50th Anniversary Celebrations in Carrick on Shannon Rugby Club
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the formation of Connacht’s, Carrick on Shannon Rugby Club, on the county line of Leitrim and Roscommon along the banks of the River Shannon, the Club has spent some of that time battling the rigours of emigration, low population and recession.
Formed in late 1974 by a group of locals who had been travelling to play with Longford RFC and other neighbouring rugby Clubs. Jim Newcombe, a founding member of the Club, spoke about that era.
“Carrick on Shannon was predominantly GAA with a soccer club in existence too, Longford was the nearest rugby club and three or four locals played for Longford up to 1974.”
“The idea developed when we were talking about the distances involved, we decided to put a note in the local paper and see if there was an interest in forming a Club, quite a few people showed up to a public meeting in the County Hotel and we formed a committee and went from there.”
Newcombe explained how once the committee was set up, the Club played their first fixture, under the name East Connacht RFC.
“Our first game, then as East Connacht RFC, was in Athlone and we turned up with fourteen players and got a hiding. There was no rugby tradition in the town and it was difficult to get players, we relied on young Gardai working along the border to play and make up the numbers.”
Current Club president Stephen King is enthusiastic about the rugby Club’s future. “Since the Club’s re-establishment in 2005 the Club have been in the Junior ranks and added mini rugby, youths rugby and now have a full cycle to adult men’s, with two girls teams within the Club.”
Stephen explained how proud the Club were with last seasons achievements.
“Last season was a tremendous year with seven Connacht titles on display at our end of year dinner, one of the proudest nights in the Club’s history.”
“Through the years, we’ve had Shane Laydon, who started his rugby here, move on to Ireland 7’s, Connacht and Buccaneers in the All-Ireland League, Matthew Earley joined us at U12’s and stayed with us to U17’s before we couldn’t field at 18’s and he’s progressed to Sligo Rugby Club, where he’s now the club captain in the All-Ireland League.”
“In recent years, Diarmuid O’Connell has come through the club, to Connacht and on to wearing the green Ireland jersey, as part of a group of local players who won the Connacht Schools Cup with Sligo Grammar School, there are even more young players currently involved with Connacht in development squads. The future for the Club is very bright.”
One notable historic appearance for the club came at Christmas 1988, fifteen months after the All Black’s lifted the Webb Ellis Trophy. One of the players in the squad, Bernie McCahill lined out in the annual in-house St. Stephen’s Day fixture for the Leitrim side of the club, who took on the Roscommon selection.
The son of Irish emigrants in New Zealand, Bernie McCahill, earned 10 test caps including winning a World Cup winners medal in 1987 and concluded his International career in Lansdowne Road at the 1991 Rugby World Cup. A keen Gaelic Footballer from a young age, a tour to Ireland and the UK with an international selection formed by local man Aidan Heron, found McCahill in Ballinaglera, Co. Leitrim to open their new pitch.
McCahill would go on to earn a total of 10 test appearances for the All Blacks, his younger brother Sean would also play international rugby, a single test cap in the green jersey of Ireland, during his time with Munster and Sunday’s Well in a clash with Fiji in 1995.