The Annual Auld Blacks Dinner and Awards will be held in the Club on Friday 20th June in conjunction with the British and Irish Lions -v- Argentina game being held in the Aviva that evening. See graphic below for details. You can contact Mark Quinn, Donagh McDonnell or Colm Glynn if you wish to attend or, alternatively, email clubmanager@lrfc.ie
Co-founder of Precision Health, Stephen Kelly said they are absolutely delighted to provide sponsorship to Longford RFC, the company was founded in 2014 and they now have a clinic in Ballymahon and in Dublin where “they provide all of the wellness services for Irish Life health along with corporate clients”.Precision Health are the first company in Ireland to provide skin cancer screening services and cancer screening services and they are now setting up the first cardiology rapid assessment screening clinic for the Midlands in Ballymahon.
Mr Kelly said they will be able to screen for heart disease, palpitations and hypertension and the clinic will open this week.
“We think this is going to be a huge thing at Precision and moving forward we are going to be providing more and more services out of Ballymahon to the Midlands from a clinical point of view.
Longford Rugby Club are honoured to have the sponsorship and support of such a progressive company, focused on people’s health and wellbeing.
Longford RFC celebrating their Leinster Club of the Year Award: from L-R Pat Fitzgerald, Mark Quinn, Gerry Carthy, Stephen Kelly, Padraig Murphy, Robbie Henshaw and Karen Lennon
Leinster Rugby Girls U-18 Head Coach Derek Maybury has selected a 40-player squad for his team’s upcoming summer programme. Longford RFC have three players involved, Diana Izekor, Mia Rowan and Isabella Larkin.
There are 22 clubs represented in Maybury’s selection as they prepare for a busy summer. The team will train out of Kings Hospital (with kind permission) on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, starting on 25 June, 2025. They play American touring side Eira in Mullingar RFC on 23 July before heading off to Wales for a tour on 29 July, where they will play Hartpury College. The team will then return to Ireland for the start of the Interprovincial Championship on 10 August, taking on Ulster first before clashes with Munster and Connacht ahead of the Finals Day on 30 August.
Speaking to leinsterrugby.ie, Maybury said: “We have watched a lot of Club, School, and Area matches this season, at U-16 and U-18 level, and the quality of rugby continues to improve season on season.
“We’re delighted with the squad of players we’ve selected for the summer programme which reflects the depth of talent coming through across Leinster.
“The recent Sevens sessions gave us a further opportunity to assess the players, so we go into the next phase now full of confidence and itching to get started.
“The coaching team is a pretty settled one and we have a strong core of girls returning from last year’s Interpro-winning squad, who will help us drive standards.”
Management team:
Samantha Wafer (Manager)
Derek Maybury (Head Coach)
Paidi Mahon (Assistant Coach – Forwards)
Ailsa Hughes (Assistant Coach – Attack)
Clare O’Brien (Assistant Coach – Contact)
Orla Hayes (Athletic Development Lead)
Lucy McLoughlin (Athletic Development Coach)
Eva McPhartlan (Physiotherapist)
Dylan Lynch (Performance Analyst)
Alice Oliver (Nutritionist)
Stephanie Doherty (Mental Performance Coach)
This is an extract from the Leinster Rugby “End of Term “ report on the past season, the bit which is really of interest to Clubs such as ours, and players within the Club. It was delivered by Philip Lawlor who is Leinster Rugby’s Head of Rugby Development.
“The 2024/25 season marked another year of meaningful growth and strong performance for the Leinster Rugby Department. Across all strands of development— coaching, player pathways, community engagement, and governance—significant progress was made in delivering a high-quality rugby experience at every level.
Key Achievements
Player Development & Representative Rugby
Over 600 players were engaged in structured development programmes through regional summer and Season long initiatives, with focused training for U16, U17, and U18 players across both boys’ and girls’ pathways. Our representative squads delivered excellent results, with three Leinster teams—U18 Girls, U18 Clubs, and U19s—winning their respective Interprovincial Series and the schools finishing Runner Up to Ulster in the Schools series. At International level Leinster provided 54% of all players at U18 &U19 level with 38% of the U18 girls’ squad. The success of these squads at interprovincial level and our national representation underscores the effectiveness of our player pathway and the commitment of coaches, staff, and volunteers.
