Historic #EnergiaAIL Debut For Ennis As They Fly The Flag For Clare

After the drama of securing promotion to the Women’s Division of the Energia All-Ireland League, Ennis are set to make their debut this Saturday. They face fellow recent newcomers Tullow at the Blackgates (kick-off 12.30pm), hoping for a day that will live long in memory.

Clare is a county renowned for its dramatic landscapes, the Cliffs of Moher, the Burren, its rich musical heritage, and a proud sporting tradition.

Now for the first time, the Banner has an All-Ireland League rugby team to call its own, as Ennis embark on their maiden voyage in the Women’s competition.

The rise of Women’s rugby in Clare has been gathering momentum for years. Young girls now have the chance to see a local pathway into national squads, building on the trail blazed by players such as Edel McMahon, Eimear Considine, Aoife Corey, Alana McInerney, Clodagh O’Halloran, and Chisom Ugwueru.

Others have honed their skills in the All-Ireland League or earned places in Munster squads, and Ennis’ own journey to this weekend is rooted in that wider tradition.

Among the latest talents from Clare is Aoibheann Hahessy, who tasted title success with UL Bohemian last season. Now the 21-year-old will wear the Ennis colours, calling it a special moment to represent her home county.

“We’re the first team, men or women, to reach this level in Clare, so I think everyone’s just excited that we even reached that level,” she told IrishRugby.ie, speaking at the Energia All-Ireland League launch in Energia Park last week.

“We get to play in it, and we get to represent our county and our team. It’s not just Ennis we represent, it’s Ennis-Kilrush because we used to be an amalgamation. But we’re not just representing them, we’re representing all of Clare and all the age groups that are going to come in underneath us and up above.

“I myself grew up watching Alana (McInerney) and Aoife (Corey) and Chisom (Ugwueru), Eimear Considine, and all of them move up in rugby, go through UL Bohs into Munster, into Ireland.

“And now that Ennis can be a springboard for players to go, it’s very different because you are in your home pitch, and you’re working up from there rather than being taken away, and you’re meeting new players.

“You’re building now as a team and as a group, and you’re going to go up together. It’s just something really, really special, being able to do that.”

Back rower Hahessy featured throughout UL Bohs’ impressive campaign last year, scoring a try along the way, and brings invaluable experience to a largely untested group at All-Ireland League level.

She is joined by another standout performer in Lyndsay Clarke (pictured below). The 19-year-old lined out for both Bohs and Ennis last season, crossing for five tries with the Red Robins, and also bagged a hat-trick in Ennis’s promotion semi-final against Tuam/Oughterard. Clarke’s pace and finishing will be central to the Ennis attack this season.

Nerves are inevitable for Gareth O’Hanlon’s young charges ahead of Saturday afternoon’s opening game, but Hahessy believes they will settle quickly.

“I think some of the girls are really nervous because they’ve never played at this level before. But me and Lyndsey Clarke, we both played in the AIL last year with UL Bohs, and we’re all kind of trying to settle them down a little bit.

“Because you’re seeing these players and teams play all the time in the AIL, you’re like, ‘Oh, it’s going to be such a hard time trying to go against these players or these teams’.

“But really it’s kind of all mindset, you just calm yourself down. But I feel like the girls after our first game, I feel like they will get rid of the nerves a little bit,” she admitted.

Ennis earned their All-Ireland League status with play-off wins over Tuam/Oughterard and Enniskillen, the latter a 24-13 victory to make history in joining Irish Rugby’s elite Women’s club teams.

Now their first taste of the top-tier Women’s Division will take them to Rathoe Road to face off against Tullow. While results will be welcomed, Hahessy stresses that development remains the primary focus.

“With training and everything going on, we all seem to be buzzing. We had training last night down in Mary I, and just the energy that’s coming with it is just crazy. All the girls are just so excited. Our coaches as well.

“I think this year we’re not really focusing on trying to win, like a win would be nice, we won’t obviously not accept a win.

“But I feel like we’re more trying to just focus on improving ourselves as a team and our skill level as players individually and everything, rather than as I myself imagine, we’re just going go out against Railway and beat them 40-0.

“I feel like we just want to try our best, focus on our defence, focus on our attack, our back-line, our forwards, our scrums, our lineouts. We just want to improve overall rather than trying to get a good result. We’re just trying to improve our team,” she added.

Whatever happens on Saturday, history will be made. Clare finally has an All-Ireland League rugby team to call its own, and should Tullow or Ennis grab their first win, they will remember this day for years to come.