Over 45 rugby volunteers were nominated as valued volunteers for the 2023/24 season, as part of the IRFU Volunteer Recognition Awards.
[caption id="attachment_129207" align="alignnone" width="2560"]
Volunteer Recognition award winner Jim Moore (Castlebar) receives his award from IRFU President Greg Barrett[/caption]
The awards are an initiative to honour rugby volunteers and the values they uphold across the four provinces.
Clubs and schools were invited to recognise one volunteer, subject to appropriate safeguarding and vetting criteria. Some stand-out volunteers received duplicate votes from both their clubs and schools.
[caption id="attachment_129212" align="alignnone" width="2560"] IRFU President Greg Barrett presents a Volunteer Recognition award to Ballymoney's John Waide[/caption]
A volunteer from each province was also selected for special recognition by their branch at an official ceremony at the Aviva Stadium, where they were presented with their volunteer recognition awards by IRFU President Greg Barrett.
Polly Murphy (Munster) and Jim Moore (Connacht) were presented with their awards at the pre-match lunch ahead of the recent Ireland v Italy match. Conor Ryan (Leinster) and John Waide (Ulster) received their awards at the Ireland v Wales game last weekend.
[caption id="attachment_129209" align="alignnone" width="2560"] Conor Ryan, from St. Mary's CBS in Portlaoise, was a Volunteer Recognition award winner[/caption]
The full list of IRFU Volunteer Recognition Award Nominees for 2023/24 are as follows:
Munster Clubs & Schools: Theresa Hassey - Nenagh Ormond RFC Jane O'Leary - Dolphin RFC Liam Maher - Sunday's Well RFC Matthew (Matti) McCoy - Newcastle West RFC Paddy Hurley - Skibbereen RFC Owen Drummond - Cork Constitution RFC Aidan O'Callaghan - Young Munster RFC Brendan Mullan - CBS High School Clonmel Sinead Twomey - Fermoy RFC Eoin O'Shea - Midleton CBS Ruth Murphy - Tralee RFC Geoff Bates - Iveragh Eagles RFC Polly Murphy - Rockwell College Ger Moynihan - Killarney RFC Micheal Hayes - Dunmanway RFC Harry Kinsella - Mitchelstown RFC Ulster Clubs & Schools: Jamie Boyd - Dungannon RFC Arnie McLean - Rainey RFC John Waide - Ballymoney RFC Simon Patterson - Lurgan RFC Wendell Magwood - City of Armagh RFC David Martin - Ballynahinch RFC Connacht Clubs & Schools: Caroline Place - Ballinrobe RFC Shauna Kieran - Carrick-on-Shannon RFC Jim Moore - Castlebar RFC Leinster Clubs & Schools: Helen Bolger - Good Counsel College Claire Hughes - Holy Family Secondary School Fosi Pala'amo - Oatlands College Rugby Adam Malin - The High School Lisa McGovern - De La Salle Palmerston FC Conor Ryan - St. Mary's CBS Portlaoise Conor Kiely - Ratoath RFC Terry Farrelly - Roscrea RFC Gerry Cruise - Old Belvedere RFC Neal Murphy - MU Barnhall RFC Noeleen Harrison - MU Barnhall RFC Cormac O'Kelly - Terenure College RFC Stellah Sinnott - Enniscorthy RFC Pauline Marlowe - Longford RFC Joanne Dwyer - Seapoint RFC