It should be noted, for context, that prior to Ryan getting involved, Cork had never won a Munster senior ladies football crown, not to mind an All-Ireland.

He oversaw two separate five-in-a-row All-Ireland winning runs (2005-09 and 2011-15), with 91 players passing through his hands during that time.

One of those was Buckley, who said the Cork players held such respect for Ryan that they were motivated by a desire to never let him down. Such was their domination of the game during his time in charge and how they carried themselves away from the field, it can be safely said they never did.

“First and foremost, he was just a lovely person. He possessed a huge charisma and his ability to connect with people, young and old, was unbelievable, to the point that if you went for dinner after a match, the waitresses were giving him extra biscuits as he had formed a connection with them already. He was a great, great guy and really, really enjoyable company,” remarked the 11-time All-Ireland ladies football winner.

“We aspired never to disappoint Éamonn. He would never have had to shout or roar at us. When he was disappointed, we were all disappointed. There was a bad mood at training if Éamonn was disappointed and that's all that needed to happen for there to be a change of whatever needed to be changed.

Éamonn, without a doubt, would have been the leader of our group. That humility he possessed, we all took our lead from that. As a role model, he was superb to us.

“He always lived by his values. He never let the guard down, not once. If we were on the back field on the Farm or in Áras an Uachtaráin, Éamonn Ryan was still the same person and he still carried himself with the same values at all times.” 

There was, said Buckley, an almost simplistic genius to his coaching.

“There was a huge emphasis on the fundamental skills. He married that with an emphasis on your attitude as a footballer, your workrate as a footballer, and how you conducted yourself and went about your business. Marrying that really good attitude with having your skillset as strong as it could be, that was probably what brought success to his football teams.” 

Ryan’s influence, she stressed, extended far beyond the four white lines of a football field.

“Often when he was talking to us about having that good attitude, he would say, it is not just in football, we need to bring this attitude into our lives, our relationships, and our work.

“The influence he had on us transcended football, it went far beyond that. It went into ourselves as people. That was the very positive influence Eamonn would have had on us as people."

This latter point will form a significant part of his legacy.

“When I think of Éamonn Ryan and legacy, I would think of all the people that he has had such a positive influence on, from the many, many school kids, to the club players, to the inter-county players.

“The amount of influence he has had on so many people, and all of it positive, it is impossible to count. He has been a huge servant, a fantastic person. Huge condolences to his family, but the time that he spent giving to people and giving to sport, we are so grateful for his family to have given us his company for so long and it is something we really, really appreciate and are so grateful for.” 

Another player to line out for Cork under Ryan was Orlagh Farmer, the six-time All-Ireland winner said he was a “true leader” who provided “mentorship and encouragement both on and off the pitch”.

The man who succeeded him as Cork ladies manager in 2016, Ephie Fitzgerald, remarked that Ryan possessed “an unbelievable sporting record” but was above all else “a thorough gentleman”.

The universal respect and admiration for Eamonn was captured by the almost never-ending flow of tributes from players and counties who suffered at Cork’s hands during his time in charge.

Waterford’s Michelle Ryan said he “will forever be one of the greatest managers in Gaelic games”, while Kerry’s Sarah Houlihan, part of the Kingdom team that lost out to Cork in the 2012 final, recalled playing under him during that year’s All-Star trip to Hong Kong.

I was so mesmerised by his team talk I nearly forgot we had to play a game.

Galway LGFA described him as “a hero and a great ambassador of our game, an inspirational leader, and a true gentleman”. The Dublin County Board said he was an “inspirational figure who did so much to develop our sport” President of the LGFA Marie Hickey said Ryan leaves behind an “incredible legacy”.

In the words of the Cork ladies county board, a legend in his own lifetime.