text: A Munster statement said O'Connell, 36, would provide "invaluable technical expertise and advice" to the Irish province's next generation of players.
  "Every club in the world would love to have an iconic figure such as Paul O'Connell involved in their set-up," said Munster chief Garret Fitzgerald.
  O'Connell made 174 Munster appearances and earned 108 Ireland caps.
  "As a Limerick native and proud Munster and Irishman who has played and led teams for Munster, Ireland and the Lions, we were very eager to secure his services in some capacity," added Fitzgerald.
  "An appointment such as this is a further boost to our academy staff and young players, and to the organisation as a whole."
  The Limerick man, who played on three British & Irish Lions tours, was forced to retire from the game in February after being unable to recover from serious hamstring injury sustained at last year's World Cup.
  The injury meant that O'Connell was forced to cancel his contract with French club Toulon.
  Former Lions captain O'Connell spent 14 seasons at Munster and helped the province win two European Cup titles and three Celtic Leagues.
  O'Connell was also part of Ireland's Grand Slam winning team in 2009 and captained his country to successive Six Nations titles in 2014 and 2015.
  Munster have appointed former South African international Johan 'Rassie' Erasmus as their Director of Rugby for next season with Anthony Foley's job title remaining as head coach.
target: Munster great Paul O'Connell will work with the province's academy in a part-time mentoring role over the next year.