Tribute from Peter Anderson When we were preparing to come to Cayman in 1981, one of my rugby mates told me to "look up a "Ryhal Gallagher" he used to play for Collegians and has been living out there for a while." My first reaction was what sort of a name is Ryhal…. nobody is called Ryhal in Northern Ireland…. most people wouldn’t be able to spell it or know how to pronounce it …..hence everybody knew him “Cigsy” (Gallaghers was a popular cigarette in those days). In my first reds v greens game in South Sound, I asked about a "Cigsy” but got no response. I didn’t think much about it, confident I would catch him another time. 20 minutes into the game I was getting up from a ruck when a large knee hit me in the back and a voice close to my ear said “Nobody calls me Cigsy here. I don’t like it. Never call me that again”. Later in the game Ryhal took a peel from a line out. I saw it coming and spear tackled him. After listening to his grunts as he was winded, I whispered to him “hey Cigsy that’s for the knee in the back earlier” He laughed told me to where to go!“ That was the start of a 35 year old friendship and I never called him Cigsy again. Rhyal was a great..often larger than life character. He was a fantastic entertainer whether in the Rugby Club, at the bar or at a party and would always have people around him as he regaled them with his jokes, anecdotes and rugby stories. He had data base of jokes in his head and if you told a joke on a particular subject he was sure to have a quick fire series on the same subject. He also had an encyclopedic knowledge about rugby and could talk to old and young about games and players past and present. When he combined this knowledge with his humour and quick wit he was a natural Master of Ceremonies for the Rugby Club dinners for many years. With no internet or social media in those days, he spent hours and hours researching the visiting speakers, and by adding comment on local rugby players and even politicians his speeches were informative, witty and memorable. He often used me as a sounding board (read censor) but you could never be sure just what would happen if he was heckled. Many of us enjoyed his pre and post Rugby dinner parties - famous for his generosity and hospitality. I’m sure many of you can recall such evenings…... or maybe you can’t. We shared a common bond, both being from Ulster, and enjoyed years of fierce banter at the club…each comforted that the other had his back when having to stand up for the Ulstermen. We had many differences which provided fodder for lively debate…he had been a boarder at Methodist College Belfast (one of the old enemies) and he supported Man Utd. It was great craic when he came to our house to watch rugby or football or tennis and he never came empty handed. Once he brought a very special honey and the croissants were vacuum sealed because he had had to buy them the day before. Unfortunately as time passed and his personal life changed he became much more pensive and reclusive. He had his demons and at times it was hard to even get him out of the house. However, a prompt to Paige and she was always able to persuade him to come for a haircut. On a more recent tour to watch Ireland play in Italy the old Ryhal returned and Spike saw first-hand the fun he could be. They also share a passion for food and cooking, and Ryhal would regularly spend time on the phone discussing …well I don’t really know what …but between them they have just about every kitchen gadget worth having. He was a good friend to our family and we were happy he came to Cath and Spikes weddings and that he made the effort to celebrate our 60/30 significant birthdays with us. We will miss our Christmas gift exchange…a jar of very special cranberry sauce for a loaf of wheaten bread and a fruit soda. He was a hard man on the rugby field and an incredible softie off it. He thought all women were beautiful and faultless and it often cost him dearly. He thrived in his role as a carer for Alice and Jonah and was devastated when it came to an end. I could never get him to sort out his affairs or organise himself. He would listen to advice but never seemed to act on it. At times you wanted to shake him into action but I loved the guy. He was a big man with a big heart. I will miss seeing his messy kitchen; him telling me how lucky I was that Valerie had not left me for him. I will miss watching him eat mountains of food. I will miss the old jokes being told over and over again, the emails putting the world to right, him telling me how stupid and naive I am but most of all I will miss the phone calls. No matter where we were... if we hadn’t watched the match together then as soon as it was over the phone would ring and the real rugby coach of Ireland or Ulster would take over telling me who was good and who was bad and what needed to be done. I loved it... somebody I could rant and rave to at length who was as interested as I was. Ryhal, you need to sort out the phones wherever you are. Ulster are not doing too well and I would like you to call me. I miss you, your loyal, loyalist friend. xx