O’Reilly And Carmody Named In Lions Backroom Team
Ireland have two representatives in the British & Irish Lions backroom team for the 2013 tour to Australia which was announced today. Logistics officer Ger Carmody and baggage master Patrick ‘Rala’ O’Reilly have both been included in the tourists’ set-up.
Ger Carmody has worked for the IRFU in a variety of roles since 1992, including match manager for Lansdowne Road.
He was appointed as squad administrator for the Ireland squad at the 2003 Rugby World Cup in Australia, being responsible for all logistical issues in the lead up to and during the tournament.
In 2005 he took over as Ireland team manager. He then moved to his current position – IRFU team services manager – where he is responsible for logistics and planning for all Irish representative teams.
‘Rala’, as he is affectionately known, has been Ireland’s baggage master since the 1994/95 season. He has toured every major rugby-playing nation and been part of multiple Rugby World Cups.
The former Terenure College pupil began ‘doing the bag’ for Terenure College RFC around 1983 and he also worked with the Leinster senior squad before joining the national set-up in the mid-1990s.
A father figure and friend to many of the Ireland internationals since then, Rala’s room has been visited by many a player on the eve of a big game. He was baggage master for the 2009 British & Irish Lions, which he said was ‘a dream come true’.
Carmody and O’Reilly will be part of the 2013 Lions operations team headed up by Guy Richardson, who was the squad’s logistics officer for the last tour to South Africa.
2013 BRITISH & IRISH LIONS TOUR MANAGEMENT TEAM:
CEO: John Feehan
Tour Manager: Andy Irvine
Operations –
Director of Tour Operations: Guy Richardson
Logistics Officer: Gerard Carmody
Baggage Master: Patrick O’Reilly (Rala)
Lawyer: Max Duthie
Security –
Head of Security: Neil Strang
Coaching and Conditioning –
Head Coach: Warren Gatland
Assistant Coach: Rob Howley
Assistant Coach: Graham Rowntree
Assistant Coach: Andy Farrell
Head of Strength & Conditioning: Adam Beard
Fitness Coach: Paul Stridgeon
Head of Performance Analysis: Rhys Long
Performance Analyst: Rhodri Bown
Medical –
Head of Medical: Dr James Robson
Physiotherapist: Prav Mathema
Physiotherapist: Phil Pask
Media and Communications –
Head of Media & Communications: Greg Thomas
Media Manager: Dave Barton
Communications Manager: Christine Connolly