Donegal Schools Cup Rugby
Carndonagh CS and Magh Ene take the honours!

3 pieces of silverware were up for grabs yesterday at Dave Gallagher Park in Letterkenny. The finals of the Girls U18 Cup and Boys U18 Cup and Plate produced a great day of rugby involving over 120 boys and girls from Magh Ene College, St Columba’s College, St Columba’s Comp, Rosses CS, Carndonagh CS, Mulroy College and Colaiste Colmcille. The competition has been run over two legs so that every school is given the maximum participation on the day and also gives stronger and developing schools that chance to aim for Cup and Plate competitions.

The schools have been involved in weekly training sessions supported by YDO’s Adam Keys, Phillip Brady and Jonathan Quigley from the Donegal Community Rugby Project. Several of the players have also been given the opportunity to further their playing by attending local club sessions with the aim of playing in the Ulster Leagues. This club school link that has produced the majority of rugby player for the clubs in Donegal. Several of the layers are also taking the next step to County Level and Ulster Regional squads thus highlighting the amount of rugby talent available in Donegal.

Winners and Runners Up
Boys U18 Cup Winners 2009/10 – Carndonagh CS
Boys Cup runners Up St Columba’s College
Girls U18 Cup Winners 2009/10 – Magh Ene College
Girls Cup Runners Up St Columba’s College
Boys U18 Plate Winners 2009/10 – Magh Ene College
Boys Plate Runners Up Rosses CS

The IRFU Ulster Branch would like to thank the Donegal Schools rugby committee for helping with the organisation of the blitzes, Letterkenny RFC for the use of the facilities at Dave Gallagher Park; Teachers, Mark Spencer, Brian Mc Nally, Michael Doherty, Nicola Ryan, Evelyn Crampsie, Gerard Doherty, John Reilly, Tonia Kiely, Raghnall Quinn; Referees, Jamie Boyle, Jarryd Bennett and Paul Mc Carroll and YDO’s Adam Keys and Phillip Brady.
Girls U15 Cup & Boys U14 Cup
The next competitions on the calendar are the Junior age groups with over 40 pupils expected to take part. All schools are asked to register on time for the 1st and 2nd legs as late entries will not be accepted. Deadline for boys U14 Cup is this Friday 29th Jan. Entries by text or email to John Lynch, Secretary, Donegal Schools Rugby.

Ulster Rugby Academy Staff to attend County Rugby Trials

Ulster Academy staff members Jonny Bell and Chris Shields are set to attend the second county trial scheduled for January 4th to cast their eye over the top talent currently playing in the clubs and schools around the County. Jonny, who is the Elite Player Development Officer and Chris, who is the Academy Strength and Conditioning coach will be attending the day to pass on their expertise to the players and coaches involved in the trials. This is a great opportunity for the players in Donegal to be exposed to the next level of the IRFU player development pathway and further their rugby career.



Since 2003, 15 players have been caped for Ulster at U18, U19 or Women’s level, with Donal Byrne (DTRFC) going on to represent Ireland at U18 level. With the continued support of Ulster Rugby it will surely be a matter of time before a Donegal based player makes the next step up the ladder towards the Ulster Rugby Academy.
The trial is an open to all Club and School players to attend. Details of age groups and registration are below.
Letterkenny RFC, Monday 4th Jan, 10.30-2.30pm
Boys U18 – Born 1992/93
Girls U19 – Born 1991/92/93

All players must register by sending an email to info@donegalcommunityrugby.com (players who attended the trial on the 13th December are already registered)

Tag Rugby Blitz Carndonagh

On Monday 14th December, the IRFU Ulster Branch hosted a Tag Rugby Blitz in Carndonagh CS. Two schools, namely St. Patricks Boys Carndonagh and Scoil Cholmcille Greencastle took part in the competition, with almost 100 pupils playing tag rugby.

Despite cold winter conditions, we were lucky to have a dry day which suited the open, expansive running rugby played by all teams. Whilst all games were very competitive and even, there were some notable individual performances from Michael Henry, Cathal McLaughlin, Pauric Carey Doherty and Rachel Van Stiphout of Greencastle and Donal Doherty, Conor O’Donnel, Conor McDermott, Jordan Downey, Daire Porter and Ciaran Farren of St. Pats Boys.

