Peter McKenna is a former Irish Rugby International

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...

, author, broadcaster

Presenter

A presenter, or host , is a person or organization responsible for running an event. A museum or university, for example, may be the presenter or host of an exhibit. Likewise, a master of ceremonies is a person that hosts or presents a show...

 and solicitor

Solicitor

Solicitors are lawyers who traditionally deal with any legal matter including conducting proceedings in courts. In the United Kingdom, a few Australian states and the Republic of Ireland, the legal profession is split between solicitors and barristers , and a lawyer will usually only hold one title...

.

Early life

McKenna was educated at C.B.C. Monkstown

C.B.C. Monkstown

Christian Brothers College, Monkstown Park is a voluntary fee-paying Catholic school and Independent Junior school, founded in 1856 in Monkstown, Dún Laoghaire, County Dublin, Ireland. The school fees are approximately €4,700 per annum. The college arrived at Monkstown Park in 1950 from Eblana...

 where he played rugby for the school, representing Leinster Schools in 1991 and 1992. He went on to study law

Law

Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...

 in University College Dublin

University College Dublin

University College Dublin ) - formally known as University College Dublin - National University of Ireland, Dublin is the Republic of Ireland's largest, and Ireland's second largest, university, with over 1,300 faculty and 17,000 students...

 and began playing club rugby in the AIL for Old Belvedere

Old Belvedere

Old Belvedere is a senior rugby club in Dublin, Ireland, based at Anglesea Road. Old Belvedere R.F.C. was founded in 1930. Originally an exclusive club for past pupils of Belvedere College the club became 'open' to all players on 22 April 1976....

 rugby club. In between his time studying and playing in Ireland, McKenna played for North Canterbury

Canterbury, New Zealand

The New Zealand region of Canterbury is mainly composed of the Canterbury Plains and the surrounding mountains. Its main city, Christchurch, hosts the main office of the Christchurch City Council, the Canterbury Regional Council - called Environment Canterbury - and the University of Canterbury.-...

 in New Zealand in 1994. Upon completion his college work, McKenna qualified as a solicitor.

Rugby career

In 1999, McKenna put his legal career on hold and resumed top level rugby in the now professional game for Leinster Rugby

Leinster 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...

. McKenna played at both wing, full back during his spell with Leinster. Highlights during this period for the province included winning the inaugural Magners League (then Celtic League) in 2001 and reaching the semi finals of the 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,...

 in 2003. McKenna also earned international honours in 2000, playing for Ireland against Argentina

Argentina national rugby union team

The Argentina national rugby team, nicknamed Los Pumas, represents Argentina in international rugby union matches. The team, which plays in sky blue and white jerseys, is organised by the Argentine Rugby Union .Argentina played its first international rugby match in 1910 against a touring British...

 in Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...

. He was also a founding member of the Irish Rugby Union Players Union (IRUPA) in 2001, serving as secretary in the union's early days. In 2003, McKenna retired from professional rugby in order to continue his legal career.

Professional career

Since retiring from rugby, McKenna has been a practicing solicitor through his firm McKenna Durcan Solicitors. He continues his association with the professional game by providing legal advice for members of IRUPA.

Media work

He also works as a pundit and commentator for Setanta Sports

Setanta Sports

Setanta Sports is an international sports broadcaster based in Dublin, Ireland. Setanta Sports was formed in 1990 to facilitate the broadcasting of Irish sporting events...

 with their Magners League and Rugby World Cup

Rugby World Cup

The Rugby World Cup is an international rugby union competition organised by the International Rugby Board and held every four years since 1987....

coverage. In addition to his work as a broadcaster and solicitor, McKenna also wrote a book prior to the 2007 RWC entitled Rugby Explained, which aimed to inform amateurs and rugby novices about the intrinsics of the game.