Tag Archives: rugby

Pupils in Parteen National School have kicked off a new rugby project, with a public appeal for assistance in their fact-finding mission. They need help telling the life- stories of the 15 men who played on the Parteen rugby team more than a century ago. A good deal of the pupils’ work will focus on how conflicts drastically altered the lives of the rugby players. ‘United by Sport, Divided by War’ is the theme of the project. The men were united in their love for playing rugby in peacetime but war would ultimately tear their team apart and have a devastating impact on many of their lives. A project team, made up of 17 history-loving pupils and third-class teacher Cathal Crowe, meets after school on Monday to delve into the untold stories of the rugby players. School principal Ger Ruane described this project as a fantastic opportunity for the children. Mr Ruane thanked Mr Crowe for volunteering to do this in his free …

A bust of the late Shannon RFC, Munster and Ireland rugby legend, Anthony Foley, was unveiled on Friday evening at Shannon RFC clubhouse, which is located in Thomond Park. Kilbaha based sculptor Seamus Connolly was commissioned to create the bust of the Killaloe man, who died suddenly in Paris on October 16, 2016. The 42 year old former back row forward was Munster Head Coach at the time of his passing. “It was an honour to be asked to commemorate Anthony. I was approached by Shannon Rugby Club. They wanted to put up a bust and of course I was very excited to do it. Also, there was a lot of pressure because Anthony was a hero for Shannon, Munster and Ireland. I tried to capture the essence of him,” Seamus Connolly told The Clare Champion. “You pick your pose and go ahead with it. After that you hope that everyone is going to be happy. The commissioners have seen …

LAST Sunday, Eimear Considine was desperately hoping not to hear her phone ringing. Instead, she was very keen to detect the ping of an email landing in her inbox. The 26-year-old Kilmihil girl eventually received confirmation that she had made the 28-player Irish squad for the Women’s Rugby World Cup, which will be staged in this country from next month. Ireland will play their opening game against Australia on August 9 in the UCD bowl. They are also grouped with Japan (August 13) and France (August 17). “You got an email if you were picked and you got a phonecall if you weren’t. So I was hoping my phone wouldn’t ring,” the PE and Irish teacher at St Mary’s in Glasnevin mused. “I was up at cock-crow. I couldn’t sleep because it was always on my mind. The waiting was the hardest part of it. Initially, the squad was to be announced two weeks ago but it was postponed further …

  ENNIS 27                                              Garryowen  26     ‘MY Lovely Rose of Clare’ echoed around Thomond Park on Sunday evening as delirious Ennis youths celebrated a historic victory in the Munster U18 Cup final, pipping Garryowen after a pulsating game that was in doubt until literally the last second. Even the most partisan Ennis supporters must have felt for Garryowen captain and out half Harry Byrne who was off target with two late penalty attempts, either of which would have won the game. The pressure on the young man was very severe both times, particularly with the second one as it was clear it would be the last action. The scenes on the pitch thereafter really illustrated the extremes of feeling that sport can evoke, with Ennis players and club members celebrating wildly at the same moment as Byrne sank to the ground, crushed. The first 20 minutes saw Ennis take a 6-3 lead, David Mescall with two penalties for the …

THE meeting of Ennis and Garryowen in the Munster U-18 Cup final on Sunday is the biggest underage match that Ennis has ever played in, according to team coach John Colleran. “It’s the showpiece of Munster rugby at youths level and for a junior club like Ennis, it is massive. It shows the strength of the game at youths level in our club. It has come about as a result of the effort over the years by a lot of volunteers. It’s the culmination of all of that,” said Colleran, who is eagerly looking forward to the final. A coach with the club for more than a decade, Colleran has been involved with this group of players since they were at U-10 level. “One of the reasons I got involved with this group was because my son Jack had taken up the game. As a parent, I was there watching. I said I would like to have the experience of …

East Clare is to benefit from a state-of-the-art 4G IRFU standard indoor rugby pitch, the first of its kind in the county, after Scariff Rugby Club got the green light from Clare County Council to develop the playing facility. The only other pitch of its kind in the locality is the 3G pitch at the University of Limerick North Campus and the club said the development will benefit the entire community, as well as help grow its rugby base. Vice-president of Scariff Rugby Club Michael Madden outlined the club’s plans for the indoor facility. “It’ll be community based, so it will be available for everybody because we want to make it so that anyone can have the use of it. It will be the first of its kind in Clare. It’s the biggest shed you can build with internal structures, so it will be 40m by 20m and it will have a viewing stand going along by the pitch. There …

A MEMORIAL campaign for the late Munster head coach, Anthony ‘Axel’ Foley, has secured global support. The Axel Foley Memorial appeal, #8masses4no8, which was set up by his son, Tony, has already secured almost 30,000 Facebook likes, 3,500 more than the capacity of Thomond Park. The Foley family have been “overwhelmed” by messages of support from Killaloe, Limerick, all over the country, the United Kingdom, France, Australia, New Zealand and even missionaries in Africa and the Far East. Support has come from young and old, many of whom are not rugby fans. Tony has highlighted one message from sixth-year students at Beneavin College in Finglas, which captures everything this campaign is about – remembering his father and others who have gone. Last Saturday, Tony joined his eight-year-old brother, Dan and Munster players in the middle of Thomond Park at the end of the match for a charged rendition of the anthem Stand Up and Fight. More than 25,000 fans remained …

Anthony Foley, the family man, was the central theme of the homily at his funeral mass in St Flannan’s Church, Killaloe today (Friday). The homily, which reflected on the gentle side of a man who was a formidable presence on the rugby field, was delivered by Clarecastle parish priest, Fr Pat Malone, a long time friend of the Foley family. Fr Pat said, “My first words and thoughts today go to you Olive, to [sons Tony and Dan, [parents] Shelia and Brendan, [sisters] Rosie and Orla; and they are simple words we use at funerals when we don’t know what to say. ‘I am sorry for your trouble’. These words say it all today. Sorry to see you in such shock and pain. Sorry to hear, as you expressed it yourselves in your very moving family statement earlier in the week, that “we have been plunged deep into an incomprehensible darkness and sense of loss”. Sorry to hear that Anthony has died. “Olive, …