All Ireland League Spotlight by Mark Strange

Nineteen months ago. A time when lock-ins were a thing before lockdowns ever were and the only time you wore a mask was at Halloween. If one lets the mind dwell on it too long, it would get a tad overwhelming just how different the world is and how much we have been through since the last round of All Ireland League fixtures were played.

Club rugby in Ireland has suffered greatly in this time and needs all the support it can get as it rises like a phoenix from the ashes. As I have mentioned in a podcast previously, while professional rugby and all of the glitz and glamour that comes with it is a real spectacle, there is something about leaning over the advertising hoardings close to the action followed by a pint and a bowl of stew in the clubhouse after the game that really hits different. 

For these clubs, local provincial action is all that they have seen since the beginning of the pandemic and even that has been fractured and disrupted so to return to AIL action after last year’s ultimately-doomed attempts at a restart will be like Christmas coming early for so many involved in the club game up and down the country. 

With that all being said, to say that this weekend is the first All Ireland League action since the pandemic is false as the women’s AIL got underway last weekend. The standout result of the newly-expanded 10-team competition was victory for Ballincolig over Suttonians in their AIL debut. There were also wins for Railway Union, Old Belvedere and UL Bohemians.

This week, Ballincolig make the long journey from Cork to Belfast to take on Cooke, Galwegians host Bohs and Malone visit Old Belvedere at Ollie Campbell Park. Railway Union welcome Wicklow to Park Avenue while Suttonians take on Blackrock. It is sure to be another unpredictable and exciting weekend. 

Back to the men’s’ game and the afore-mentioned Ollie Campbell Park will host the first game of the weekend on Friday night as Belvo host Naas in Division 1B. That game kicks off at 8pm and will be shown live on Old Belvedere TV on YouTube. 

The action in Division 1A gets underway on Saturday afternoon and the standout fixture is at the back pitch at the Aviva Stadium as Lansdowne host Cork Constitution. Con were a perfect 14 for 14 before the 2019/20 season was cut short and are the current holders having lifted the 1A title in 2019. 

Terenure had a big recruitment drive over the summer and travel to The Mardyke to take on UCC with the likes of former Leinster men Jordan Coghlan and Cathal Marsh in their ranks – the former coming off stints with Leicester and Nottingham and the latter returns from the US after a spell with MLR side Rugby United New York. 

There is a Dublin derby at Castle Avenue as Clontarf host UCD while Garryowen travel to College Park to take on Dublin University. The final game in 1A sees a Munster v Ulster clash at Tom Clifford Park as Young Munster welcome Ballynahinch. 

Division 1B has a mouthwatering set of fixtures to kick things off on top of the Friday night lights opener. City of Armagh make the trip to County Down to take on Banbridge in an Ulster derby while Malone welcome Navan to Gibson Park. Old Wesley v Shannon at Donnybrook is a classic AIL fixture while last year’s pace-setters Highfield take on a St. Mary’s side looking to return to the top table of Irish club rugby.

Division 2A is full of sleeping giants as you can see from the fixture list as a couple of provincial derbies are the highlight. In Munster, UL Bohs host Dolphin while in Ulster Queen’s University welcome Ballymena to the Dub. Elsewhere, Old Crescent visit Hatrick Park to tackle Rainey Old Boys, Nenagh Ormond take on MU Barnhall and in Athlone, Buccanneers welcome Cashel to Dubarry Park.

In Division 2B, it’s Belfast Harlequins v Malahide; Blackrock College v Galway Corinthians; Galwegians v Ballina; Greystones v Dungannon and Sligo v Wanderers. Division 2C’s opening weekend looks like this – Bangor v Bruff; Enniscorthy v Midleton; Skerries v Omagh; Sunday’s Well v Clonmel and, last but far from least, Tullamore v City of Derry.

What a weekend in store for rugby fans across the four provinces. 573 days (but who’s counting) since the last men’s AIL fixture, here we are. Bars are getting stocked, changing rooms brushed, boots cleaned and gum shields molded. Club rugby is back and, boy, are we glad to see it. 

