Club Notes | Castleisland RFC Celebrates 100 Years

Castleisland RFC has been at the heart of the local sporting community for a century, fostering talent and inspiring generations of players and supporters.

The club played its first game of rugby on the 5th of March 1926 against Tralee under the direction of Edward Galway Foley. Little did this group of players know the legacy they would leave behind would be the fine club that we have in Castleisland today.

They could never have known how much enjoyment they would have generated from that first match.

They could never have envisaged the high level of performance Castleisland RFC has worked towards over the years and how far some of our players have gone in terms of provincial, international, Barbarian and Lions Rugby.

The club has many well know players that have moved on to represent the club with honour, Among them are Jack Guiney, Joe O Connor, Mick Doyle, Tom Doyle, Moss Keane, Mick Galway, Ciara Griffin, JJ Harahan, Sean McCarthy and Jack Daly to name but a few.

But one other that deserves a mention, but did not make provincial or national teams, is none other than Con Houlihan. He was a fisherman, turf cutter, rugby player, teacher and writer. Con played with the club from the 1950’s until the mid-1970’s as second row or a number 8 and captained the club in a McGillycuddy Cup Final against local neighbours and rivals Killarney. He even did a term as club chairman. He was renowned for playing in his socks as there were no boots big enough for him. He also played in a geansaí knitted for him by his mother as there was no club jersey to fit him.

From 1926 to 1986 the club was dependant on the goodwill of neighbours and various landowners around the area for the provision of pitches.

In 1986 under the guidance of the then Club President, John Browne, the initial purchase of the grounds at the Crageens from the O’Connor Family of Rhyno Mills was negotiated. The family had a long association with the club with their son Joe having played with Ireland and his brothers Liam and Hugh having played for Munster.

In 1989 additional ground was purchased to extend the playing area. Further developments saw the dressing rooms being opened, pitches developed, the clubhouse being built and the installation of floodlights in 1992. All of this was down to the hard work of many key individuals over the years who put so much time and effort into fundraising and running the club.

While on the field the club has had many great days, perhaps one of the more unusual ones came in the 1940/41 season. After two games and three periods of extra time lasting 230 minutes in total, the Munster Junior Cup Final winner could not be decided. It was agreed that both clubs, Waterpark Old Boys and Castleisland RFC, would be the joint holders for the season. The clubs got together and agreed to each having the cup for six months. Castleisland went first and were greeted by bonfires when they arrived home.

Castleisland RFC have planned a calendar of events that will run alongside the normal club activity for the upcoming season. The aim of the celebrations is for everyone who has ever been associated with the club to partake in some of the wide variety of events planned. These range from a day dedicated to remembering deceased members to a past and present players reunion. There will also be a corporate lunch event with some famous former Munster and Irish players attending, a club end of season social, a Pre-Christmas visit from Santa, a weeklong exhibition in the Castleisland Museum, a golf classic and so much more.

We have already started our celebrations with a Family Fun Day, a get-together to get behind the Irish ladies’ team at the Rugby World Cup and we had the Munster Men’s team down to train on our pitches in September, which included our own JJ Hanrahan.

Club chairman and long-standing member Timmy Herlihy noted that, after all the hard work done by past committees and members such as John Browne, Maurice Walsh, Michael Shanahan, Christy Cronin, David Keane, and Joe O’Connor of the W.H. O’Connors — from whom the field was purchased — to name but a few, it’s great to see a new generation coming up and taking on the mantle of running the club and setting it up for the next 100 years.

As mentioned already all the centenary events will run alongside the normal club activity which will include rugby across all ages for boys and girls.

It will be a busy year for our Men’s First Team who are now being trained by our own William Casey and captained by Joseph Sheehy. There seems to be a buzz created already during the pre-season that will hopefully lead to a successful year ahead.

The Youths and Mini Rugby have already returned, and new members are always welcome. Club captain Joseph Sheehy said,
“All of us players, and management included, know how lucky we are to represent the club in a centenary year. Representing all who have played in the jersey before us and the ones who are abroad currently who would love to be in our position”.

Making this milestone even more special, Annie O’Toole takes up the role of Castleisland RFC’s first-ever female Club President—a proud moment in the club’s history and a sign of our continued evolution and inclusivity

The newly elected Club President Annie O’Toole is also looking forward to the yearlong celebrations.
Speaking about the upcoming events she said:
“The club has had many great days on a local, provincial, and national stage. To mark this significant milestone for the club, I would encourage everyone to get involved in some small part of our calendar of events. If you have ever wanted to find out what happens in our club, what better time than now to become involved”.

The club also has a new secretary this season, Danny O’Sullivan, who said:
“Representing Castleisland RFC as Hon. Sec. is a true honour. This club has given me more good memories than I can ever repay.”
Danny encouraged people to follow Castleisland Rugby Club social media pages where all the information will be shared.

John Breen from the centenary committee said that they are delighted to report that the events held so far as part of our centenary celebrations have been very enjoyable and well attended. We are now looking forward to the Centenary Lunch next Friday the 17th of October, which will feature many Munster and Irish rugby stalwarts among our guests.

Next month, we will host a special event in remembrance of our deceased former members, which has already generated great interest within the local community.

Our monthly centenary events will continue throughout the remainder of the season, ensuring plenty of opportunities for members and friends to come together and celebrate this remarkable milestone in the club’s history.

Looking forward to seeing you all during the 2025/26 season.