Donegal prepares for a visit of the New Zealand rugby team to commemorate the centenary of the first ever All Black captain Dave Gallaher.
At the age of 5 Dave Gallaher emigrated from Ramelton in County Donegal to New Zealand where he went on to become a rugby legend. Gallaher played for New Zealand 36 times, 27 of them as captain.
As part of the centenary celebrations, six of the All Blacks squad are travelling to Donegal to honour Dave Gallaher, their first captain. When the New Zealand rugby team came to tour Britain and Ireland in 1905 and 1906 they were led by the Donegal man.
RTÉ News spoke to Kevin Shields of the Dave Gallaher Society, Jeremy Worth and Denis Faulkner, of the Letterkenny Rugby Club. Kevin Shields explains that in New Zealand, Gallaher is considered to be a legend, having written the definitive book on rugby rules. The hope is that the visit will help to promote rugby in the Letterkenny area. There are also plans for a permanent exhibition and a statue to honour the memory of Dave Gallaher in Ramelton.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 4 November 2005. The reporter is Eileen Magnier.