Mark did some excellent club rugby profiles for us earlier in the year - click here to check them out

MEN'S AIL DIVISION 1A

Saturday, October 2

CLONTARF V UCD

DUBLIN UNIVERSITY V GARRYOWEN

LANSDOWNE V CORK CONSTITUTION

UCC V TERENURE COLLEGE

YOUNG MUNSTER V BALLYNAHINCH

WOMEN'S AIL DIVISION 1

Friday, September 24

WICKLOW 0-63 OLD BELVEDERE

Saturday, September 25

BLACKROCK COLLEGE 11-25 RAILWAY UNION

MALONE 25-17 GALWEGIANS

BALLINCOLLIG 14-13 SUTTONIANS

UL BOHEMIAN 46-12 COOKE

Saturday, October 2

GALWEGIANS V UL BOHEMIANS

COOKE V BALLINCOLLIG

OLD BELVEDERE V MALONE

RAILWAY UNION V WICKLOW

SUTTONIANS V BLACKROCK COLLEGE

Mark Strange (@realmarkstrange) : I am a freelance sports writer who has been published in soccer, rugby and baseball. I am also an avid fan of ice hockey and just returned last year from a year living and working in Vancouver. I previously played and was PRO for Randalstown Rugby Club before a knee injury cut me down in my prime! I became a Leinster fan when I was younger due to a certain Felipe Contempomi and I am the only blue in a sea of white in Ulster.

*****

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Click "Write for us" in the sidebar to find out how.

Podcast 3.08 : "Preseason Pod Series #6" - Women's Rugby feat. @IrishWomens and Men's Club Rugby featuring @realmarkstrange

Listen to the pod using the player above or better still,

subscribe to our feed we're on most major platforms

For this 6th and final of our preseason pods I wanted to look at a couple of areas which have always needed more exposure anyway yet were even more affected by the COVID disruption, namely the Women’s game as well as men’s club rugby - I have two guests lined up who are perfect for setting the scene for the upcoming campaign.

Follow @IrishWomens on Twitter > https://twitter.com/IrishWomens

Follow Mark Strange on Twitter > https://twitter.com/realmarkstrange

Check out Mark's excellent profiles on Irish clubs here > http://www.harpinonrugby.net/2021/07/irish-club-rugby-profiles-by-mark.html

Irish Club Rugby Profiles by Mark Strange : Part 17 - Dolphin RFC

Part 17

DOLPHIN RFC

This week we take a trip to Cork to look at one of the most uniquely-named clubs in Irish and world rugby in Dolphin RFC.  The origins of their name came from the Dolphin Swimming Club in the city as it was members from the club who founded the rugby club in 1902 with the aim of giving members a winter pursuit.

The club’s first trophy was won in 1913 with the capture of the Munster Junior Cup and, a year later, admission to the Senior ranks of Munster Rugby was applied for and granted but the outbreak of the Great War meant this would have to wait. 

In its early years, the club was slightly nomadic, starting at Ferry Walk, which later became UCC’s grounds at The Mardyke before moving to Church Road in 1913 where they remained for eight years. A move to Ballintemple Village followed where changing and social facilities were provided by Murphy’s Pub around a quarter of a mile from the pitch. A move to their current home at Musgrave Park came about in 1942 and they have stayed put ever since. 

A first Senior Cup was won in 1921 and in their first season at Musgrave, Dolphin won an unprecedented clean sweep capturing the Munster Senior and Junior Cup and the Cork Junior and Minor League and Cup doubles. 

On the international scene, the club has been well-represented throughout the years from Michael Bradley who was the club’s first international in 1920 and first Lion four years later to the present-day where the Scannell brothers, Niall and Rory don both the red of Munster and green of Ireland having worn the navy and yellow of Dolphin. They are the first Munster siblings to play together for Ireland in the professional era.

Other notable internationals include Michael Kiernan - who joins Bradley and JS McCarthy as men who have represented the British and Irish Lions while playing for Dolphin - Terry Kingston, Tomas O’Leary and James Cronin. Former Ireland coach Declan Kidney played out half and coached the club too as he followed in Mick Doyle’s footsteps as clubmen who coached Ireland.