The IRFU would like to extend their thanks to Carndonagh Community School for the use of their playing grounds, Inishowen RFC players Shane McDermott and Paul McCarroll for their help on the day and all teachers from the schools involved for their cooperation and commitment in chilly conditions!

PHOTO'S HERE

Teachers in the Northwest take part in Buntus Rugby Training

Six schools from Northwest Donegal recently took part in a Buntus Rugby session delivered between the IRFU and Donegal Sports Partnership. Schools taking pert were S.N. Ranna Feirst, Loch an Iuir N.S., Derrybeg, Scoil Mhuire, Scoil Chonaill and Scoil Adhmahain.

The training involves taking teachers through the practical elements of coaching TAG rugby and aiming to build confidence in delivering the non contact version of the sport through school PE lessons. Once the 2hour training is completed the schools are given TAG rugby equipment to take back to their schools to use with the various classes. If your school would like to avail of the training then contact the Donegal Community Rugby Project at info@donegalcommunityrugby.com

IRFU Secondary School Level Course

Donegal recently had a visit from David Wilkinson the IRFU Ulster Branch Referee Development Officer to run a course for Secondary school level refereeing. The course was attended by senior age group pupils and also school leavers who have continued to support their school rugby. The attendees will be helping their schools in the New Year with the refereeing of U14 boys and U15 girl’s matches and also Donegal Cup competitions that involve their schools.

On the Course were, Jarryd Bennett, Jamie Boyle, Kerri Lee Murray, Donagh O Callaghan, Brian Tague and Paul M Carroll. The second part of the course involves an assessment by David at the Girls U15 Cup competition scheduled for the end of January.
If you would like to get involved in refereeing at any level then please contact David directly or email the DCRP. david.wilkinson@irfu.ie or info@donegalcommunityrugby.com

 

Donegal Rugby X Factor attracts new
players to the Game

Over the last month DCRP staff have been busy delivering rugby sessions to secondary schools and clubs all over Donegal as a way of attracting new players to the game at School, Club and County level. The 1st series of sessions were delivered through schools and attracted over 250 senior year pupils to take part.

The second sessions were based at the local rugby clubs before the final sessions being run in Letterkenny RFC. From all of the sessions the best boy and girls were chosen based on their skills levels and development through the sessions. The winner of the girls was Donna Redmond, Letterkenny RFC & St Columba’s College and for the Boys Dermott Mc Gonagle, Carndonagh CS. The two winners plus a friend were given an all expenses trip to Ravenhill to watch Ulster take on Stade Francais in the Heineken Cup clash.

The whole programme has benefitted rugby in the County in several ways. It has attracted new players to school U18 rugby with an increase of 2 or teams expected in the competitions after Christmas. Several layers have joined the girls and boys u18 sections at the rugby club and over 20 new players were identified for County trials taking place in December and January. The DCRP would like to that all the teachers and club officials who assisted with the programme and the Donegal Sports Partnership for the funding given to run the programme of events.

MORE PHOTO'S HERE

Letterkenny RFC Women’s Rugby

Congratulations to Letterkenny RFC who fielded the first Donegal based senior women’s team to play a contact game of rugby last week. The game took place last Friday night against an experienced Enniskillen outfit. 2/3rds of the Letterkenny team were playing in their first ever contact rugby game. The final score was 27-0 to the home team however most of the points were scored in the first half of the game which shows the new comers improvement as the game developed.
The numbers for the squad are growing every week through new comers to the game and current Youth players who are turning 18 and making the step up to senior rugby.
If you would like to get involved in the new development then you can contact Clodagh Llewhellin on 0851077666. The women train every Tuesday at Aura Leisure Centre from 8-9pm with games taking place on Sunday afternoons.

Ospreys Workshop a big hit with Coaches in Donegal

Youth and senior coaches in Donegal were treated to a master class in coaching last weekend with a visit from Ospreys Skill Coach Gruff Rees, and Ex Wales Defence coach Rowland Philips. The coaches were invited by the Donegal Community Project to deliver a workshop on Handling skills and tackle techniques to current coaches from Clubs and Schools in Donegal.



