Youth Academy Official Season Start - Sat Sep 4th - New Players Welcome!

The official season start for the Youth Academy is Saturday September 4th at Crowley Park.

Mini training for under 7s to under 12s starts at 10am. Youth training for under 13s and up starts from 11.15am, although youth coaches may advise you ofpre-season training sessions.

New players are very welcome to come along.

Connacht Senior League - Off to a Winning Start

Oor Firxt XV get their competitive season off to a winning start, but they left it very late before overcoming city rivals Corinthians 19-15 on Saturday (4th Sept.). Once again our match-winner was John Cleary who scored fourteen  points with a try and three penalties to add to an earlier touchdown by Ian Cullinane. So this result went a long way to avenge the acute disapointment of losing out at the death in last season's Connacht Cup final at the same venue against the same opposition.

Next up for Wegians is our second League outing when we host Connemara Blacks on Saturday (Sept. 11th).

Womens Fitness Training Open to Public

Following on from the success of last year’s pre-season fitness training, Galwegians Women’s team are delighted to announce that the sessions will recommence, again under the auspices of Emer O’Dowd, but will now also be open to members of the public.

The sessions will start from Tuesday 20th July, at Crowley Park (7pm) and any interested parties are asked to come down or contact PROs Carol Staunton (carol_staunton@hotmail.com) or Maire Murray (maire.murray@gmail.com) for more information. There will be a charge of €2 per session for all attendees.

Womens Team Start - Tue Jul 20th - New Players Welcome!

Following an admirable performance last season, the women’s team is on the lookout for new players over the coming months to boost squad numbers and replace retirees.

Anyone who is interested can contact team PROs Carol Staunton (carol_staunton@hotmail.com) or Maire Murray(maire.murray@gmail.com) for more information. Training commences with fitness from Tuesday, 20th July at 7pm in Crowley Park, though newcomers are welcome at any stage of the season.

Carol Staunton in Ireland squad for IRB Womens World Cup next month

Galwegians back-rower Carol Staunton joins Connacht team-mate Claire Molloy on the Irish Women’s World Cup squad which was announced this week. The tournament takes place this Aug and Ireland start their campaign against home favourites England on Aug 12 in a match that will be broadcast on Sky Sports. Best wishes are extended to the players from the women’s team.

Connacht Branch Try Rugby Summer Camps (6-12 year olds) - Dangan Aug 16-20th

Connacht Branch are organising their well known summer camps for mini age players around the province this summer. Locations include the Dangan sports facility on Aug 16-20th.

Along with the fun and skills, players will get a chance to rub shoulders with Connacht Pro and Ireland players. A special kit is also part of the package.

For more information or bookings, see the flyer online or contact Connacht Branch on 091 561568 to book.

Galwegians Senior Prizegiving and Dinner Dance - May 14th

The famous Galwegians Social/Dinner Dance was held on at the Westwood House Hotel, Newcastle Rd.

Another hugely enjoyable event with over 160 people attending. Big thanks to Barry Casserly and Jamie Stephens for their organisation.

The awardees at the Senior prizegiving were:

• Clubperson of the Year: John Folan
• Senior Player of the Year: Kieran Campbell
• Junior Player of the Year: Ross Fitzgerald
• Thirds Player of the Year: Fergal Duffy
• Womens Player of the Year: Emer O'Dowd
• U21 Player of the Year: Greg Leader

Youth Academy End of Season Day - May 3rd

The Youth Academy End of Season Fun Rugby Festival and Prizegiving was held on Bank Holiday Mon May 3rd.

A great afternoon of fun was enjoyed by 400 players, parents and friends. Congratulations to Debbie Joyce, Youth Academy Clubperson of the Year and to all the players of the year, clubmen and most improved in all youth squads (full awards list). And let's not forget the great fun and goodie bags of our minis.

Apr 29th

The Connacht Senior Cup Final was contested on Thu night at Corinthian Park. Despite a dominant display by our Firsts, the cup was captured by Corinthians 18-19 through a last minute try.