Coaching & Compliance
This season saw continued investment in upskilling our coaching base. Over 1,700 coaches participated in workshops, seminars, and online training modules, with 126 completing the Senior Coach Award and 18 completing the Performance Coach Award. Full safeguarding compliance was achieved across all clubs by February, and the Rugby Connect platform now records 3,831 registered coaches. A new policy has been proposed to make club age grade coach compliance mandatory by October 31 each season—this includes qualification, vetting, and safeguarding. This policy aims to ensure that all players, in the age-grade system, are supported in safe and well-regulated environments.
Participation & Inclusion
Participation at the grassroots level remained strong. A total of 7,476 mini players were registered across 62 clubs. Our summer camps welcomed 3,276 boys and girls, while the School of Excellence broke records with over 1,300 attendees. Language and international camps expanded significantly, with new female participation and growth in locations such as Italy and the United States. Inclusive rugby continued to grow, with 26 Clubs now involved having disability teams. The Walking Rugby programme and special education sessions run in collaboration with local councils, schools, and adult services. This work reinforces Leinster Rugby’s commitment to accessibility and community inclusion.
School & Community Engagement
Leinster Rugby supported over 20 formalised school blitz events, including X7s, girls’ touch rugby, and full-contact junior competitions. These were supplemented by CCRO-led initiatives in over 40 clubs and community partnership projects involving local sports partnerships and councils across the province. Participation in formalised school competitions continues to grow at both boys’ and girls’ level
Governance & Technology
The Rugby Connect platform continues to be central in managing player and coach registration. Along with team and game management the department recognises the need for continued support and enforcement. Club dashboards and facility development targets remain part of a long-term plan to raise standards and ensure operational consistency.
Focus Areas for 2025/26
Building on this season’s success, the following areas will form the basis of the department’s strategic focus for 2025/26:
In summary, the Leinster Rugby Department has delivered a high-performing and inclusive rugby season. The continued alignment between staff, clubs, schools, and volunteers remains the key to our success. The coming season will see a renewed focus on compliance, inclusion, and sustainability as we continue to build a robust and future ready rugby environment.”
Congratulations to a member of last season’s U17 squad, Conor Meadows, who lined out for the Ireland Rugby League U16’s on Saturday 31st May last when they played against Wales in Neath RFC in the first round of this season’s 4 Nations Tournament.
The fixtures for next season’s Midland league have been set and are as follows:-
Midland League Fixtures 2025/26
Group 1 Group 2
Longford Roscrea
Mullingar Birr
Tullamore Midland Warriors
Edenderry West Offaly Lions
| Group 1 | Group 2 | |||
| August 17th | Edenderry v Longford | August 17th | Midland Warriors v Roscrea | |
| Tullamore v Mullingar | West Offaly Lions v Birr | |||
| August 24th | Mullingar v Edenderry | August 24th | Birr v Midland Warriors | |
| Longford v Tullamore | Roscrea v West Offaly Lions | |||
| August 31st | Edenderry v Tullamore | August 31st | Roscrea v Birr | |
| Mullingar v Longford | West Offaly Lions v Midland Warriors | |||
| Sept 7th | League Final
1st v 2Nd in Group 1 |
Plate Final
3rd Group 1 v 1st Group 2 |
Bowl Final
2nd v 3rd Group 2 |
Fixtures are set for Sunday with 3 pm kick off. Date and times can be changed if both Clubs agree.
The Leinster League is due to Kick off on 21st September. (14th Sept for Tullamore)
Congratulations to all our Youth Award winners on the recognition of their contributions to their respective teams throughout the season.
Longford RFC proudly announce the launch of Longford’s Fittest Superstars, in conjunction with Davy Fitzgerald, creator of Ireland’s Fittest Family on Saturday 23rd August at Longford Rugby Club.
Prize pot of €5,000 to be won
Do you have what it takes to enter Longford’s Fittest Superstars?
Longford RFC are thrilled to announce the hugely successful ‘Fittest Superstars’ event, run by Davy Fitzgerald and his team, is coming to Longford on August 23rd 2025.
