Barnhall RFC
Encyclopedia
Barnhall Rugby Football Club is a rugby
club in Leixlip
, County Kildare
near Dublin. The club has a very successful history and one of the largest youth rugby programmes in Ireland. Barnhall has 7 senior teams including an under 20's team, a ladies team and underage teams from 19's to 13's at youth level, and 12's to under 8's at minis
level. The club currently plays in the third division of the AIB League
.
At the start of the following 1970/71 season, the committee decided to find games for a second team. The rationale for this move was that the club had no chance of progression or even survival unless a second team was put on the field.
Since 1999 Barnhall have established themselves as an All-Ireland League team having spent most of their time in Division Two. 2008 brought Relegation to Parsonstown. Having narrowly avoided relegation for a second consecutive year in 2009, Barnhall still compete in Division Three.
Over the years notable players include Trevor Brennan
and Brendan Burke
.
The youth teams from under 13's to under 19's follow the IRFU's Long Term Player Development Plan(LTPD) and the emphasis moves from participation and fundamentals to learning to play the game and learning to train for the game. The under 18's team play in the Sean Stratton Under-18 Premier League. Barnhall were very successful in the competition winning in 2005 and runners up in 2001 and 2006. The 2005 squad also went on to win the All-Ireland competition.
.
The team draws its players mostly from the Tag-rugby leagues which are played every Summer in Parsonstown and from NUI Maynooth whose rugby programme has close links with Barnhall RFC but welcomes any new players who would like to give rugby a go.
In 2010 the Barnhall Women won the Leinster Div 3 to become Leinster champions.
, Ireland
and even abroad. Trevor Brennan began his career in Parsonstown before going on to play for Bective Rangers
in the AIL and then captaining St Mary's College RFC
to AIL division 1 success. Trevor was contracted to Leinster when he moved back to Barnhall who had just achieved senior status and were promoted to AIL Division 2. He was capped 13 times for Ireland before moving to French side Toulouse
where he appeared in three Heineken Cup
finals in a row winning two of them.
Brendan Burke made his AIL debut at the age of 17 and earned a Leinster contract by becoming one of the top try-scorers of all time in the AIL with 49 tries. He played for the Irish under-19's and Irish 7's teams and is currently playing with English Division 1 team Bedford.
Klein Jan Tromp arrived in Barnhall from South Africa
in 2001. Klein was quoted in a South African rugby magazine saying that his year in Barnhall re-ignited his passion to play rugby and on his return to South Africa he played both Curry Cup and Super 14
rugby for the Cheetahs and the Cats.
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
club in Leixlip
Leixlip
-Politics:Since 1988 Leixlip has had a nine member Town Council , headed by a Cathaoirleach , which has control over many local matters, although it is limited in that it is not also a planning authority...
, County Kildare
County Kildare
County Kildare is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the local authority for the county...
near Dublin. The club has a very successful history and one of the largest youth rugby programmes in Ireland. Barnhall has 7 senior teams including an under 20's team, a ladies team and underage teams from 19's to 13's at youth level, and 12's to under 8's at minis
Mini rugby
Mini rugby also known as New Image Rugby is a form of rugby union designed to introduce the sport to children. It uses a smaller ball and pitch than standard rugby, and has nine players a side....
level. The club currently plays in the third division of the AIB League
AIB League
The Ulster Bank All-Ireland League is the national league system for the 48 senior rugby union clubs in Ireland, covering both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. It is not, however, the highest level of rugby union in Ireland, as teams representing the four provinces of Ireland play...
.
History
Barnhall Rugby Club was founded on the 16th of May, 1969 by employees of Irish Meat Packers, Barnhall, Parsinstown, Celbridge, Co. Kildare. The first full season was 1969/70 when Barnhall played in the J5 O’Connor Cup.At the start of the following 1970/71 season, the committee decided to find games for a second team. The rationale for this move was that the club had no chance of progression or even survival unless a second team was put on the field.
Since 1999 Barnhall have established themselves as an All-Ireland League team having spent most of their time in Division Two. 2008 brought Relegation to Parsonstown. Having narrowly avoided relegation for a second consecutive year in 2009, Barnhall still compete in Division Three.
Over the years notable players include Trevor Brennan
Trevor Brennan
Trevor Brennan is a former rugby union player for Barnhall, Bective Rangers, St Marys College RFC, Leinster Rugby, Stade Toulousain and Ireland; being capped 13 times. He played either in the second row or as a flanker.Trevor captained St Mary's College RFC to their only AIB League title in 2000...
and Brendan Burke
Brendan Burke
Brendan Gilmore Burke was an athlete and student manager at Miami University for the RedHawks men's ice hockey team...
.