It is not just Irish internationals who have come through the ranks too as both John Quill and Paddy Ryan have represented USA and, in 2019, Jussi Viljanen captained Finland and Albert Fronek was capped by the Czech Republic.  A diverse club indeed!

After tremendous success following their move to Musgrave Park, the club went through something of a barren spell in the second half of the 20th Century with a Munster Senior League in 1973 and a couple of Cork Junior Leagues early in that decade the only real notable success until the nineties. Dolphin were not founder members of the All Ireland League in 1990 but won the Senior League that season, earning admission to Division 2 where they remained until 1997. That season saw promotion to Division 1 as well as the 2nd and 3rd XV winning League and Cup doubles in what was the most successful year for the club since that famous inaugural season at Musgrave Park. 

However, what followed was a bit of yo-yoing as they were immediately relegated but, in the club’s centenary year, won Division 2. It was another brief stay but they bounced back two years later and, in 2009, finished in the top 8 in Division 1 meaning they would play in the top division (1A) in the restructured AIL. 

A year later, they finished third which represents the club’s highest ever position in the All Ireland League. Since then they have fallen to Division 2A where head coach Brian Scott and Director of Rugby John Aherne will be looking to climb the divisions again at Musgrave (Irish Independent) Park. 

For more information check out the Dolphin RFC website here

Links to previous profiles...

Clontarf RFC, Dublin University, UCD, Lansdowne, 

Terenure, St Mary's, Blackrock, Old Belvedere, 

Cork Con, Buccaneers, Ballymena RFC, Garryowen, 

Old Wesley, UCC RFC, Banbridge RFC, Navan RFC

Mark Strange (@realmarkstrange) : I am a freelance sports writer who has been published in soccer, rugby and baseball. I am also an avid fan of ice hockey and just returned last year from a year living and working in Vancouver. I previously played and was PRO for Randalstown Rugby Club before a knee injury cut me down in my prime! I became a Leinster fan when I was younger due to a certain Felipe Contempomi and I am the only blue in a sea of white in Ulster.

*****

Want to see your own rugby opinions on the web?

Click "Write for us" in the sidebar to find out how.

Series lead photo taken from tallaghtrugby.com

Irish Club Rugby Profiles by Mark Strange : Part 16 - Navan RFC

Part 16

NAVAN RFC

This week we will travel to County Meath to take a look at Navan RFC. The club was founded in 1924 and its original home was at the County Show Grounds as one of the founding members, Willie Sullivan, was President of the Meath Agricultural Society. These grounds were shared with Navan O’Mahonys GAA club. From these humble beginnings, the club won its first trophy with the 1929 Ryan Midland Cup. A few years later, they reached their first Towns Cup final but lost out narrowly to Carlow who kicked a last-minute penalty. This pioneering team was captained by Pappy Russell and managed by WM Kirk. 

The club struggled in the years just before and after World War Two which culminated in losing its grounds and pavilion in 1962. This was very nearly the death knell for rugby in Navan but the club was able to purchase grounds on the Dublin Road and opened their new facilities at Balreask Old two years later. This was thanks in large part to some of the most sought-after social events in the country including the St. Stephen’s Day game and social event with big clubs such as Wanderers, Lansdowne and Clontarf providing opposition.

The 60s was actually a very fruitful decade for the club with six McGowan Cups and three Towns Cups while making two more finals of the latter in 1970 and 71. However what followed was a rather barren spell. The trophy-less spell was broken with a 1981 McGowan Cup success. 

The 70s was not all negative as the club formed a youth section which formed the foundation for future success. In 1988, another Towns Cup was won and the club contested some of their first Senior games before winning the Towns Cup again in 1990. 13 of the 15 that played that day came through the youth section which, combined with the modern and scientific coaching methods introduced by the likes of Dick Brady, Leo Finlay and Michael Murray, was bearing fruit for the club. 

