Heard today from Metchy that Shane passed away yesterday.  It is less than a year since he discovered that he had Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease.  I attended Shane's 50th in Dublin in July - great craic despite being not long after he had been diagnosed, and I saw him for about an hour in Richmond in September. In July he was still walking, with help, but in September he was no longer able to do so.  We had a great old chat about the old days - I had shared rooms with Shane in College when we ran the rugby cub - and also about how important it was to ensure that your family and your dreams remained the most important things in your life.  So not unexpected news but still very sad.  He was a good bloke.