Tag Archives: rugby

St Caimin’s  Shannon 20  Abbey CBS, Tipperary 17 St Caimin’s Community school Shannon made rugby history at the 4G pitch at the university of Limerick this Tuesday afternoon when they won a Munster rugby title for the first time. Having qualified on Friday last with a 22-15 win over Clonmel High school, the Clare side produced another impressive display when overcoming another Tipperary school in the final. Behind 5-10 at half time, St Caimin’s  came storming back in the second half to capture the honours. By Seamus Hayes, Sports editor   Photographs by John  Kelly

The University of Limerick will this afternoon award an Honorary Doctor of Science to former Ireland rugby captain Paul O’Connell. Dr Paul O’Connell will be the 100th recipient of an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Limerick since 1990. Dr Paul O’Connell has a long association with the University of Limerick from his days training in the original PESS swimming pool as a secondary school student, to the years he spent studying computer engineering at UL. He has been a director of the UL Foundation since 2011. In that role in 2012, he gave generously of his time to front the Paul O’Connell Golf Outing, which raised in excess of €50,000 to fund scholarships for students participating in UL’s Access Programme. The scholarships enabled six students from socio-economically disadvantaged areas of Limerick to study degree programmes at the University. Speaking about Paul O’Connell’s Honorary Doctorate UL President Professor Don Barry said, “The awarding of a University of Limerick Honorary Doctorate …

GIVEN the thousands of visitors from Limerick who decamp to Kilkee every summer, rugby talk isn’t exactly foreign to the resort town. There was plenty of rugby speech heard beneath the soft September air earlier this week and those loosening their tongues, in advance of the Rugby World Cup, knew what they were talking about. Former All Black number eight Zinzan Brooke, Scottish fly half Craig Chalmers and Welsh international Leigh Davies found time to project ahead to the autumn tournament, while on a brief break from the Mizen to Malin cancer fundraising cycle. Before they got to the rugby though, these rugby men couldn’t but have the odd dig at each other, or at themselves, regarding their cycling skills. “When you’re in the peloton and there is a big pothole coming up, you need your other team members to warn you. When you start getting to the hills, you sort of stop talking. On the flat you can get …

A moment which represents an iconic day when sport transcended politics – the 2007 victory for Ireland in an unforgettable rugby clash with England in Croke Park – will be unveiled in a stunning sculpture at Shannon Airport on Friday. The 6 metre piece, titled ‘The day That Changed Ireland’ , captures a famous Irish line-out that saw rugby legend Paul O’Connell, raised by teammates John Hayes and Donncha O’Callaghan, in the second half of the treasured game and will stand in the airport terminal building for future generations to savour. The sculpture is a representation of a photograph by Irish Times photographer Cyril Byrne, an image that has already been captured in an official An Post stamp. The 2007 game stands out as one of the great Irish moments of the new millennium, marking a symbolic new chapter in Anglo-Irish relations as Ireland and England met for the first time in any sport at the home of GAA. The …

ST Patrick’s Comprehensive were represented at PE Expo 2015 at Trinity Comprehensive, Ballymun and took the prize for best overall project. The school was represented by fourth-year students, Lauryn Dooley, Elora McFall, Cliodhna McNeilis, Clara Moore and Jenny Power with their project entitled Skill Components of Fitness in Rugby and Gaelic Football, Specifically Co-ordination and Punting. The study initially involved an analysis of video-recorded matches to identify the use of the six skill-related components of fitness in both rugby and Gaelic football. Its second phase required the students to use their knowledge of PE theory and applied maths, as they used mathematical formulae to calculate the range and velocity of punts taken using the knowledge that the ideal angle of projection for such a skill is 45o. The findings illustrated that both sports require the use of all skill components of fitness and that the ideal 45o angle of projection elicits the punt with the greatest distance. The girls received …

As part of the Change for Good campaign, Aer Lingus has this week launched a special collection on all flights to raise funds for UNICEF’s Syrian appeal. Change for Good is the UNICEF in-flight collection of unused foreign notes and coins to raise funds for vulnerable children around the world. As the conflict in Syria enters its fifth year, 14 million children are in need of humanitarian support, making this the single biggest humanitarian crisis since World War Two. The situation of more than 5.6 million children inside Syria remains the most desperate. Almost two million Syrian children have fled and are living as refugees most of them in Lebanon, Turkey and Jordan. The scale of this crisis is unprecedented; the total number of Syrian children in need of assistance is 15 times what it was in 2012. UNICEF Ireland Executive Director, Peter Power said, “While visiting the Syrian-Lebanese border, I witnessed first hand the appalling and inhumane conditions in …

CLARE rugby clubs have until Friday, April 11 to enter Ulster Bank RugbyForce, an initiative which provides rugby clubs with the opportunity to win support packages to renovate their club and upgrade their facilities. This is the the fourth year of the initiative, which will see over €30,000 being awarded to rugby across the island of Ireland. All rugby clubs are invited to enter the initiative via Ulster Bank’s dedicated rugby website, www.ulsterbank.com/rugby One rugby club will receive a top prize of €10,000, as well as a special training sesssion with an IRFU coach and two Irish rugby stars. Four additional rugby clubs, one from each province, will each receive €5,000. Each winning club will be presented with their prize at the 2014 Ulster Bank League Awards, in April. All entries will also receive merchandise, for their clubs, to the value of €100. Since its inception inn 2010, the initiative has provided over €100,000 in funnding to over 160 rugby …

KILLALOE man Anthony Foley will take over as Munster Rugby head coach from July 1. He is currently serving as forwards coach under Rob Penney whom he will replace in the role. Foley has signed a two year contract that will keep him at the province until June 2016. The Clare man, who was capped 62 times for Ireland and 201 times for Munster, retired from playing at the end of the 2007/08 season. He joined the Munster backroom staff in July 2008 as technical advisor and assistant coach for defence. Since then he has held the position of head coach with both the Munster U-20s and Munster’s British & Irish Cup squad that reached the inaugural B&I Cup final in May 2010. He moved on to his current position, Munster Rugby forwards coach, at the start of the 2011/12 season. Additionally, the 40-year-old has experience at national level as the forwards and head coach for the Ireland Wolfhounds and …