Apr 24th - 25th

Two rugby events this weekend: The U15s played an enjoyable friendly match against Navan, and the U12s travelled to England for the much awaited London Irish International Mini Festival. Galwegians U12s had two sides entered and both made it into the semi finals thanks to huge efforts in pool games. Unfortunately both sides went out in just before the final.

• U15 10 - Navan 10 at home in friendly
• U12B lost 2-1 and U12A lost 2-0 in semifinals at London Irish

Apr 17th-18th

With the season coming to a close there were a number of friendly games and two cup finals. The big result was the crowning of our U21s as Connacht Cup winners on Sat afternoon with a decisive win over Corinthians (photos). The U19s were unfortunate to go down in their cup final replay to Buccs.

Meanwhile on Sat, the U11s and U12s hosted Skerries and Corinthians for a blitz, whilst the U13s had a good win over Buccs away in a friendly. The U16s also travelled to Athlone for tournament style games with Buccs and a visiting Welsh side.

• U21 20 - Corinthians 7 at Sportsground in U21 Cup final
• U19 14 - Buccs 20 at Corinthian Park in U19 Cup final replay
• U13 54 - Buccs 31 away in friendly

Apr 15th

Galwegians demolished an understrength Buccaneers in the Connacht Senior Cup semi-final racking up 8 tries in a 52-3 rout on Thursday evening at Crowley Park. Report

• Firsts 52 - Buccs 3 at home in Senior Cup semifinal

We now play Corinthians in the Final (date & venue tbc). This is officialy scheduled for Saturday April 24th but may well be brought forward to a midweek date - watch this space!

Apr 10th - 11th

Despite the exciting result for the Connacht side including Galwegians Gavin Duffy, Michael Swift and John Muldoon at the Sportsground, results were decidedly less memorable for our three teams playing in sky blue.Two tries by Ambrose Conboy were not enough to secure a win in the AIL season finale against Dungannon (report), although the good news is that the Buccs win kept them alongside us in AIL 1B next season. The Thirds were very narrowly defeated away at Corrib in the Ard na Cregg Trophy. Despite a strong performance the U17s went down to Waterpark in the their All Ireland semifinal in Nenagh.

• Firsts 15 - Dungannon 24 away in AIL Division 1B. Final position 4th in league
• Thirds 5 - Corrib 6 away in Ard na Creeg Trophy
• U17 11 - Waterpark 21 at Nenagh in All Ireland U17 semifinal 

Apr 8th - Billy Glynn elected to IRFU Junior Vice-presidency

Galwegians' Billy Glynn election as IRFU Junior Vice President for 2010-2011 was celebrated in Glenina on Thu night by members with a presentation from Club president Derek Murphy.

This means Billy will be Senior Vice President in 2011 and President of the IRFU in 2012. The IRFU presidency is the highest position in Irish rugby and a huge honour for both Billy and Galwegians, coinciding with our 90th anniversary in 2012.

Apr 2nd-3rd (Easter weekend)

Despite all-action in the Magners League, Galwegians took Easter quietly. The Thirds had a rowdy time with the Paddy Coyle Cup friendly with OLBC and Thirds players representing Paddy's grandsons on Fri, then a friendly against Duckinsfield RFC from Cheshire on Sat.

The main competitive game was the U19 Cup final which pitted our U19s against Buccs at the neutral Corinthians venue. We conceded a last minute try to trigger a replay in a few weeks. The U15A side sadly dipped out of their cup with a narrow defeat against Corinthians last Thu evening.

• U15A 7 - Corinthians 10 at home in U15 Cup semifinal
• Thirds and OLBC: Philip's side defeated Ciaran's side in Paddy Coyle Cup
• Thirds 31 - Duckinfield 17 at home in friendly
• U19 8 - Buccs 8 at Corinthian Park in U19 Cup final
• U10s 4 - Portumna 1 at Sportsground for Connacht Pro halftime exhibition (report)

Mar 27-28th

Despite a fighting performance and the boot of Dave Clarke, the Firsts went down 18-9 to Young Munster on Sat. In other games, the U21s had a tight win in their cup semifinal and now look forward to a final against Corinthians. Unfortunately the U16s and U15B both lost narrowly in their semifinals. The inaugural Tribes Tens on Sat was a very enjoyable affair, with Garryowen taking the title and Galwegians winning the plate (in the shape of a bowl).