The coaches were first given a presentation on the areas of development before moving outside to the astro pitch at Aura Leisure Centre where local U19 players were waiting to be put through there passes. The practical sessions involved coaching from the two guest tutors and interaction with the local coaches on how to apply the rugby content with their own club and school teams. The workshop finished with a Q&A session so that the coaches could draw on the vast experience of the Professional Coaches. The DCRP would like to thank the players and coaches who attended the day and Gruff and Rowland for a top class session that is sure to influence and develop coaching within Donegal.

PHOTO'S HERE

County Rugby Trials

The County trials for the 2009/10 Boys and Girls Squads will take place this Sunday 13th December at Letterkenny RFC 1pm – 3pm. This is an ‘Open’ trial so all club and schools players at the following age groups are invited to attend. To register all players are asked to text their Name, D.O.B, and Club or School to 0871258365 by Friday 11th Dec

Girls Age Group U19’s (1991,92,93)
Boys Age Group U18’s (1992, 93)

Donegal Schools Rugby – U16 Boys Cup

On Thursday 19th November, the second County Donegal U16 Blitz took place at Letterkenny RFC. Despite dreadfully wet conditions, all teams played positive rugby, with minimal kicking and clearly the general intent was to run the ball. This made for compulsive viewing, as throughout the day there was an attractive brand of rugby on show.

In total, 6 schools took part in the blitz, with the competition split into two pools. Results were added from the previous blitz to this one with the eventual Cup winners being St. Columba’s College. Congratulations to them, they deservedly finished top, after many hard fought games they managed to come out on top. To add an extra competition, there was also a Plate up for grabs. The team that were to finish top of Pool 2 would automatically win the Plate. This pool proved to be very tightly contested however Mulroy College were victorious. This was a big achievement for them as it was their first piece of Rugby silverware in the school.

Below are the final Standings for the U16 Cup 2009/10

Team	P	W	D	L	Pts	F	A
CUP
St Columba’s	5	5	0	0	10	86	10
Magh Ene	5	3	0	2	6	88	41
Loreto	5	3	0	2	6	61	36
PLATE
Mulroy College	5	3	1	1	7	29	5
Deele College	3	1	0	4	2	14	71
Scoil Mhuire	3	1	0	4	2	10	68

Many thanks must go to Letterkenny Rugby Club for their continued support and use of their quality pitches. Credit must also go to all the dedicated teachers and coaches of all teams, their dedication and commitment is greatly appreciated and without them, a day like this would not have been possible. Lastly, a big thank you to Francois Badenhorst who gave up his own time to help referee the blitz. Photos Here


Finn Valley RFC off to a bright start

The sun was shining on Saturday morning as Finn Valley RFC held their first open day at St Columba’s College, Stranorlar. The new club initiative is supported by the Donegal Community Rugby Project (DCRP) to help increase the participation in rugby across the Finn Valley.


The development of the new club is being driven through local rugby enthusiast Gerard Doherty and a number of supporting volunteers. The session for children born between 1998 and 2003 (U7-U12) was delivered by the DCRP development officers and supported by local volunteers Damien Mc Glynn and Clive and Philip Heapes. Also helping out was Brian Tague, an ex pupil of St Columbas and current Donegal Town RFC player. The young girls attending were also given the latest playing tips from current Ulster Women’s players Laura Kenny and Clodagh Llewhellin.
During the rugby session the parents were asked to attend a meeting at the Scouts hall across the road where volunteer support was sought following a brief discussion on the programme and future development of the club. The response from the parents was outstanding with 26 offering their help ranging from coaching to club promotion. With this kind of the response the club is bound to have a bright future and give many children in the Finn Valley the opportunity to play rugby. Thanks must go to St Columba’s and the local Scouts for the use of their facilities and lastly the volunteers who assisted the club with their first session.
The sessions will continue every Saturday 10-11am at St Columba’s College. All parents are asked to attend with their son or daughter. Any schools or parents looking for more information can contact the DCRP by emailing info@donegalcomunityrugby.com.

St.Columba’s take honours in first round of County Donegal Under18s Girl Schools Cup Competition
match report


Letterkenny IT and Galway Mayo Institute from the Irish Colleges North Division  match report

 

U16 County Donegal Pollock Cup
Qualifier Blitz 2009

On Wednesday 7th October, the annual Pollock Cup Qualifier took place at Letterkenny RFC. In total, nine teams from across the County took part in what was a hotly contested competition. One of the biggest match ups of the day was the first game between St. Columba’s College and Carndonagh CS, with the Stranorlar side triumphing in a tight exchange.

