He was educated at Belfast High School, and started his club rugby career at North of Ireland. He played for Ulster under-20 in 1983, and Ulster under-23 in 1984. He moved clubs to Malone in 1988, and was first selected for the senior Ulster team in September 1989, becoming a regular for the provincial side.[2][1] He was one of the first players to sign a full-time contract with Ulster when the game went professional.[3] He was part of the Ulster squad that won the 1998–99 Heineken Cup, although he was unavailable for the final.[4]
He was selected in the provisional Ireland squad for the 1991 Rugby World Cup,[1] but did not make his international debut until 1994, against England, at the age of 30.[5] He played for Ireland from 1994 to 1997, winning 17 caps. He was a member of the Ireland squad at the 1995 Rugby World Cup where he played in two matches.[6]
During the amateur era, he worked as a firefighter for the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service. The day before his Ireland debut in 1994, he had attended a fatal car bombing.[7] In 2004 he was appointed Elite Player Development Manager for the Ulster academy.[8] He has worked as a commentator for the BBC and RTÉ.[5] As of March 2022, he lectures in sports management at Ulster University.[7]
