Brendan John Mullin (born

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

, 31 October 1963) is a former

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

international rugby union football player. He played as a centre.

Profile

Mullin spent his early life in Jerusalem, Israel and attended secondary school in

Blackrock College Blackrock College ( ga, Coláiste na Carraige Duibhe) is a voluntary day and boarding Catholic secondary school for boys aged 13–18, in Williamstown, Blackrock, County Dublin, Ireland. It was founded by French missionary Jules Leman in 186 ...

, Dublin. A

Leinster Leinster ( ; ga, Laighin or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, situated in the southeast and east of Ireland. The province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige. Following the 12th-century Norman invasion of ...

and Ireland schoolboy international, Mullin studied law at

Trinity College Dublin , name_Latin = Collegium Sanctae et Individuae Trinitatis Reginae Elizabethae juxta Dublin , motto = ''Perpetuis futuris temporibus duraturam'' (Latin) , motto_lang = la , motto_English = It will last i ...

and also earned Rugby blues whilst studying at

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to th ...

. Mullin was a noted hurdler, winning the All-Ireland Schools senior boys’ hurdles in 1981 and 1982 and with a personal best of 14.41 seconds for the 110m hurdles.

Rugby career

Mullin had 55 caps for

, scoring 17 tries and 1 conversion, 72 points in aggregate. His debut was at the 16–9 loss to Australia, on 10 November 1984, in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...

, and his final cap was at the 36–12 loss against

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

, on 10 June 1995, at the

1995 Rugby World Cup The 1995 Rugby World Cup was the third Rugby World Cup. It was hosted and won by South Africa, and was the first Rugby World Cup in which every match was held in one country. The World Cup was the first major sporting event to take place in Sou ...

, in

Durban Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

. Mullin played at three

Rugby World Cup The Rugby World Cup is a men's rugby union tournament contested every four years between the top international teams. The tournament is administered by World Rugby, the sport's international governing body. The winners are awarded the Webb E ...

finals, in 1987, 1991 and 1995. He played in 9 Five Nations championships: 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992 and 1995. He toured Australia in 1989 with the

British and Irish Lions The British & Irish Lions is a rugby union team selected from players eligible for the national teams of England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. The Lions are a test side and most often select players who have already played for their national ...

and at the time played club rugby for

Blackrock College RFC Blackrock College Rugby Football Club is a rugby union club located in Blackrock, Dublin, Ireland. The club was founded in 1882 by former pupils of Blackrock College. Their senior team currently plays in Division 2A of the All-Ireland League ...

. Mullin also played 3 times for the

Barbarians A barbarian (or savage) is someone who is perceived to be either uncivilized or primitive. The designation is usually applied as a generalization based on a popular stereotype; barbarians can be members of any nation judged by some to be les ...

in the 1980s.

Alleged criminal activity

Mullin was arrested in Dublin on 21 September 2021, and brought before the Dublin District Court on the same day on foot of an investigation by the

Garda National Economic Crime Bureau The Garda National Economic Crime Bureau (GNECB; formerly Garda Bureau of Fraud Investigation/GBFI) – informally known as the ''Fraud Squad'' – is a specialised division of Ireland's national police force, the Garda Síochána, that investig ...

. He was charged with nine counts of theft under the Theft and Fraud Offences Act, accusing him of stealing €578,000 from Bank of Ireland between 2011 and 2013. He was also accused of deceiving two people to sign a payment instruction to make a gain for himself or causing a loss to another, and with five counts of false accounting. He made no comment when informed of the charges. He was released on

bail Bail is a set of pre-trial restrictions that are imposed on a suspect to ensure that they will not hamper the judicial process. Bail is the conditional release of a defendant with the promise to appear in court when required. In some countrie ...

of his own bond of €10,000 (£8,584) and agreed to surrender his passport. At an appearance before the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on 17 February 2022, a trial date was set for 7 May 2024. The case is expected to take three weeks.

References

1963 births Living people Irish rugby union players Ireland international rugby union players British & Irish Lions rugby union players from Ireland Leinster Rugby players London Irish players Blackrock College RFC players Rugby union centres Sportspeople from Jerusalem People educated at Blackrock College {{Ireland-rugbyunion-bio-stub