Navan retained the title the following year with a victory over Athy before Carlow dominated Leinster Junior rugby, disposing of Navan in the 1997 Towns Cup final and subsequently winning promotion to the All-Ireland League. The end of the 21st Century was an eventful one as another Towns Cup was captured in 1999 in the same year a state-of-the-art clubhouse was completed. It was officially opened in April 2000 by IRFU President Bill Lavery and comprised of three floors with changing rooms, a weights room, medical room and a bar and function room.

The Towns Cup was retained in 2000 as ex-Queensland and Australia U21 captain John Mulvihill coached the side to back-to-back titles. The following year saw a Leinster Junior League 1 title but defeat in the round-robin tournament meant All Ireland League rugby would have to wait. Mulvihill left to take up the assistant coach role at Western Force in Super Rugby and was replaced in 2006 by another Australian in Brad Harris who was player/coach assisted by New Zealander Ryan Roberts.

The pair guided the club to another back-to-back Town Cup success in 2007 and 08 and the latter of these was accompanied by an All-Ireland Junior Cup. Navan were knocking on the door of All Ireland League rugby and finally made the breakthrough in 2009 after defeating City of Derry, Cashel and Monivea in the round-robin.

More success came throughout the club in the following years with the youth and women’s section bringing trophies back to Balreask Old which celebrated its 50th anniversary as the club’s home in 2014. Two years later, after the restructuring of the All-Ireland League, Navan were placed in the bottom division 2C. Since then, the club has rocketed through the leagues with three promotions – most recently in 2019, defeating Queen’s University in the Division 2A playoffs – to leave the club in Division 1B for when club rugby resumes. Head coach, Ray Moloney and club captain Conor Ryan will look to add to Navan’s recent success in the near future.

For more information check out the Navan RFC website here

Links to previous profiles...

Clontarf RFC, Dublin University, UCD, Lansdowne, 

Terenure, St Mary's, Blackrock, Old Belvedere, 

Cork Con, Buccaneers, Ballymena RFC, Garryowen, 

Old Wesley, UCC RFC, Banbridge RFC

Mark Strange (@realmarkstrange) : I am a freelance sports writer who has been published in soccer, rugby and baseball. I am also an avid fan of ice hockey and just returned last year from a year living and working in Vancouver. I previously played and was PRO for Randalstown Rugby Club before a knee injury cut me down in my prime! I became a Leinster fan when I was younger due to a certain Felipe Contempomi and I am the only blue in a sea of white in Ulster.

*****

Want to see your own rugby opinions on the web?

Click "Write for us" in the sidebar to find out how.

Series lead photo taken from tallaghtrugby.com

Irish Club Rugby Profiles by Mark Strange : Part 15 - Banbridge RFC

Part 15

BANBRIDGE RFC

This week, we will dip into Division 1B of the All Ireland League and into County Down to look at a club very much on the rise in Banbridge. The Down men played their first ever game on January 2nd 1926, falling 0-6 to Newry. The side was largely made up of ex Banbridge Academy players after their headmaster WJ Warren had introduced the sport to the school almost a decade previously.

After some mixed results in friendlies, Bann officially joined the Minor League for the 1926/27 season and opened with a 0-17 defeat against Portadown but completely flipped the script in the reverse fixture, winning by exactly the same score. They finished that first season with 12 wins, 8 losses and 2 draws which was enough to enter Junior rugby the following season where they fell to Newry again in their first taste of Junior Cup action.

By 1933, the club had worked its way to Division 1 of Junior rugby in Ulster and went on a ten-game winning streak which was ended by Armagh. However, revenge was sweet just a fortnight later as that same opponent were dismissed in the Towns’ Cup semi-final. On Easter Monday 1933 at Ravenhill, Bann defeated Portadown in the final to bring the biggest trophy in Junior rugby back to County Down. 

The club established itself well in the 30s but struggled to regain that footing following the Second World War. In the 1945/46 season, Bann fielded only one team and, despite reforming the 2nd XV in 1947, it is noted that they rarely fielded a full team.

