Ronan O'Gara revealed he dreams of one day coaching Ireland as he received the freedom of Cork City on Thursday afternoon.
O'Gara paid tribute to the people of Cork after being given highest the civic honour that can be bestowed by the city council, thanking them for lifting him to the heights he has achieved in a sparkling career.
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The Racing 92 defence coach won two Heineken Cups in the red of Munster, and was pivotal to his country's 2009 Grand Slam glory, as well Triple Crowns in '04, '06 and '07.
"It’s a Cork award," O'Gara told RTÉ after joining US Presidents John F Kennedy and Woodrow Wilson, former British Prime Minister John Major, former Taoiseach Jack Lynch, Sonia O'Sullivan, Roy Keane and Seán Óg Ó hAilpín as freemen of the city.
"I was on my knees plenty of times throughout my career and the people of Cork picked me up. I’ve a special bond with them.
I can remember numerous occasions when i was at a low point and they pushed me and the team over the line.
"The most important thing is that they respect me and I respect them. It wouldn’t have been possible for me to have got where I got without them.
"I can remember numerous occasions when I was at a low point and they pushed me and the team over the line.
"They were special days, but Cork is a special sporting city. Even though I wake up every morning in Paris, nothing has changed. I still have the same values, I still represent Cork. I’m still really keen to do the best I can for Cork."
O'Gara has been added to the Ireland management team for a short stint in June ahead of a summer tour to the USA and a Test against the Eagles in New Jersey.
The 40-year-old will be joined by Leinster’s Girvan Dempsey and Munster’s Felix Jones, and he admitted eventually leading his country is his ultimate ambition.
"If you’re ambitious, that’s always where you’d like to end up," he said.
"It’s a really ambitious thought plan, but if you don’t aim for it you won’t get there, so of course it's in the back of my head, but coaching is a bit of a marathon. You have to learn so many other skills that you don't need as a player. I’m enjoying the journey.
"Of course it’s in my head to try and come back at some time to try and coach in Munster and Ireland, but you’ve got to earn that. Because you had a big name as a player that doesn't mean anything."