• Firsts 9 - Young Munster 18 away in AIL Div 1B (report)
• U21 19 - NUIG 18 at home in Connacht U21 Cup semifinal
• U19 Tribes Tens: Garryowen took title, Galwegians U19 took plate (report)
• U16 12 - Monivea 14 at Athlone in U16 Cup semi final
• U15B 25 - Connemara 29 at home in U15 Plate semi final
• U14 7 - Monmouth College Wales 49 at home in friendly
• U12 Connacht blitz at Corinthians, allegedly non-competitive (report)

Mar 20th-21st

Like the disappointing let down for our national squad, Galwegians have also had a hard International weekend in the few games played. The one bright spot is a clear win by the U15A side away against their fierce rivals and league final opponents, Westport, in the U15 Cup.

• Women 5 - Blackrock 12 away in Leinster Cup round 2 (report)
• U16 12 - Sligo 15 at Castlebar in U16 League final (report)
• U15A 20 - Westport 5 away in U15 Cup round 2 (report)
• U14 5 - Sligo 37 at Castlebar in U14 League semi final (report)

Mar 17th - Glynn Cup gone, Langan Trophy held

In one of the most massive days in decades at Crowley Park, the 2010 Glynn Cup Festival of Rugby was hosted by Galwegians on St Patricks Day. Despite a strong showing by the Youth Academy to retain the Langan Trophy 5.5 to  1.5, we went down narrowly overall 5.5 to 6.5 to Corinthians with a loss in the final Firsts game. This means the Glynn Cup will go to our city neighbours for the year.

Full information about the Glynn Cup including results listing and a massive collection of photos are available on www.glynncup.com

Mar 13-14th

We can't win them all, althoughwe do win our share. This weekend saw some more ups and downs in a relatively quiet international weekend as the Women and U16s progressed in their cups but the U17 and U14 sides were knocked out:

• Thirds v West Offaly Lions at home, postponed
• Women 41 - Garda 0 at home in Leinster Cup (report)
• U17 12 - Buccs 17 at home in U17 Cup semi final
• U16 12 - Corinthians 10 at home in U16 Cup round 1 (report)
• U14 0 - Sligo 24 at home in U14 Cup 

Mar 6-7th

Our Senior team finished their last AIL home game this season on a high when they completed the double over Ballymena to record an unprecedented fourth successive win over the Braidmen and retain the Des Dempsey Cup. This cements our fourth position in the table with an outside chance of catching UCC in the run-in. Match report here and photos

A run-down of all the weekend action:

• Firsts 17 - Ballymena 16 at home in AIL 1B to hold Des Dempsey Cup (photos)
• Seconds 12 - Buccs 12 at home in J1 league
• Thirds 13 - Buccs 3 at home in J2S league
• U19 10 - Corrib 0 away in U19 Cup semi final (report)
• U17 24 - Young Munster 7 at home in friendly
• U16 21 - U15A 17 at Swamp in friendly
• U15B 43 - U14 26 at Swamp in friendly
• U13 7 - Ballinasloe 17 at home in U13 Cup (photos)
• U12 and U10 at Westport in blitz
• U11 at Buccs in Connacht Blitz
• U9, U8, U7 at home in blitz versus Westport and Barna (photos)

A very enjoyable lunch was held to celebrate the Des Dempsey Cup. It was like old times at Glenina with all the finery. (photos)

Feb 27-28th

It was a very quiet international weekend on the fixtures front. Nevertheless, in addition to the Twickenham win, our U16s came through their own test away at Ballinasloe to record a 14-5 win and book a final against Sligo at the Sportsground in coming weeks. In other matches, the U21s went down narrowly to Corinthians and the U15B lost their first round cup match but will get another chance in the plate. The U14s hosted Mount Temple school from Dublin for a friendly that allowed their full squad to get some game time.