We will be raising funds for St. Christopher’s Special School and for the Longford Rugby Club Sports Facility Project, which will benefit our members and the wider Longford community.
The event will follow the much-loved format of Ireland’s Fittest Family, featuring some of the exciting obstacles from the hit show.
Each team must raise €1,000 to enter. Members of our Longford’s Fittest Superstars committee are available to give tips on raising your team’s funds.
The event promises to be a fun-filled day for everyone, with food, beverages and music throughout the day, as well as children’s activities. There will be Full Bar facilities and catering available all day long with a DJ to ensure we stay dancing into the night!
We’re proud to support St. Christopher’s Special School with funds raised for Longford’s Fittest Superstars
Conditions for entry:
Team of 4 Format
Each Team must consist of at least one male and one female. Entrants must be over 16. Cost of Entry per team: €1,000 – can be raised through sponsorship
Register your team: https://forms.office.com/e/T5ECsmVcCn
Deadline for Entry: 28th July.
Prize pot of €5,000 to be won: 1st prize: €2,500, 2nd prize: €1,500, 3rd prize: €1,000
Email Enquiries to: fitness@lrfc.ie
Longford RFC Senior Awards Season 2024/25
The annual Awards ceremony for the Senior side of the Club took place recently and the recipients of the players awards were:-
Senior men:-
Men’s 1st XV Player of the Year: Andrew Farrell
Men’s 1st XV Players Player of the Year: Jayden Boshoff
Men’s 1st XV Try of the Year: Daire O’Brien
Men’s 1st XV Most Improved Player of the Year: Fred Davis
Men’s 1st XV Best Newcomer of the Year: Kyle Kenny
Men’s 2nd XV Player of the Year: John Geelan
Men’s 2nd XV Players Player of the Year: James Geelan
Men’s 2nd XV Most Improved Player of the Year: Kevin Byrne
Men’s 2nd XV Best Newcomer of the Year: James Doyle
Men’s 2nd XV Try of the Year: Jack Finnegan
Men’s Young Player of the Year: Scott O’Boyle
Men’s Spirit of Longford RFC Award: McGowan brothers
Senior Women:-
Women’s Player of the Year: Amanda Sheridan
Women’s Players Player of the Year: Emma Dardis
Women’s Spirit of Longford RFC Award: Leona Hoare
Women’s Try of the Year: Blessing Eduard
Women’s Most Improved Player of the Year: Clare Clabby
Women’s Young Player of the Year: Emily Reilly
Women’s Best Newcomer of the Year: Erika Ryan
Jim Smyth Memorial Award for most scores: Fidelma Fallon
Derek Belton / Derek Bannon Memorial Award presented to Team Captain Liam Brady.
Leinster Rugby Club of the Year 2024/25
It was a momentous occasion for everyone associated with the Club, past and present, when at the Annual Leinster Rugby Awards and Ball held in the salubrious surroundings of The O’Reilly Hall in UCD on Tuesday, in the company of fellow award winners such as Brian O’Driscoll, R G Snyman, Sam Prendergast et al, the Club was presented with this season’s Leinster Rugby Club of the Year award. The event, attended by over 500 guests, celebrates the best of the domestic and professional game over the 2024/25 season. Among the factors taken into consideration by the awarding panel are the number of referees affiliated to a Club, the growth in the number of players in a Club, the support given by a Club to Leinster at it’s home games, a Club’s disciplinary record over the season, a Club’s facilities, the extent to which a Club is striving to grow the game, particularly in Schools, at Mini’s level and among girls, to name a few. The Award is testament to the hard work and dedication of the dozens of volunteers who give freely of their time week in and week out at all levels within the Club.
Pictured at the Leinster Rugby Club of the Year award ceremony were:- Pat Fitzgerald, Mike Magan, Gerry Carthy, Tony Headon, Pauline Marlowe, Warren Turner, Karen Lennon (Club President who accepted the Award on behalf of the Club), Derick Turner, Trevor McHugh and Mark Quinn.
A:
Longford RFC, The Demesne, LongfordGerard Carthy | Club Manager
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