James Ryan has never had to look far for inspiration on his road to becoming a Lion.
The Dubliner comes from a family of rugby players, while his lineage stretches back to the heart of the 1916 Easter Rising.
It has helped the 28-year-old become one of the leading second rows around ahead of his first British & Irish Lions Tour this summer.
Here is how he got there.
RUGBY ROOTS
Born in Blackrock, one of the hearts of Irish rugby, Ryan was perhaps destined to reach the game’s upper echelons.
His father, Mark, played for Leinster and Lansdowne RFC where Ryan first learned to play the game alongside twin brother Mark after a brief dalliance with Gaelic football.
Ryan learned his trade at St Michael’s College, where he was two years the senior of fellow Lion and Ireland international Rónan Kelleher – and he has continued to lean on dad, one of the biggest sources of knowledge throughout his career.
“[Rugby] may have moved on in terms of what he experienced but he’s still somebody that I’d turn to for advice, not just rugby but in everything,” he told The 42.ie.
Ryan stood out at youth level, where he captained Ireland at both under-18 and under-20 level and joined Leinster’s academy.
The second row was captain as Ireland reached the final of the World Rugby Under 20 Championship in 2016 alongside fellow future Lions Andrew Porter and Hugo Keenan, where they ultimately lost to an England side containing Will Stuart.
He also led his country to a first-ever win at under-20 level against New Zealand at the same tournament.
Ryan’s time in the Leinster academy was brief despite his struggles with injury, as the lock earned a maiden senior contract for the 2017-2018 season after completing one year in the academy.
IRELAND’S CALL
Ryan’s rise took a leap when he made his Ireland debut in June 2017 having not made an senior appearance for Leinster.
The second row joined the likes of Brian O’Driscoll in having achieved the feat, a reflection of the esteem in which is talents were held.
He made an immediate impact, scoring a debut try against the USA and has been a central part of the Ireland squad since.
Ryan started four of the five matches as Ireland complete a Grand Slam in the 2018 Six Nations, and was part of the 2019 Rugby World Cup squad.
His performances were recognised when he was named both the Irish Rugby Players’ Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year in 2019.
He captained his country for the first time at senior level against England in 2020, and was later named Leinster captain for the 2023-24 season alongside Garry Ringrose.
The 2018 Grand Slam was the first of three Six Nations titles Ryan has to his name, with the lock a key part of the back-to-back victories in 2023 and 2024 – the former also a Grand Slam – under the leadership of Andy Farrell.
RISING TO BE A LION
Ryan’s leadership qualities are unsurprising given his family history.
The Dubliner’s great-grandfather, James Ryan, was part of the 1916 Easter Rising in Ireland, where he served as a medical officer at the GPO, the heart of the uprising.
His great-grandfather would go on to play a prominent role in Irish politics in the early years of the newly independent state as a founding member of Fianna Fáil, and served in several ministerial roles in government.
“I studied history and politics in college,” Ryan told The Times. “Having that link and hearing those stories growing up probably sparked that interest.
“My great-grandfather wrote about that time; how he and the other men were feeling; how he assisted James Connolly [during the Easter Rising], who was seriously injured.
“He had several sisters who were arguably more impressive than he was. Members of Cumann na mBan, Irish speakers, very strong-willed women. One of them, Nell Ryan, was a hunger striker in jail. Really, really accomplished women.”
He told The 42.ie: “Thomas Clarke was kind of telling him the story of why the Rising took place and who was a part of it so that if they were all killed and he survived he’d be able to tell that story. I always found that fascinating.
“I love Irish revolutionary history. I was also learning about Irish emigration during the famine, that was fascinating too.”
A DREAM FULFILLED
Ryan’s maiden Lions call-up caps a glittering career that has seen him establish himself as one of the finest operators around in the second row.
The 28-year-old notably missed out in 2021 but has been one of Andy Farrell’s most trusted lieutenants for Ireland, and will now hope to assume the same role in red Down Under this summer.
There, Ryan will have the chance to play in front of family who emigrated to Australia as well as a number of Ryans making the trip from Ireland.
“It is special, it is a huge honour for us all,” he said. “Not only us, but our families and our club. It is something we are very excited for.
“I have family over there that are Australian, they live in Sydney, and please God my family and my girlfriend will be travelling over. It’s a once-in-a-career thing, it is pretty special.”
Ryan is one of three Irish locks selected alongside countrymen Tadhg Beirne and Joe McCarthy, and while he was one of the expected names in Farrell’s squad, revealed it was still an agonising wait to discover his fate.
He added: “You are watching the TV and you find out at the same time as everyone else. I was quite far down the list so there was a bit of waiting, but when I was called out it was amazing.
“I was with my mum and my younger brother; it was cool to share the moment with them.”