After hitting a real low in 1949 with both funds and playing numbers dwindling, the club miraculously was able to field four teams by 1955. The following season saw narrow defeats in the Towns’ Cup and Past Players’ Cup finals to Portadown and Lurgan respectively but Junior League 1 was won for the first time. 

Despite this success and the club seemingly moving in the right direction, the 1960s was a decade not best remembered for Banbridge. The minutes from the 1961 AGM reported that, at times, there were single figures at training and many games had to be called off due to low numbers. This saw the 1st XV plummet to Junior League 4 before the end of the decade as the club’s violently fluctuating fortunes continued.

From this trough then the club rose again like a phoenix from the ashes with the 1st XV getting a foothold again and a 3rd XV being formed in 1972. Three years later the 1st XV were promoted and then again in 1980 as the Bann men began to rise through the ranks. By this point, there were five teams at the club and this has remained the case to this day with six senior teams togging out in the navy, gold and maroon.

The 1980s saw Bann return to Ravenhill for the first time in nearly three decades against the odds. They reached the final of the 1984 Towns’ Cup as a section 3 side after disposing of Division 1 sides Ballyclare and Coleraine before being edged out in atrocious conditions by Omagh in the final. 

The end of the decade saw two of the most momentous moments in club history with the Towns’ Cup being taken back to Rifle Park for the first time since 1933 after a 9-6 win in the Easter Monday showdown over a Colin Jones-captained Antrim. A year later came the club’s first Junior Cup triumph after a victory over the RUC which was inspired by future Ulster, Ireland and Lions man Tyrone Howe.

Howe is not the only international to come through the ranks at Banbridge with one of the most famous families in Irish rugby history having honed their talents on Arderys Lane – the Best family. Older brother Simon debuted for Ireland at the 2003 World Cup before captaining Ulster to their historic Celtic League title in 2006 while it would be fair to say that younger brother Rory has had quite the career in both white, green and red. 

The hooker has an astounding 124 caps for Ireland and is the most capped forward in Irish rugby history, sitting third all-time behind only Brian O’Driscoll and Ronan O’Gara. Rory replaced Simon as Ulster captain in 2007 and held the honour right up until his retirement in 2019. He also toured with the Lions in 2013 and 2017. He is truly one of the all-time greats of Irish and world rugby and a proud Banbridge man.

The 90s saw the club dominate Junior rugby in Ulster with three successive Qualifying league victories between 1992-95. However, first Ballynahinch and then Omagh were admitted to the fledgling AIL before the Bann men. 1998, though, was another historic year at Rifle Park as success in the round-robin tournament against Naas, Monivea and Midleton saw Banbridge enter the All Ireland League for the first time – and they have never left it since. Much of this success was credited to the formation of a youth section at the club in 1993 as it gave some much-needed structure.

Banbridge currently reside in Division 1B of the All Ireland League – their highest ever position – after winning Division 2A in 2017. More recent internationals from the club include Eric O’Sullivan and Luke Marshall while Rob Lyttle, Michael Lowry, James Hume and John Andrew amongst others have followed the likes of former club captain Ian Porter in donning the white of Ulster. 

Director of Rugby Andy Duke and Head Coach Mark McDowell will be hoping to guide their young, exciting and talented side to the very top table of Irish club rugby and there are plenty who would not bet against it.

For more information check out the Banbridge RFC website here

Links to previous profiles...

Clontarf RFC, Dublin University, UCD, Lansdowne, 

Terenure, St Mary's, Blackrock, Old Belvedere, 

Cork Con, Buccaneers, Ballymena RFC

Garryowen, Old Wesley, UCC RFC

Mark Strange (@realmarkstrange) : I am a freelance sports writer who has been published in soccer, rugby and baseball. I am also an avid fan of ice hockey and just returned last year from a year living and working in Vancouver. I previously played and was PRO for Randalstown Rugby Club before a knee injury cut me down in my prime! I became a Leinster fan when I was younger due to a certain Felipe Contempomi and I am the only blue in a sea of white in Ulster.

*****

Want to see your own rugby opinions on the web?