• Thirds v West Offaly Lions postponed
• U21 22 - Corinthians 24 away in SW Conference League
• U16 14 - Ballinasloe 5 away in U16 league semifinal
• U15A 17 - UL Bohs A 13 away in friendly (report)
• U15B 0 - Ballina 50 away in U15 Cup
• U14 13 - Mount Temple 40 at home in friendly

Feb 20-21st

Another big success in the Youth Academy with the U15 South squad coming out winners in a tight League Final at the Sportsground. Congratulations! An excellent win was also recorded by the U21s against Young Munster. The Seconds won against OLBC to underline their resurgence, and the Thirds had a strong first half before fading against Corinthians. The U19 and U13s cleared the first round hurdled in their Cup challenges and the U14s had a good win in their league match.

Unfortunately, we had less success in Dublin with the Firsts and Women going down to league leaders Old Belvedere and powerhouses Blackrock respectively.

• Firsts 3 - Old Belvedere 31 away in AIL (match report)
• Seconds 14 - OLBC 12 at home in J1 League
• Thirds 21 - Corinthians 36 at home in J2 League South
• Women 5 - Blackrock 12 away in Leinster Cup (match report)
• U21 12 - Young Munster 10 at home in SW Conf League
• U19 46 - Ballyhaunis/Dunmore 5 away in U19 Cup (match report)
• U15S 13 - Westport 12 at Sportground in U15 League Final - League Champions! 
• U14 29 - Ballinasloe 12 at home in U14 League  (match report)
• U13 17 - Tuam 0 away in U13 Cup

Carol Staunton has written a piece for us in the Womens Rugby section on her big day out represention Ireland Women v Italy.

Feb 13-14

It was something of an up-and-down weekend with only a handful of teams playing due to the international weekend and the transition from Youth League to Cup fixtures. Some good wins mixed with two squads going out in league semi finals. The mini's blitz in Ballinasloe was also unfortunately cancelled due to frozen pitches.

• Firsts 8 - Old Wesley 20, Friendly
• Thirds v UCG, J2 League - conceded by UCG
• Women 48 - Tuam 0, Leinster Cup (report)
• U19 3 - Buccs 16, U19 League semi final (report)
• U15N 10 - U15S 22, U15 League semi final (report)
• U14 v Ballinasloe, U14 League - postponed
• U13 56 - Corinthians 19, U13 League

Feb 6-7

Galwegians recorded a flush this weekend, with all teams in action getting wins. Many of the victories were significant: The Seconds are fighting their way to safety, and the U19 and U17 squads were in first round action of their Connacht Cups. The U15 North (aka blue) squad result sealed their progression to the League semi-finals.

• Second 12 - Corinthians 7, J1 League
• Thirds v Corinthians, J2 League South - to be played this Tue evening
• Womens v Garda, Leinster Cup - postponed
• U19 20 - Ballina 18, U19 Cup round 1
• U17 17 - Sligo A 0, U17 Cup round 1
• U15N 19 - Ballina 7, U15 League North (report)
• U14 8 - Monivea 6, U14 League (report)

There was no Firsts game due to it being a 6 Nations weekend.

Jan 30-31

Another close-fought contest but a second deserved home League win on the bounce as we overcame northerners and newly promoted Ballynahinch 15-12 on Saturday. Match report now available here. (photos)

Great win 14-10 by U-17's over Buccaneers to win the Connacht U-17 League (match report, photos).

Jan 23-24

Dramatic finale in our derby game at home to Buccs as we came back from the death to snatch a 12-11 victory with a last-gasp drop-goal from Dave Clarke. This win secures our mid-table position. (match report and photos)

Jan 16-17

Disappointing defeat away to UCC on Saturday for our Senior XV, but at least we got a consolation bonus point. For match report, click here.

Jan 9-10

Frozen pitches again! Crowley Park is closed so all weekend fixtures are off this weekend also.

Jan 2-3

Frozen pitches again! Crowley Park is closed so there will be no Youth Academy training this weekend, except where special sessions are arranged by coachesThe U7, U8, U9 and U12 squads will be training indoors in the Kingfisher Gym at NUI Galway. Coaches will provide details of times and gear required.

