Just heard on RTE 1 News that Brendan Mullin was sentenced to 3 years for that Bank of Ireland case.
Mullin may not have been a genius but he must have been given some habit of work by the Holy Ghost order in Blackrock. Enough at any rate to get him into law in TCD and through that course while he ran and ruggered for Ireland. Like MacNeill a couple of years ahead of him, he went to Oxford for postgrad and it was said that he also planned a career in merchant banking rather than practise law. And so it seemed to have gone.
Yet his pro-bio has him working as a broker initially - not exactly where you'd expect to be with a legal qual from TCD and Ox. Of course, brokers earn commission and have good salaries and bonuses. Still, he never looked the mad-for-money type.
Anyone can get into trouble with money. We all see nice people fairly often doing so. In fact quite a few very nice people can find themselves in trouble moneywise. I wonder do the Rugby Brotherhood really take care of their buddies ? At times, being a good friend really means hard tough love with a person we know who is walking on dangerous ground. Not too many people bother to do so. Far too many let them carry on down the quare road. And a few are glad to see them in trouble: less competition, an easier time professionally and socially for the "survivors" of some or other temptation.
I don't know where it went awry for him - and I certainly do not exempt him from self-responsibility. But I also feel here that questions need to be asked about the depth of human relationships at the higher end of rugby.
Mullin may not have been a genius but he must have been given some habit of work by the Holy Ghost order in Blackrock. Enough at any rate to get him into law in TCD and through that course while he ran and ruggered for Ireland. Like MacNeill a couple of years ahead of him, he went to Oxford for postgrad and it was said that he also planned a career in merchant banking rather than practise law. And so it seemed to have gone.
Yet his pro-bio has him working as a broker initially - not exactly where you'd expect to be with a legal qual from TCD and Ox. Of course, brokers earn commission and have good salaries and bonuses. Still, he never looked the mad-for-money type.
Anyone can get into trouble with money. We all see nice people fairly often doing so. In fact quite a few very nice people can find themselves in trouble moneywise. I wonder do the Rugby Brotherhood really take care of their buddies ? At times, being a good friend really means hard tough love with a person we know who is walking on dangerous ground. Not too many people bother to do so. Far too many let them carry on down the quare road. And a few are glad to see them in trouble: less competition, an easier time professionally and socially for the "survivors" of some or other temptation.
I don't know where it went awry for him - and I certainly do not exempt him from self-responsibility. But I also feel here that questions need to be asked about the depth of human relationships at the higher end of rugby.