The schools that took part and their coaches were:
St. Columba’s College, Gerard Doherty; Loreto Milford, John Lynch & Carmel Egan; Carndonagh C, Mark Spencer & Brian McNally; Rosses CS, Raghnall Quinn; Mulroy College, Evelyn Crampsie; St. Eunans, John Fox; Scoil Mhuire Buncrana, Aiden McAleer & Ian Mason, Deele College Damien Mc Devitt & Liz Mc Laughlin; Magh Ene College, John Reilly

Throughout the day, there were some outstanding individual performances and a good example of running rugby football. Loreto Milford played some great rugby and were unlucky not to progress to the final with only one narrow loss in the blitz.

The final was between St. Eunan’s and St. Columba’s, both teams having a great blitz and were unbeaten up to the final. In another open game, full of positive running rugby, St. Columba’s were the eventual winners. Congratulations to St. Columba’s College and their dedicated coaches on their victory and we wish them every success in the provincial blitz which will be taking place on Wednesday 14th October at Ballymena RFC.

The blitz also acted as the first round of the Donegal U16 league cup with the second leg being played in November. St Columba’s are currently in pole position but this can quickly change in the second round with other teams keen to reach the finals and increase the try tally.

Thanks must go out to Letterkenny RFC for the use of their quality pitches and also to the match day referees, Jarryd Bennett and Jamie Boyle. And a final thank you to all volunteers and coaches of all teams. Their dedication and hard work made the day possible.

Girls Rugby set to reach new heights in Donegal

A new initiative is due to start in Donegal this season that is aimed at continuing the successful development of girl’s rugby in the county. Following a period of consultation with the five rugby clubs in Donegal the first girls Mini Rugby structure for 7-11yr olds will be launched this season.

Over the first few years of the Community project it has become evident that many girls have attended the club and school sessions but have dropped off leaving a void for the thriving youth sections in later years. The new Mini structure will aim to establish the same pathway that the boys game benefits from. The perceptions are that the young girls are dropping off due to the contact nature of the game yet these perceptions are far from reality. A full girls structure will help address the needs of the game at that age group and develop the game for females in the community.

The success of the girls and women’s rugby continues to develop in Donegal with more schools and clubs developing at youth level and potentially at senior level. At the elite level 3 women from Donegal are currently part of the Ulster Women’s Squad. Laura Kenny, Clodagh Llewhellin and Louise Clarke are currently training for the up and coming inter provincial series. Larissa Muldoon was involved with the squad before she left for university studies in Cardiff where she is currently involved with elite level women’s training at UWIC, a pathway that has opened up following her involvement in the game.

With the new structure these successes are sure to become regular occurrences in the future showing the girls that they have the same chances and aspirations as the boys involved in underage and senior rugby.

Mums and Dads, Aunts and Uncles, Brothers and Sisters, would you like to get involved in this NEW initiative?
To support this new structure the rugby clubs are looking for your help. If you have a daughter, nice or younger sister who is interested in rugby and you would like to help with coaching or managing a girl’s team, then let us know. Simply email us at info@donegalcommunityrugby.com and a member of staff will contact you with the details.

The full structure is aiming to start in late October following the IRFU Mini Rugby (U7-U12yrs) courses held in Letterkenny on 17th & 18th October. Letterkenny Rugby Club started their structure last weekend and is off to a great start, the girls are training 9.30-10.30 at Dave Gallagher

 

 

Irelands newest Rugby Club is on its way!

Over 100 children aged 7 – 15 turned out for a development session this week run by the IRFU Donegal Community Rugby Project at Carrickfin community pitch. The session was run on behalf of the local community in the North West of Donegal who have come together under the project to help establish a new rugby club in the Gaeltacht Dhun na nGall.

The interest from the volunteers has been extensive in the area which will prove to be the crucial part of the development. Several meetings have taken place over the last 3 months with the IRFU Ulster Branch staff to discuss and develop the new concept. Under discussion have been venues, age groups, club names and funding. All has been very positive and full support has been given by the rugby governing body.