Click "Write for us" in the sidebar to find out how.

Series lead photo taken from tallaghtrugby.com

Irish Club Rugby Profiles by Mark Strange : Part 14 - UCC RFC

Part 14

UCC RFC

This week we travel south to the Rebel City again to look at the students of University College Cork (UCC). They are a club shrouded in history but some of that history isn’t altogether clear. That being said, it can be argued that the foggy details only adds to the mystique of the club.

Queen’s College, as it was known then, was formed in 1849 and, while it is assumed that there was some form of sport played back then, the first official record of rugby football being played there was in 1872 when a rulebook was written by students of the college. The sports is considered to be as old at the college as it is at Trinity College who also wrote a rulebook around that time. The two clubs are enshrined in the history of Irish Rugby as the first two clubs to make the game serious and add some form of formality to it.  “The Rules of Foot Ball as Played at Queen’s College Cork, 1872” is a piece of Irish and World rugby history. 

The club at the college played formative games against local clubs such as Montonette FC, Bandon and Cork Bankers in what were largely 22-aside affairs – and you think finding space in the modern game is difficult! Part of these early sides was Professor W.A Cummins who became the first UCC man to represent Ireland in 1879 and the British and Irish Lions THIRTY ONE YEARS LATER in 1910. Now that is longevity! Another 19th century Irish rugby great Tom Harrison also donned the famous UCC jersey.

A running theme of this series is the jerseys and colours of Irish clubs but there is no club in the world, never mind Ireland, who has one quite like UCC. The red jerseys with the black band is one thing but the skull and crossbones that adorns all UCC sports tops is quite incredible. Like much of club history, the exact origins of the ‘old skull’ is unknown but it is thought that the students of Queen’s College adopted it as a nod to the fact the school was largely a medical school at its formation. Either way, it is a stunning and unique design.

Denis Leamy from 2000

The club moved into their now historic grounds at the Mardyke in 1911 where all college sports including rugby, soccer, hockey and hurling clubs plied their trade. The club won five Munster Senior Cups before settling there and won their first Munster Senior League in 1913 in a League/Cup double. Arguably the most famous season in club history came in 1935/36 where they won a famous treble of the Munster Senior League, Senior Cup and the All-Ireland Cup. 

After the trailblazing Cummins was the first clubman to adorn the red of the Lions, there have been a fair few others including WJ Roche and MF Lane before more recent famous names such as Tom Kiernan, Moss Finn and Donal Lenihan. All of these names were still members of the club when they received these honours while graduates of the college and rugby club who have also toured include Moss Keane, Paul Wallace and Ronan O’Gara. 

Meanwhile, the likes of Peter Stringer; Frankie Sheehan; Mick O’Driscoll; Denis Leamy and Jerry Flannery have come through the ranks at the Mardyke before representing Munster and Ireland. The club has a history of producing quality rugby players in south Munster and the current crop of players led by captain Shane O’Hanlon and head coach Brian Walsh will be looking to add to the honours list at University College Cork and, as in the words to the old college song “make the old skull gasp or grin”.

For more information check out the UCC RFC website here

Links to previous profiles...

Clontarf RFC, Dublin University, UCD, Lansdowne, 

Terenure, St Mary's, Blackrock, 

Old Belvedere, Cork Con, Buccaneers,

Ballymena RFC, Garryowen, Old Wesley

Mark Strange (@realmarkstrange) : I am a freelance sports writer who has been published in soccer, rugby and baseball. I am also an avid fan of ice hockey and just returned last year from a year living and working in Vancouver. I previously played and was PRO for Randalstown Rugby Club before a knee injury cut me down in my prime! I became a Leinster fan when I was younger due to a certain Felipe Contempomi and I am the only blue in a sea of white in Ulster.

*****

Want to see your own rugby opinions on the web?

Click "Write for us" in the sidebar to find out how.

