James Ryan will add another storied chapter to his family’s rich history when he leads Ireland out for their Autumn Nations Cup match with England at Twickenham on Saturday.
There could be no more appropriate an opponent for the 24-year-old’s first taste of captaining his country at senior level after getting the chance due to Johnny Sexton being injured.
For the second row forward’s great-grandfather, also called James Ryan, was a medical officer for the Irish Volunteers who rebelled against British rule in the 1916 Easter Rising.
He survived and was briefly imprisoned although many of the rebellion’s leaders were executed.
“Since he was one of the younger men in the GPO (General Post Office in Dublin) and given the fact he was a doctor as well, they thought if the British guards stormed the building they might spare him,” Ryan recalled in 2018.
“So, Thomas Clarke (one of the leaders who was subsequently executed) was kind of telling him the story of why the Rising took place and who was a part of it so if they were all killed and he survived he’d be able to tell that story.
“I always found that fascinating.”
So fascinating that Ryan’s history project for his school leaving exams was on him as he interviewed his grandparents, parents and others who had known him.
“I love Irish revolutionary history,” said Ryan.
“I love learning about the Easter Rising and the Troubles.
“I was also learning about Irish emigration during the famine, that was fascinating too.”
His great-grandfather went on to enjoy a highly successful political career serving as a minister in several Fianna Fail governments.
A photograph of his great-grandfather, lined up with the first members of the Irish Parliament in 1919, hangs in the family home.
- ‘A pretty unique man’ -
The Leinster second row forward — who studied for a History and Politics degree — is immensely proud of his ancestor.
Had his great-grandfather lived, the feeling would have been reciprocated.
Anheuser-Busch thinks that the best games console is one that can also store a couple of cans of the cold stuff. The brewery is launching BL6, a gaming PC in the shape of a six-pack with a built-in projector and, naturally, a couple of koozies to keep your light beers cold. Never one to say no to a techy marketing stunt, it’s the latest in a long series of gadgets and gizmos created by the beer brand.
“I have a night off from the hospital. As I’m on my couch with my dog I can’t help but think of the Covid patients the last few days. The ones that stick out are those who still don’t believe the virus is real,” Doering wrote in a Saturday tweet.
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