150 YEARS OF RUGBY

by Tom Kenny

Queen’s College Galway Rugby Club was founded in 1874, 150 years ago, making it the oldest rugby club in Connacht. They have a long and proud history and have helped nurture and boost many rugby careers helping players to the highest levels. They were a founding club of the Irish Rugby Football Union. They won their first Connacht Senior Cup in 1897 and have managed to hold that trophy aloft many times since. Their first victory in the Dudley Cup, played for by the three Queen’s Universities, was in 1905. They have featured many times in the Bateman Cup, an exclusive competition in which clubs participate by invitation only.

They have fielded teams at minor, junior and senior levels, and won trophies at all of them. Many of their players have featured on Provincial teams, on Irish Universities International teams and ten of their players have been capped for Ireland, several while playing for UCG.

Today, the club is known as University of Galway and their teams play at J1A and J2A levels, and since 2002, they have a thriving women’s section in the club which was set up following the arrival of Rugby Development officer Jim Herring. They now have a dedicated player’s base which includes a large contingent of international players. They play in the Connacht Women’s league and in intervarsity competitions. They are actually on a rugby tour in France as I write this.

To mark this notable anniversary, U.G. Rugby Club club are organising a special celebration evening in the Galmont Hotel for Saturday, October 12^th. This black tie affair will feature Darragh Maloney of RTE Sports as M.C. and the special guests will include Ciaran Fitzgerald, Gerald Davies, Declan Kidney and Mick Molloy. I have no doubt that it will be an entertaining and memorable evening full of nostalgia and some scarcely believable stories – remember the old adage ‘The older we got, the better players we became’. There are still tickets available and If you are interested in attending, you should contact Joey Costelloe at 086 230 8894 or Michael O’Mahony at 086 833 9715

So, today we have three teams that represented College from down the years. The first (A) is the 1940 Junior Cup winners who beat Corinthians 3 – 0 in that year’ss final. They are, back row, Jack Deacy, referee ; Rex Joyce; Joe Lee (hidden); Mick Tarpey; Ned Doorly; Eamonn Scully; Lex Ryan; Jimmy Lydon (captain). Kneeling are Noel Kennedy; Donie Quinlan; Walter Murphy; Bernard Scallon; Frank Murphy; Malachy Lydon. Seated are Mick O’Malley and Ray O’Beirne.

Our second team (B) won the League and Cup in 1961/2. They are, back row; Millie Lynch; Steve Cunningham; Mick Molloy; Johnny Greally; Noel ‘Reilly’ Browne; Eamonn Maguire. middle row; Mickey Broderick; Dermot Murphy; Pádraic Cassidy; Tom Browne; Joe Costelloe; Luke Clancy; Niall Duignan. In front are Gay Cooke and Noel Carpenter.

Finally, the League and Cup winners of 1967. (Team C) Back Row; Phil Murray; Hilary Lawless; Eamonn O’Toole; Seán Conneely; George Garland; Brian Jennings; Frank Kerrane; Jack Geary; Luke Clancy. In front are Billy Herterich; Frank Deacy; Tony Corley; Lex Ryan (Club President); Mick Molloy (Captain); Dermot Murphy; Liam Carroll; Christy Callery and Liam Hayes.