Series lead photo taken from tallaghtrugby.com

Irish Club Rugby Profiles by Mark Strange : Part 13 - Old Wesley RFC

Part 13

OLD WESLEY RFC

This week, we take a look at one of the two clubs that call Donnybrook home and that is Old Wesley. Wesley was formed in 1891 and won their first trophy in 1894 after losing the Leinster Junior Cup final 0-3 to Blackrock. Losing you say? Blackrock were disqualified after fielding ‘an unfair team’. The year later, however, the club retained the title after beating RIC and both sides fielded fair teams! The following year, the club became a senior club.

At the turn of the century, George Hamlet became the first Wesley man to earn an Irish cap in 1902 and he was followed in the early 20th century by Henry Anderson, Jack Moffett, Charlie Adams and the wonderfully-named Disney Gray. Gray would later go on to serve as president of the Leinster Branch while Hamlet went one step further as IRFU President.

The club’s first Leinster Senior cup success came in 1909 beating old foes Blackrock 8-6. They would have to wait until 1985 to bring the cup home again, however. Donnybrook became home in 1919 when rugby started up again following the Great War. 1933 saw the club embark on their first tour when they visited Liverpool and Southport and returned to the latter along with Bury four years later. The outbreak of war again saw some Wesley players tog out for unofficial Irish wartime teams, most notably Austin Carry who played against a British Army XV. 

In 1946, there was some silverware brought back to Donnybrook with the capture of the Evening Mail 7-aside competition and two years later, the club was in rude health fielding six teams, forcing the club to acquire new grounds at Brewery Road in Stillorgan to supplement Donnybrook. 

Moving forward to the swinging 60s and that is when the club adopted their now-famous colours of the white shirt and red band with navy shorts. A year later, both the 1st and 2nd XV were bridesmaids as the former lost in the final of the Collegians Festival in Belfast while the latter were runners up in the Junior League, losing out to UCD. 

In September 1972 the club’s pavilion at Donnybrook was extended and opened with a game against an International XV and in 1975, arguably the club’s most famous player made his Ireland debut – Phillip Orr. Orr would go on to win 56 caps in green – a record at the time for a prop - and was selected for two Lions tours in 1977 and 1980. He was the club’s only Lion up until last week when Andrew Porter was selected by Warren Gatland for this year’s tour to South Africa. 

Andrew Porter in AIL action for Old Wesley

In the same year that Orr debuted in green, it was the IRFU Centenary Year and Wesley made the Senior Cup final only to lose out to St. Mary’s. A decade later, the club defeated Wanderers to bring home the second Senior Cup in history and the first in 76 years. Towards the end of the decade, Wesley had a running battle in the All-Ireland floodlit cup against Bangor in what was a precursor to the upcoming All-Ireland League.

In the first season of the AIL, the men from Donnybrook won Division 2 to earn promotion to the top table of Irish club rugby. In the same year, they were runners-up in the Senior Cup to Blackrock but it would be fair to say that the 1990/91 season was a success all around. The following year, the afore-mentioned Orr became President for the club’s centenary year and they became the first Irish club side to defeat the Barbarians. 

Clubman Chris Pim captained Leinster to the semi-final of the inaugural European Cup in 1996 after Henry Hurley was part of the Ireland squad that travelled to South Africa for the World Cup the previous year. After sustaining their position in Division 1 throughout the decade since their promotion, the club suffered relegation back to Division 2 in 1997. They briefly dropped down to Division 3 but were promoted straight back before the turn of the millennium.

However, 2002 saw relegation back to the third tier where they remained until 2009. The 2014/15 season was one of the greatest in club history with success the entire way through the teams. The 1st XV won Division 2A in the newly-reconstructed AIL and the 2nd XV won Metro League 2 and the 4th XV victorious in Metro League 7. Meanwhile the 3rd and 5th XV were narrowly defeated in cup finals. 

The 1st XV remain in Division 1B and are arguably having one of their most consistent periods in their recent history. Since their promotion six years ago, they have reached the promotion playoffs twice and are a consistent performer in the second tier. Having sat second in the division prior to the enforced stoppage, club captain Iain McGann will be hoping to leaf his squad back to the playoffs and over the hump into the top tier once again. 

