offers insight and unique memories of the time he has spent with some of the biggest names in rugby. The anecdotes and pranks recounted within Rala A Life in Rugby make it a thoroughly entertaining read, and I was greatly excited to have the chance to interview the man himself at the book’s launch in Terenure on Wednesday evening.
My hope was to get a little more insight into Rala, to understand him that bit better. Even after reading the book, there was still a sense of the enigma about the man in my mind. As it turned out, the interview only added to that impression.
I arrived on time for the 6.30pm appointment and was shown into Rala’s changing room for the night, which was in reality was the cloak room of the clubhouse. There was the man himself getting changed into his suit for the occasion and after the introductions, he said he felt like he would “on the eve of the match”.
A small radio was playing ‘pre-match tunes’ as Rala stripped out of his Ireland issue gear with a quick apology. The ironed red rocks with ‘RALA’ printed on them are a sign of the personal touch O’Reilly brings to his profession. He is famed for his attention to detail, always on the ball when players forget gum shields, socks and even their own suits for post-match functions.
Rala is clearly distracted by the night ahead but is kind enough with his time to explain how grateful he is to those who have helped him get the book completed, published and launched. Any questions about himself are deflected with praise of others, and he claims to be “completely overwhelmed by the support from everyone.”
As the crowd starts to build outside, our brief chat comes to a close and Rala readies himself to be the man in the limelight, not a position he has had to assume too often before. It won’t last too long he says, with the Ireland squad convening within the next week. The crowd gathering at Terenure is a mixture of international players, old friends, fellow bagmen and rugby figures from across the country.
It is clear that their delight for Rala on the evening of the book’s launch is genuine and warm. The man is loved everywhere he goes in rugby and although my chance to get to know him wasn’t what I had expected, the impression is only positive.
‘Rala A Life in Rugby’ is in all good bookshops from the 25th October, published by Hachette Ireland.
