MU Barnhall
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MU Barnhall
RUGBY FOOTBALL CLUB
Barnhall Rugby Club was founded in 1969 by seven employees of the local meat
factory in Leixlip, Co. Kildare. The factory had over 300 of acres of land and allowed
the new club to have a pitch on their land. An early success was when the factory club
won the Dublin Business Cup in 1971. After many years of trying, the club managed
to buy 14 acres of land in Parsonstown from the factory in 1986.
Age grade rugby started in 1977
and the club now has over 600 boys
and girls playing at age grades from
under 7’s to under 18’s. Women’s
rugby started in 2007 and the club
now field two women’s teams and
three girl’s teams at youth level.
A mixed ability team started in
2014 and there are plans to further
expand this section. The club also
has five men’s teams and an under
20’s men’s team which brings the
total playing membership in the club
to over 900.
A key component of the club’s
strategy, which started in 2002, is
to bring rugby to our local schools
and particularly those who have had
no previous participation in rugby.
Significant resources have been
given to this endeavour which is
producing solid results with schools
climbing up the rankings in Leinster
rugby.
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The club achieved significant
success in season 1998-99 when we
gained promotion to the All-Ireland
League and thus achieved senior
status. At the end of season 1994-95,
we were ranked 33rd of the 33 teams
then in the Leinster Junior Leagues.
A new management system brought
a group of very talented young
players augmented by a small
number of hand-picked recruits to
three promotions in four years and to
the promised land of the All Ireland
League. The club has embraced this
league and regards it as the crown
jewel in Irish club rugby.
Maynooth University invited the
club to run the rugby programme
in the University in 2004. Due in no
small part to a tremendous amount
of hard work and shared goals, this
programme led to a rugby merger
in 2010 and the club was renamed
as Maynooth University Barnhall
RFC with excellent grounds and
facilities in both the University and
Parsonstown. The partnership has
proven to be an outstanding success
with the club now a community club
with a compelling offering from
minis rugby to University. Perhaps
only in Ireland could a club founded
by the workers of a meat factory
graduate to a University club?
Season 2018-19 was the 50th
anniversary of the club’s founding
and it did not disappoint as it
brought great success to the club
both on and off the field. It was very
fitting that the President of the club
was Eddie FitzGerald, who had been
the first captain back in 1969. The
men’s first team won Division 2B of
the All Ireland League by winning
all eighteen of their league games
and the women’s first team won the
Leinster League Division 3. In all,
a record eight trophies were won
throughout the club in a total of
twelve final appearances to finish off