‘It Would Mean So Much To Us’ – Ennis/Kilrush’s Glynn

Hailing from the small village of Kilmihil in west Clare, a place not traditionally associated with rugby, Glynn is part of a new wave of local talent putting the area on the map for Women’s rugby.

The village has already produced current Ireland Women’s captain Edel McMahon, and former UL Bohemian, Munster, and Ireland star Eimear Considine.

Glynn has already made her mark with Ennis/Kilrush in Munster, and now she hopes to help her team to secure All-Ireland League status. Before fully focusing on rugby, she played Ladies Gaelic football and was the Clare senior goalkeeper for four years.

Rugby was a hobby she picked up at 15 years of age, but inspired by the achievements of McMahon and Considine, she said she would give it a go and has never looked back.

“I’m from the Kilrush side of the amalgamation. It’s where I started my rugby journey when I joined the Under-16 squad several years ago,” Glynn told IrishRugby.ie.

“I started off with Kilrush RFC in west Clare when I was 15-years-old and have been playing rugby ever since. My main sport was football and I just took it up as an extra hobby at the time.

“I never expected to get to the stage I’m at now with so many unbelievable memories and achievements already. Having Eimear and Edel with so many accomplishments and achievements already coming out of a small village is extremely inspiring.”

She continued: “Just shows what really can be achieved from hard work and dedication. Edel is only 100 metres down the road from me, and I see her now more often on telly than anywhere else. It’s so inspiring as a young rugby player.

“I think, to be honest, seeing them playing and hearing how they started later in life was a huge influence. Like growing up playing Gaelic, everyone was playing it since they were like five years of age.

“So when I was asked would I like to join at 15, I thought it would be too late, but having seen how Edel and Eimear picked it up at an older stage, I said I’d give it a go. It was really motivating and inspiring seeing the success of the two girls.”

Balancing an inter-county football career with her rugby commitments and studying to become a primary school teacher, Glynn has juggled a number of responsibilities.

Now she is preparing for one of the biggest games of her sporting career while also planning school lessons from her classroom in Clare.

This Ennis/Kilrush side has quickly established itself as a force in Munster rugby, despite no adult Women’s team existing in Clare three years ago. In 2023 they won the Munster Division 2 League and Cup double, following that with a Division 1 title the next season.

Their back-to-back doubles saw them reach the semi-final stage of the All-Ireland League promotion play-offs last season, where they were narrowly beaten 15-10 by Tullow.

This season, Gareth O’Hanlon’s charges have continued their dominance within the province, securing a third successive League and Cup double. With a thriving youth section and plenty of growth in Clare’s schools, the future looks bright for the club.

“It’s actually very hard to find words to describe the feeling of being in the position we’re in at the moment, counting down the days to a promotion decider,” insisted Glynn, speaking ahead of Sunday’s promotion final against Enniskillen at Mullingar RFC (kick-off 2.30pm).

It’s a massive opportunity for us especially having missed out last year, losing to Tullow in that semi-final at home. It’s a massive occasion and we are all really looking forward to the battle ahead.

“The last few years surpassed any of the expectations we ever had as a squad at the beginning. The team started off as a way for women in Clare to get the chance to play competitive rugby as there was no senior Women’s team around.

“To win an All-Ireland final with promotion to the All-Ireland League would be the beginning of the next part of our journey, and it would top off the amazing success we have had over the past few years.”

Ennis/Kilrush earned their place in the final with a a hard-fought 34-26 win over Tuam/Oughterard last weekend, which saw 18-year-old starlet Lyndsay Clarke run in a hat-trick of tries.

Megan O’Connor, Ciara Coughlan (pictured above), and Caoilfhionn Morrissey also crossed the whitewash for the Clare outfit. ‘Unrealistic’ was how Glynn described thinking about anything more than striving for success in Munster this season.

She said that it would mean so much for this group if they could complete their mission on Sunday afternoon, knowing that it would give them a gilt-edged chance to mix it with the AIL’s elite next season.

“To be honest, it is not something we have discussed much throughout the year. At the start of the year, we focused on the Munster League and Cup and becoming back-to-back winners. That was a huge target for us and to expect or wish anything more seemed unrealistic.

“The year we have had has been unbelievable so far, and to be promoted to the All Ireland League would be beyond a dream. It would mean so much to us as a team and club.

“A lot of us watch the All-Ireland League games and are inspired and motivated by the calibre of players in that league. To be a part of a league of that level would truly clarify and acknowledge the talent within the squad.

“The semi final was a tough, physical battle from start to finish. Tuam/Oughterard were a very strong side who had pace and physicality. They came at us strong from the start and we had to adjust to deal with that pressure and intensity.

“As a team, particularly in the second half (last week), grit and determination came to the fore, and we remembered the pain of losing the semi-final last year.

“A victory is always even better when you come out on the right side of such a tough contest. That game will definitely help us in preparation for the weekend ahead.”

Just a few years ago, the idea of a team from County Clare playing in the All-Ireland League seemed improbable, but now, Ennis/Kilrush are just one win away from making history.

It is not their first final, nor will it be their last final, and despite the high stakes, Glynn insists that the team’s preparations for Sunday will remain the same as they always have. This is their first time coming up against Ulster champions Enniskillen.

Nerves and pressure will be there, but the Ennis/Kilrush skipper has huge belief in her team-mates and how they can rise to the occasion. She also praised their coaches for the work they have done to get them ready for this promotion shootout.

The most important thing for us as a team is to keep everything the same in preparation for this final. We need to treat it like any other game we’ve played throughout the season.

“We can’t let any external distractions take over or affect our preparations for the game. At the end of the day it’s still 15 against 15 on the field for 80 minutes. We have to bring immense work-rate and determination and hope the result follows.

“I think as a team we are very good at taking games as they come. We don’t look more than one game ahead, which is something that really works for us. It is inevitable that throughout the season we’d have had a target on our back having won Division 1 last year.

“I think the pressure that came with that will stand to us this weekend. Teams can often come off a victorious season and crumble due to that pressure, but because of our unbelievable management and how composed the girls remain game after game, the external factors seem to become white noise.

“We have never met Enniskillen before or know much about them. At the start of this year we played Barnhall who Enniskillen defeated on their side of the semi-finals.

“Barnhall are a high quality side, so any team that comes out on top of that contest can’t be taken for granted.

“Sometimes not knowing too much about opponents can help you focus on yourself as a team which can be a positive. We’re really looking forward to the weekend and know we have a really tough battle ahead of us.”

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