O’Loughlin Named Shannon Captain

Shannon RFC have named Ireland AIB Club international scrum half Fiach O’Loughlin as their club captain for the coming season.

Fiach O’Loughlin takes over the captaincy role from David Quinlan who last season led Shannon to the AIB Cup title for the first time and the Munster Senior Cup for the 19th time in the club’s illustrious history. 

The 26-year-old O’Loughlin’s association with Shannon began the day he was born with both his parents steeped in the Shannon tradition, but it took a few years before he actually began to play with the club as a 7-year-old. 

After leaving Shannon at the end of 2005 he rejoined the club at the beginning of last season after spending two years in the capital playing with Clontarf.

He was an almost permanent fixture on Shannon’s teamsheet during last year’s campaign, apart from injury-enforced absences.

Although taking the reins at Shannon for the first time, O’Loughlin is no stranger to captaincy.

The prestige of captaining at national level came when he represented Ireland at Under-19 level in 2000 and he further added to his international experience when he played for the Under-21s subsequently.

His latest venture into the international arena came in 2007 when he lined out for the AIB Club international side.

During his sabbatical from Shannon, he captained Clontarf in 2006/07 when they won the Leinster Senior cup.

A winner of three AIB League titles, five Munster Senior Cup titles and an AIB Cup winner’s medal with Shannon, the nippy number 9 also has Munster and Leinster ‘A’ experience behind him.

An obviously delighted O’Loughlin said of his appointment: “I’m thrilled and honoured to be given such an honour by my team-mates. It has always been an ambition of mine to captain such a great club and I will certainly strive to maintain the high standards of those leaders that have gone before.

“I may be the appointed captain, but I know that this Shannon team has many great leaders and I will not be shy in utilising the wealth of experience that those around me have etched out.”

O’Loughlin is currently a Youth Development Officer with the Munster Branch.