Dennis Hunter – Tribute I was lucky enough to encounter Ryhal in 1977, on the field and in the bar at the South Sound rugby club. We were kindred spirits, and were firm friends from the start. When we started to play rugby together, he called me a “jinky wee runner”, as in those days, I was able to side step off my right foot, but not the left. We joked that after two or three of these sidesteps, I would find myself running in the wrong direction. “Turn around you daft little Scotsman”. He always called me Wee Den after that. I have never known anyone else with the charisma of Ryhal. He really was one of a kind. I remember a rugby tour somewhere – we were chatting to some loud but lovely American girls. Having been introduced, they asked again for clarification of his name. He replied “Ryhal – it’s Celtic for tall, good-looking warrior. Don’t worry, you’ll always remember it after this evening”. There are many, many adjectives which could be used to describe Ryhal. Charming, handsome, intelligent, hilarious, quick witted, kind, lovable and you could go on. He was a great orator, and was held in awe by all those who were lucky enough to hear him speak. Guest speakers at the annual rugby club dinner always dreaded speaking after Ryhal as he was such a hard act to follow, and still is. Ryhal and I shared a love of the game of rugby throughout the years of our friendship – we met on the rugby pitch, and even after our playing careers were over, we spent hours analyzing matches past and present. We always had tremendous banter throughout the Six Nations competition on an annual basis, and particularly the Scotland v Ireland fixture. He was a fountain of information about rugby, and was as knowledgeable about Scottish players as he was Irish. As often as possible we watched that fixture together, and he was very tolerant of my tendency to question the parentage of the referee whenever Scotland were at the losing end of a decision – he would just roll his eyes and sigh. I’m very sad that he was unable to join me earlier this year, what would have been our last fixture together, for the usual craic and endless post-match analysis, as he had the flu. Ireland won, of course! Ryhal touched hundreds of lives in different ways, and only a couple of days ago, I met with Claire while I was at Heathrow. Claire had lodged with Ryhal a decade or so ago, had contacted me when she heard of his death, and driven a couple of hours to give me an envelope and some photos to place with Ryhal. She had been in Cayman, under Ryhal’s wing, after her Father died, and she remembered it as the best spell of her life, such was the compassion of the man. Several of us attended her wedding in Aberdeen some years later, as Ryhal walked her up the aisle. He was so proud to have been asked to step in. They both loved the moment, and of course, Ryhal gave a wonderful speech afterwards, and had everyone in stitches. He was over 300lbs at the time, and opened to say he was very glad to be there, having finally won his long battle with anorexia. He would poke fun at others, but was equally quick to make jokes at his own expense. Sadly, Ryhal never had children of his own, but he loved them, and was always quick to ask about mine. He very much enjoyed his time with Alice and Jonah, and he often proudly told me about Jonah’s exploits on the football field – obviously a star in the making, he would say! My daughters loved Ryhal too, and Lindsay wrote to me after she heard of his passing to say “Ryhal was a great guy. Everyone who knew him, loved him, and his witty and blunt humour. I wish it had been easier for him to love himself as much as others did. He will be missed by so many.” Ryhal was a traditionalist, and a charmer. A gentleman who opened doors, and his heart. He would often say “Dennis, my friend, times may change, but standards must remain”, a saying which I have oft repeated. We discussed mortality many times, and he would refer to the “inextricable march to death”. I didn’t think he would be marching there quite so soon. I am fortunate enough to have shared many wonderful times with Ryhal, and I have infinite happy memories. I loved the man, and I am heartbroken at the loss of my best friend. Farewell you tall, good-looking warrior. We’ll be friends beyond forever. Dennis.