‘Women’s Rugby Mourns Rosie Stewart (nee Gallagher)

Irish women’s rugby is mourning the loss of a wonderful stalwart with the tragic and untimely passing of Rosie Stewart (nee Gallagher) at the age of 33.

An immensely popular person and colourful character, Rosie finally lost her
brave battle against cancer on Saturday evening.

Married to Adrian Stewart, the Banbridge and former Ballymena hooker, shortly after being diagnosed last Spring, she continued in spite of her illness to work as a geo-physical engineer and helping her husband set up his new dental practice.

For the past decade, she has toiled tirelessly with huge commitment and charisma in the cause of establishing and developing the women’s side of the
sport in Ulster.

Rosie’s organisational skills and engaging manner made her a natural chairperson of both her beloved Cooke and Ulster, for whom she also secured several major sponsorship deals.

An all-action flanker with a huge heart, she helped both club and province to dominate Irish women’s rugby and won four caps for her country between
February 1999 and May 2000.

She will be sadly missed by her many, many friends throughout rugby and beyond, but in particular her husband and immediate family, to whom
deepest sympathies are extended.