- Date of Birth04 / 06 / 1952
- Lions Tours1983
- International CapsIreland / Lions
- Lions Origin SchoolsGarbally College Ballinasloe
- Lions Origin ClubsBarbarians, University College Galway, Loughrea, St Marys College, Connacht
Ciaran Fitzgerald captained the Lions on their 1983 Tour to New Zealand – starting all four Tests against the All Blacks and making 11 appearances in total.
Born in Loughrea, Galway, Fitzgerald was a talented boxer and hurler in his youth before opting to focus on rugby.
Having represented University College Galway and St. Mary’s College in Dublin, the hooker captained Ireland to Five Nations glory in 1983 – after skippering them to the Triple Crown the previous year.
Fitzgerald’s impressive leadership in those Ireland successes prompted manager Willie John McBride and coach Jim Telfer to hand him the Lions captaincy for the 1983 Tour.
The Lions would ultimately lose the Test series 4-0 to the All Blacks but Fitzgerald went on to skipper Ireland to another Triple Crown in 1985 before winning his final cap against Scotland at Lansdowne Road a year later.
Following his retirement from playing, he served as Ireland head coach between 1990 and 1992 – leading them to the quarter-finals of the 1991 World Cup.