Bobby Deacy R.I.P.

Club Trustee and ex-President Bobby Deacy has passed away. His Funeral Mass took place in the Augustinian Church on Wed Dec 30th and he lies in Forthill Cemetery.

Dec 19-20

Frozen pitches = no rugby!

Dec 12-13

Defeat for our senior XV at home to a strong Young Munster side at Crowley Park on Saturday by 16-9. (match report and photos)

Details of other matches are in the Recent Results section. In brief:

• Seconds lost to Castlebar 10-30 (knockon.ie)
• Thirds lost to Monivea 15-35 (report) 
• Women beat Cooke 12-10 (report)
• U19 enjoyed a great Sevens tournament in Garryowen (report, photos)
• U17 won at Connemara 25-5 (report)
• U16 lost to Ballinasloe 7-34 (report)
• U15 South lost to Corinthians 0-3
• U13 lost to Ballinasloe 21-35 (photos)

Dec 5-6

Great win for our Senior team who beat Ballymena away by 16-13 in Division 1b on Saturday. Match report now available here.

Nov 28-29

Seniors lost their AIB Cup quarter-final 24-10 v Dolphin at Musgrave Park on Sunday. Match report available here.

Table Quiz at Glenina this Thu Nov 26th, 8pm

Table quiz at Glenina this Thu Nov 26th starting 8pm. Finger food provided and bar open. This is a very important event in raising funds for the U12 London Irish Tour and your support is greatly appreciated. €80 per table of 4 available at the door.

Nov 21st-22nd: Bad weather cancels (almost) everything

If you thought that the weather was too atrocious to play any rugby, you'd be (almost) right. Despite Connacht Branch calling time on all senior rugby, someone forgot to tell a couple of Youth Academy squads.

The U12s managed to get an hour of training under their belt inside at the Kingfisher Gym at NUIG on Saturday. No one can accuse John Gaffney and the boys of cowardice in the face of the elements.

And the U15 North (blue) squad managed to get their game in on Sunday by conceding home advantage and travelling all the way to Castlebar. It ended in a good win 36-12 (report). And the top scorer? None other than Ciaran Gaffney with a bag of 21.

International Tickets

Tickets for the Autumn Internationals have been allocated. Applicants should contact Michael Whelan of Whelan's Chemist, Williamsgate St (091-562291) to confirm their allocation and to arrange collection and payment.

Nov 14th-15th

Our Senior team made a big step forward on Saturday when they inflicted the first defeat in AIB Division 1B on league leaders Old Belevdere at Crowley Park. In an exciting game Galwegians played long periods of attacking rugby and ran out winners 13-12 thanks to two tries from in-form winger John Cleary. See the match report and photos.

Our U21 team made the long trip to Cork Con but unfortuantely went down 54-24 in a late kickoff under lights.

Most Youth games were called off for the second week running due to waterlogged pitches throughout the province leading to club ground closures, including at Crowley Park.

Nov 7th-8th

Our Senior team got back to winning ways when they overcame UCD 29-16 in the 3rd Round of the AIB Cup in Dublin on Sunday at 3pm. See the full match report. Wegians continue their impressive record in this competition, securing their fourth consecutive quarter-final appearance where they will meet Division 1A form side Dolphin in Cork on November 21st.

Our Ladies match against UL Bohs at Glenina did not go to plan as they went down 47-7. Our Thirds also scored one converted try in going down to Buccs, 32-7. We are awaiting news of the U21 score.

Much of the Youth Academy action was called off due to the sodden state of pitches around the county. This included games by U13, U14, U15, U16 and U17 squads. Only the U19s played, recording an excellent 31-6 win away at Corinthians on Sunday. (match report)

Oct 31st-Nov 1st:

Our Senior team had a very disappointing 15-8 defeat away to arch-rivals Buccaneers in Athlone on Saturday. Match report here.

The U21 team made the trek to Bruff and in a close game were unlucky to return empty-handed after a 12-5 defeat.

