30/05/2023
Dave Gallaher - born in Ramelton.
Dave Gallaher
NEW ZEALAND ALL BLACK
David 'Dave' Gallaher (30 October 1873 – 4 October 1917) was a New Zealand rugby union footballer, best known as the captain of "The Originals", the first New Zealand national rugby union team to be known as the All Blacks.
Born in Ramelton, Co Donegal, Dave's family emigrated to New Zealand in 1878. Originally settling in Katikati in the Bay of Plenty, they moved to Auckland in the 1890s and it was there that Gallaher played his provincial rugby.
Dave Gallaher played 26 representative matches for Auckland, including the first ever Ranfurly Shield defence, and 36 for the All Blacks, including 6 tests. His All Black career spanned from 1903 to 1906, the highlight being the captaincy of the "Originals" tour in which he played 26 matches including 4 tests. Gallaher proved to be an outstanding leader and one of the deepest thinkers of the game in his era.
Dave Gallaher fought in the Boer War serving as a corporal in the 6th and 10th New Zealand Contingents of Mounted Rifles. Although exempt from conscription due to his age, he also volunteered to fight in World War I, and apparently altered his date of birth to 31 October 1876. He saw action at Ypres, and was killed during the Passchendaele offensive on 4 October 1917. He is buried at Nine Elms Cemetery, Poperinge, where his gravestone bears the silver fern. Two of his brothers were also killed in France.