Youth Development
Barnhall RFC have a large underage rugby programme. The mini-section in the club welcomes players from under-8's level to under-13's. The emphasis at this level is on fun and participation. The ethos of mini rugby is to foster and develop young players (boys & girls) of all ability in the game of rugby in a safe, non competitive, enjoyable environment through activities which ensure progressive skill development for all participants in line with the IRFU Long Term Player Development (LTPD) pathway, Child Welfare Policy and Traditions of Rugby Union.The youth teams from under 13's to under 19's follow the IRFU's Long Term Player Development Plan(LTPD) and the emphasis moves from participation and fundamentals to learning to play the game and learning to train for the game. The under 18's team play in the Sean Stratton Under-18 Premier League. Barnhall were very successful in the competition winning in 2005 and runners up in 2001 and 2006. The 2005 squad also went on to win the All-Ireland competition.
Women's Rugby
In 2007 Barnhall entered the Leinster Women's Development league for the first time. Managed by Jennie Coleman and coached by Keith Bewley and Kevin Sheil the team went as far as the final in their inaugural year losing out to Longford in the final at MalahideMalahide
Malahide is a coastal suburban town, near Dublin city, located in the administrative county of Fingal, within the traditional County Dublin, Ireland. It has a village-like centre and extensive residential areas to the south, west and northwest.-Name:...
.
The team draws its players mostly from the Tag-rugby leagues which are played every Summer in Parsonstown and from NUI Maynooth whose rugby programme has close links with Barnhall RFC but welcomes any new players who would like to give rugby a go.
In 2010 the Barnhall Women won the Leinster Div 3 to become Leinster champions.
Representative Rugby
Over the years Barnhall has produced players who have gone on to play representative rugby for LeinsterLeinster Rugby
Leinster Rugby, usually referred to simply as Leinster, is an Irish professional rugby union team based in Dublin, representing the Irish province of Leinster, that competes in the RaboDirect Pro 12 and also competes in the Heineken Cup...
, Ireland
Ireland national rugby union team
The Ireland national rugby union team represents the island of Ireland in rugby union. The team competes annually in the Six Nations Championship and every four years in the Rugby World Cup, where they reached the quarter-final stage in all but two competitions The Ireland national rugby union...
and even abroad. Trevor Brennan began his career in Parsonstown before going on to play for Bective Rangers
Bective Rangers
Bective Rangers is a rugby union club in Dublin, Ireland founded in 1881.The Club is affiliated to the Leinster Branch of the Irish Rugby Football Union and play in Division 2 of the All Ireland League....
in the AIL and then captaining St Mary's College RFC
St Mary's College RFC
St. Mary's College Rugby Football Club is a rugby union club based in Dublin, Ireland. The club was founded in 1900 by former pupils of St. Mary's College, Dublin and was originally known as Old St. Mary's. They club won the Leinster Senior Cup for the first time in 1958...
to AIL division 1 success. Trevor was contracted to Leinster when he moved back to Barnhall who had just achieved senior status and were promoted to AIL Division 2. He was capped 13 times for Ireland before moving to French side Toulouse
Stade Toulousain
Stade Toulousain, also referred to as Toulouse, is a French rugby union club from Toulouse in Midi-Pyrénées. Toulouse is one of the finest rugby clubs in Europe, having won the Heineken Cup four times – in 1996, 2003, 2005 and 2010. They were also runners-up in 2004 and 2008 against London Wasps...
where he appeared in three Heineken Cup
Heineken Cup
The Heineken Cup is one of two annual rugby union competitions organised by European Rugby Cup involving leading club, regional and provincial teams from the six International Rugby Board countries in Europe whose national teams compete in the Six Nations Championship: England, France, Ireland,...
finals in a row winning two of them.
Brendan Burke made his AIL debut at the age of 17 and earned a Leinster contract by becoming one of the top try-scorers of all time in the AIL with 49 tries. He played for the Irish under-19's and Irish 7's teams and is currently playing with English Division 1 team Bedford.
Klein Jan Tromp arrived in Barnhall from South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
in 2001. Klein was quoted in a South African rugby magazine saying that his year in Barnhall re-ignited his passion to play rugby and on his return to South Africa he played both Curry Cup and Super 14
Super 14
Super Rugby is the largest and pre-eminent professional Rugby union competition in the Southern Hemisphere...
rugby for the Cheetahs and the Cats.
Notable Players
Below is a list(incomplete) of players from Barnhall who have represented Leinster at age-grade, schools and junior level.- Robert Dillon
- Christy Dunne
- John Farrell
- Keith Bewley
- Conrad Burke
- Warwick Bowden
- Eamon Leach
- Trevor Brennan
- Dermot Dunne
- Brian Leach
- Daragh Henry
- Desmond Kelly
- Ian Walsh
- Des Kelly
- Eoin Burke
- Gio Fusco
- Brendan Burke
- Phil Furlong
- Greg Boland
- Tony Tynan
- Padraic Beatty
- Brian Heaney
- Peter Du Toit
- Benjamin Jupe
- Martin Moore
- Eamon Daly
- Tom McGuirk