The U15 south side continued their excellent form with a solid 17-10 win over Buccs on Saturday as a prelude to the Firsts game.

Oct 24th/25th:

Our Senior team snatched defeat from the jaws of victory when two late tries saw UCC deny them at Crowley Park on Saturday. A brief match report available here. Match day photos are also available.In other results news, the Thirds went down to Tuam 24-7 whilst the U19s won well at Sligo (report). The U17s game was cancelled in memory of parent Pat Conneally. Our U16s recorded a good 12 all draw with Monivea (report) whilst the north and south U15 league games resulted in good wins to Galwegians against Carrick on Shannon (photos) and Ballinasloe repectively.

There were no games for the Seconds or Womens squads, and the U14 and U13 leagues are getting underway in the next couple of weeks.

Oct 17th/18th:

Our Senior team overcame Trinity College on Saturday in the second Round of the AIB Cup, but only after being given a real fright by the students who gave it their all. Read the match report here.

Oct 10th/11th:

Heartache for our Senior team who came so close to pipping Ballynahinch at the death on Saturday in our first away AIB League game of this campaign. But two valuable bonus points picked up all the same. Match report here.

Ref did not show for our Junior League game against Corinthians, so there were no points at stake as both teams played a friendly instead.

Our Ladies team had a strong 41-0 win away to heatache team Navan on Sunday, with a huge second half team effort. (match report)

In other games, the Thirds went down 10-30 at Monivea on Sunday in the Junior 2 South League. The U21s suffered a 29-3 loss at home on Saturday to UL Bohs in the SouthWest Conference League. The U19s went down 33-0 at home to Monivea in their league (brief match report) while the U17s recorded a good 28-14 win away at Westport. The U15 South (black) squad entertained with a close 27-20 loss in a friendly against UL Bohs on Saturday.

Oct 3rd/4th: Firsts & Thirds Win

Our Senior team opened their AIL campaign with a last-minute victory against a plucky Dungannon team. But the important thing is a win is a win, and with four points in the bag we are third in the Div. 1b League table after round one. For a full match report, click here.

Great win too by the Thirds - read about it here, great report too!

Not so lucky the Seconds who came off second best at Corrib, but they were missing a few players so not to worry. Better days to come and get back on track.

Great win also for our U-15's against Creggs in the U-15 North League, read about their emphatic win here.

Sep 20th: Ladies, Seconds and Thirds Suffer Defeats

Galwegians Women suffered a heavy but not totally negative defeat 45-0 in Blackrock on Sunday (match report). Uncowed, they're looking forward to their home fixture against St Mary's next weekend.

An understrength Seconds also lost 39-5 away in Sligo in the opening match of the Junior 1 (J1) league (match details).

The Thirds went down in a narrow defeat 22-19 in a curtain-raiser friendly in Sligo (match details). Nevertheless, their 3 tries suggest we're in for an exciting season from the squad everyone wants to join.

Sep 19th: Galwegians Top Connacht Rugby

Galwegians Firsts recorded a hard fought but clear victory over fellow AIL Division 1B members Buccaneers in what was effectively the final of the Connacht Senior League on Saturday.

The Firsts hit the front with an intercept try in the opening minutes and never relinquished the lead despite some spirited play bracketing half time which saw Buccs over our try line twice. Galwegians then knuckled down for a clear win, making it 3 of 3 in the Senior League.

Connacht Branch treasurer Eamonn Feely presented the impressive league trophy to Ivan Muldoon at the end of the match. A full match report and extensive photo gallery are available.

Change in Womens Training Day

In a switch to get better pitch availability, the Womens team are now training Tuesday and Thursday.

With the end of the tag rugby season Galwegians Women’s Rugby Team is a great answer for staying fit and having fun. You can find out about how to get involved on the Womens section pages.

Sun Sep 13th: Women Get Revenge Over Clonmel

Galwegians Ladies team scored a first 11-9 victory in the AIL Womens league in a tight and pulsating home match against Clonmel on Sunday. This was sweet revenge for a much-disputed last minute defeat to the same team away at the end of last season. Match report.

