Educated at Belvedere College and Royal College of Surgeons, he went on to play for Old Belvedere RFC and gained the first of his 25 Ireland caps as a hooker in 1947 against France. He had previously appeared for Ireland in the uncapped games against France, England, Wales and Scotland in 1946.

Mullen was first choice for the 1948 Five Nations Championship and while Ernie Strathdee captained Ireland for the opening game against France, Mullen took over for the remainder of the tournament. Under his captaincy Ireland won a famous Triple Crown and Ireland's first ever Grand Slam victory. It was a fitting tribute that he and the rest of the surviving members of the 1948 team were able to witness the Ireland team repeat the feat in the 2009 Six Nations Championship.

Speaking about the famous victory at Ravenhill, Dr. Mullen said, "We were tense and anxious, yet I knew and the players knew we could win. Every man had his say, it was an important part of the pre-match preparations in a side whose hallmark was team spirit."

He led Ireland to a second Triple Crown in 1949 and was also selected as captain for the British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand and Australia in 1950, playing in 17 games on the tour, including three test matches. At the end of his playing career, he continued to be involved in the game and had a noted administrative career which included serving as President of the Leinster Branch (1963/64) and also as Chairman of the Irish selectors.

He died in 2009 after a long illness.

Scrum Staff