The club name has been a big part of the discussion so that all in the Northwest are made welcome to the new development. Several names were bounced around including Errigal RFC, North West RFC and the current favourite’ Tir Chonaill RFC’ with the added tag of ‘The Chiefs’ to appeal to the younger generation.

The new development drew children and parents from all over the Northwest, from Doochary to Arranmore and Falcarragh to Lettermacaward, a sure sign of the interest in the oval ball. The event also had the backing of the Donegal Sports Partnership through Coordinator Myles Sweeney and even a flying visit from Mickey Mc Geehin Director of Coaching Ireland. The high attendance from the community came as a result of several years of development in the schools and a recent series of development days by local development officers Declan Bushel, Adam Keys and Phil Brady. From the schools end Rosses CS started their involvement 3 years ago. Recent new comers Pobailscoil Gweedore and Falcarragh were playing their first blitzes in 2009 and showing what potential the youngsters in the area hold.

The primary schools have also been getting their share with the introduction of TAG rugby which has been steadily growing over the last 3 years. The support from schools has been very positive in giving the opportunity to play a different sport. These choices are helping to engage more and more children in sport, something that can only benefit the whole rural community.

A big thank you must go to Joe & Anita Mc Connell, Pat Quinn, Dave Geoghegan, Eugene Duggan, Fionnoula Wallace, Ben Colangelo, Peter & Mary Rodgers and Kathryn O Donnell who made the event possible through their commitment to the initial meetings and assistance on the night. In turn they would like to thank the local land owners for the use of the community pitch.

The next step for the community is to get the structures in place through coach development and the establishment of a committee to drive the initiative. This will be the main goal over the summer months ready for the new season on September. The first step will be a meeting held at Caisean Oir Hotel, Annagry, 7pm next Thursday, 28th May. Email info@donegalcommunityrugby.com for more information. All adults from the community are invited to attend if you would like to learn more about the development and get

 

Donegal Town TAG Blitz

The Holmes, home to Donegal Town Rugby Club was the venue for the tag rugby blitz of Donegal, Twelve schools were involved, Killian ns, Gailscoil Donegal Town, Common ns, St Mary’s ns, Glenties N.S, Crannoubie ns, Niall Mor ns, Glebe ns, Meenagowan N.S, Carrick ns, Killymard N.S. And Cashel N.S.
Each team of excited kids were amazing in both their skill and sportsmanship in the game of rugby. A big thank you to all who were involved, Donegal Town rugby club and teachers from each school to make this day possible. Also thanks to Kevin Durran.
PHOTOS HERE

TAG RUGBY Ballyshannon Blitz
The lakeside, home to Ballyshannon rugby club was the venue for the tag rugby blitz of Ballyshannon, three schools were involved, Holy Family National School, Killbarron National school and Pettigo National School. Each team of excited kids were amazing in both their skill and sportsmanship in the game of rugby. A big thank you to all who were involved, lakeside centre, Ballyshannon rugby club and teachers from each school to make this day possible.
PHOTOS HERE

TAG RUGBY BLITZ CARNDONAGH

On Wednesday 13th May 2009, a Tag Rugby Blitz was held at Carndonagh Community School, the home of Inishowen Rugby Football Club. The conditions were wonderful with the sun blazing, perfect weather for attractive running rugby. There were 10 teams taking part from all around the peninsula, made up of 9 schools, namely Cloontagh NS, Clonmany NS, Scoil Cholmcille Greencastle, Scoil Naomh Bodain, Scoil Colmcille Ballymena, Scoil Naomh Colmcille Craigtown, St. Brigids Glasalts, St. Pats Boys & St. Pats Girls. The blitz was a great success, with some wonderful team and individual tries throughout the day. A big thank you must go to Carndonagh CS for their kindness and the use of their quality facilities. The Ulster Branch staff would also like to express their gratitude to all the schools who took part and to the teachers who helped make the day possible.
PHOTOS HERE

