Giles, much more than a great player

There was something beautiful about watching Johnny Giles singing the national anthem in his armchair on RTÉ on Monday night. As a child of the 1970s, I can appreciate his brilliance but this documentary also revealed his humility, self-awareness, honesty and the high regard in which he is held.

‘I didn’t want to be a star – I wanted to be a great player,’ he said. He was a great player, perhaps our best. The real joy, though, for me was his modesty. He has always been a man of the people.

I saw him in Lansdowne Road in the late 1990s. I went up to him with my young son, and said: ‘Can I introduce my son to Ireland’s greatest-ever player?’ He said: ‘Ah, I wouldn’t say that, now.’

Humility and greatness are irregular bedfellows. Johnny managed both and we are proud of him. Ger Corrigan, Castletroy, Co. Limerick.