For more information check out the Old Welsey website here

Links to previous profiles...

Clontarf RFC, Dublin University, UCD, Lansdowne, 

Terenure, St Mary's, Blackrock, Old Belvedere,

Cork Con, Buccaneers, Ballymena RFC, Garryowen

Mark Strange (@realmarkstrange) : I am a freelance sports writer who has been published in soccer, rugby and baseball. I am also an avid fan of ice hockey and just returned last year from a year living and working in Vancouver. I previously played and was PRO for Randalstown Rugby Club before a knee injury cut me down in my prime! I became a Leinster fan when I was younger due to a certain Felipe Contempomi and I am the only blue in a sea of white in Ulster.

*****

Want to see your own rugby opinions on the web?

Click "Write for us" in the sidebar to find out how.

Series lead photo taken from tallaghtrugby.com

Irish Club Rugby Profiles by Mark Strange : Part 12 - Garryowen FC

Part 12

GARRYOWEN FC

Another of the most fabled clubs in Munster and Ireland rugby is the side from Dooradoyle – Garryowen. The club has a rich history which dates back to the late 19th century. The club was a result of a meeting led by aldermen Mike Joyce and Tom Prendergast in 1884 on Upper Cecil Street in Limerick. The club was named after the famous Garryowen district in the Treaty City and the club’s five-pointed white star on their crest represents the five medieval parishes of Limerick – St Mary’s; St Munchin’s; St Michael’s; St Patrick’s and St John’s.

The name Garryowen itself stretches back to the 12th century and relates to the Knights of Templar whose house in Limerick was dedicated to John the Baptist. The name is famous the world over as a link for Irish exiles and for the city and county of Limerick. The 7th Cavalry of the United States army’s marching song is ‘Hurrah for Garryowen’ while during the Great War, the Munster Fusiliers cried ‘Up Garryowen’ as they went into battle. 

On the pitch, the club has won a staggering 39 Munster Senior Cups – more than any other side. Their most recent win was in 2018, almost 130 years since their first success in 1889. This was followed by a third All-Ireland Cup victory in 2019 meaning that they are still the holders. The light blues have won three All-Ireland League titles, most recently in 2007 but are always in and around the very top of the table and are consistently one of the heavy hitters.

Not only is the club name synonymous with Irish exiles but also a commonly-used piece of rugby lexicon. The ‘Garryowen’ kick aka an up-and-under was nicknamed as such because of its usage by the great Garryowen sides to great effect in the 1920s. There are not too many clubs in Irish rugby who have made such an impact on world rugby like Garryowen.

In the early days of the club, the O’Connor brothers were stuff of lore. There was a grand total of SEVEN siblings who togged out for the side, winning 47 medals between them. More recently, the club has produced notable internationals such as Connor Murray and Andrew Conway who were in the 2021 Six Nations squad. Others who have worn the green of Ireland after the sky blue include Tony Ward, Keith Wood and Wallace brothers, David and Paul. All of those as well as Murray have donned the red of the British and Irish Lions plus the likes of Tom Reid, Mick Doyle and Rob Henderson. 

The club has the distinction of having produced a player for every position for Ireland and continue to produce players of such a high level that they will undoubtedly be challenging at the very top again when All Ireland League rugby resumes. The hope is that there will be more silverware brought back from Dooradoyle and more pride brought to the Garryowen name.

For more information check out the Garryowen website here

Links to previous profiles...

Clontarf RFC, Dublin University, UCD, Lansdowne, 

Terenure, St Mary's, Blackrock, Old Belvedere,

Cork Con, Buccaneers, Ballymena RFC

Mark Strange (@realmarkstrange) : I am a freelance sports writer who has been published in soccer, rugby and baseball. I am also an avid fan of ice hockey and just returned last year from a year living and working in Vancouver. I previously played and was PRO for Randalstown Rugby Club before a knee injury cut me down in my prime! I became a Leinster fan when I was younger due to a certain Felipe Contempomi and I am the only blue in a sea of white in Ulster.

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Series lead photo taken from tallaghtrugby.com