Letterkenny TAG Rugby Blitz

On 14th May Letterkenny hosted their annual Primary schools TAG Rugby Blitz with teams coming from as far as Newtoncunningham, Stranorlar and Ramelton. In all 10 schools were represented at the blitz (Scoil Colmcille Letterkenny, Gaelscoil Adhamhain Letterkenny, Ballyraine N.S. Letterkenny, Lurgybrack N.S. Letterkenny, Scoil Mhuire Gan Smal Letterkenny, St. Marys N.S. Stranorlar, Castletown N.S. St Johnston, Moyle N.S. Newtoncunningham, Ayr Hill N.S. Ramelton and Woodlands N.S. Letterkenny). All throughout the day their was great Rugby skills on display with a lot of superb try scoring. Thanks must go to all the teachers who helped out on the day and throughout the year. Also thanks to Letterkenny RFC for the use of their excellent pitches.
PHOTOS HERE


Brave Donegal lose out to Munster

The Donegal Girls U18 team finished off their season on Saturday with a brave and resilient performance against a reformed Munster team. The game was well supported by Parents and club people in a game that saw some of the best U18 girl’s players in Ireland on show. Munster were first on the score sheet after 15 minutes with a try out wide on the left after some missed tackles from the Donegal defence.



Donegal showed good character in responding through a fine solo try from Laura Kenny and a conversion by Elaine Melaugh to lead 7 – 5 at half time. Unfortunately the game from here on was made even more of a challenge after Donegal lost influential Captain Janet Kerr and pack leader Laura Feeley through injury. Munster capitalised on this to mount attack after attack through the wide channels. However the cover tackling of Donna Redmond and Laura Kenny kept them out on several occasions and kept Donegal in the game. The constant pressure meant that Donegal were doing most of the defending and after 50 minutes once again missed tackles sent the Munster team in for their second try to bring the scores to 12 – 7.
Donegal responded strongly after some great territory kicking from Elaine Melaugh and Larissa Muldoon to get the Donegal forwards close to the line. The pack were constantly driving for the line with strong runs from player of the match Megan Moore and Vika Vasileuska but the scramble defence from Munster managed to keep them out after twice being held up over the try line. Another hammer blow was dealt to Donegal through injury to hard working flanker Sara Martin. With so many influential players off the pitch Munster once again attacked the wide channels and finished the game off with yet another try through their speedy wingers.
The final score of 19 - 7 was not a fair reflection on the effort the Donegal girls put in. The Munster management were quick to point out that in the last 3 seasons of rugby they have played it is Donegal who have been the strongest opposition and highlighted the fact that Donegal were playing the full provincial team from Munster. This was the last game for several of the Donegal girls at under-age level. The coaches and management would like to wish those players all the best and no doubt we will see these girls figure in the future at senior provincial and even national level.

Northwest Donegal Rugby Development

The IRFU Donegal Community Rugby Project plan to run a series of open rugby sessions in the North West of Donegal next week. The sessions come as a result of increased community interest in developing a rugby club to serve the Dungloe, Gweedore and Falcarragh areas of Donegal.
The sessions will be held next Wednesday 20th May at Carrickfin Community Pitch beside the Airport.
The age groups and times are as follows:

5 - 6pm 1st 2nd 3rd Class Primary Girls & Boys
6 - 7pm 4th 5th 6th Class Primary Girls & Boys
7 – 8pm 1st 2nd 3rd Year Secondary Girls & Boys
8 – 9pm 4th 5th 6th Year Secondary Girls & Boys

Girls and Boys sessions will be run separately.

All players are asked to arrive changed ready to take part. The sessions will be run by IRFU Ulster Branch Staff and will be aimed at a fun introductory level to the game. All boys and girls are welcome to attend and no previous experience of rugby is needed. For more details send an email to info@donegalcommunityrugby.com.

Falcarragh Primary School Blitz

Falcarraghs first ever TAG Rugby Blitz was played on a gloriously hot day on Tuesday 12th April.

A great gratitude to P.C.C. Falcarragh for the use of their excellent pitches. In Total 5 pirmary schools from the surrounding area of Falcarragh took part in the TAG Rugby Blitz. (Holy Cross N.S., Dunfanaghy, Gortahork N.S., Scoil Fhionin, Falcarragh, Holy Trinity N.S. Dunfanaghy and Faugher N.S. Dunfanaghy). All the Rugby was a joy to watch with a lot of superb try scoring from every team. Thanks to all the Primary School teachers involved in the Blitz