Sat Sep 12th: Firsts Claim Second Scalp in Senior League

On a glorious Saturday afternoon, the Senior team made it two wins out of two in the Connacht Senior League when they comfortably saw off the challenge of Connemara All Blacks. by 43-10. Match report.

Sat Sep 5th: Firsts Victorious Over Corinthians

Galwegians Firsts claimed a deserved 19-15 victory over a plucky Corinthians side last Thursday evening in the Connacht Senior League. Match report.

Galwegians 2009 AGM

The 2009 AGM took place at 7.30pm on Monday 22nd June at Crowley Park, Glenina.

An EGM (Extraordinary General Meeting) was held alongside the AGM for the purpose of discussing the future of the Club following the recent refusal of Planning Permission by An Bord Pleanala.

The AGM (Annual General Meeting) was then held with reports from directors followed by election of new directors. The newly elected President is Derek Murphy and the Chairman is Paul Crowley.

The outgoing directors, chairman and president were warmly and sincerely thanked for their many years of service to the club, including during difficult recent times.

A summary of the discussions is available here.

Dinner Dance a Huge Success

Following on from the successful revival of the Dinner Dance last season, this year Galwegians again enjoyed a mammouth event at the Radisson last Saturday. Almost 200 people enjoyed dinner, the seior prizegiving and a great band that saw some serious movers take to the floor. Check back for photos!

Special thanks is due to Jamie Stephens, Robbie Higgins and Craig Reardon for their efforts to cement what has again become one of the biggest events in the Galwegians season.

Breda Leader Honoured as Club Person of the Year

In the prizegiving part of Saturday's Dinner Dance, Club Secretary Breda Leader was recognised for her many years of service to Galwegians with the Club Person of the Year award.

Breda plays a central role in our club and has been hugely important in the new energy that is bringing us forward. She was generously applauded by all for her great service to Galwegians.

Great Galwegians - Brendan Guerin

At the recent Connacht Branch Awards, proud Galwegian and former Connacht and Ireland player Brendan Guerin received a special Hall of Fame award from Declan Kidney for his contribution to Connacht Rugby.

Brendan played at lock for Wegians throughot the 1950s, and for Connacht from 1952 to 1959. Guerin was the third Galwegians player ever to receive a full Ireland cap when he played against Scotland in the Five Nations of 1956. Ireland won the game 14-10 at Landsdowne Road. Read the full story in our Club History section.

Galwegians take Connacht End of Season Awards

After another successful season at Glenina it's great to see a good number of Galwegians players receiving recognition at provincial ceremonies:

Galwegians scooped a number of awards at the official Connacht branch ceremony on Sat May 19th where Declan Kidney was guest of honour. Galwegians winners were:

• U18 Youths - Eoin McKeown
• Ladies - Tandy Johnson
• Contribution to Irish Rugby - Merv Murphy, Ireland video analyst

The full list of nominees also included Rory Cunningham and David Garvey (U18 schools), Dermot Murphy and Joe Moran (U20), John Cleary (Senior club) and Gavin Duffy (Connacht player).

Independent Connacht rugby website knockon.ie had its own award ceremony on Fri May 8th. The honours handed out included:

• Junior out half of the season - Ross Shaughnessy
• AIB league player of the season - Dave Nolan

Congratulations to everyone for well-deserved awards and nominations.

New Grounds Development Update

Some very disappointing news re our planning application for the new club development at Brownsville. Read a letter from the Chairman here with an update.

The 2008-2009 Season At Galwegians

Last season was another great one at Galwegians, with a whole string of successful rugby at all levels:

• Firsts: 9th in AIL divison 1 and Quarter final of AIB Cup
• 2nds:
• 3rds: Ard na Cregg finalists, Scotland Tour, 45-strong squad
• Ladies:
• U20: Connacht Cup finalists
• U18: Connacht Cup for third year in succession
• U16: Connacht League winners and U16 All-Ireland finalists
• U15: Connacht Cup semi finalists
• U14: Connacht League and Cup semi finalists
• U13: Connacht Cup winners
• U12: successful London Irish tour
• U7-U11: another season of great mini rugby