Buttimer Leading Clonmel’s Batch Of Homegrown Talent

When Henry Buttimer answers the phone, he has just stepped out of the library at the University of Limerick. The quiet hush of the study hall gives way to the crisp evening air as students drift between the campus and accommodation blocks, backpacks slung over shoulders, conversations rolling into the dark.

For Buttimer, the mind never quite switches off. Even in the final weeks of his degree in Economics and Finance, rugby remains a constant presence, a second rhythm running alongside assignments, lectures, and dreaded deadlines.

Clonmel RFC’s club captain at just 22, he finds himself balancing two worlds that demand discipline in very different ways. In UL, the focus is numbers, markets, and financial systems.

Back home in Tipperary, in the fiercely proud rugby community of Clonmel, the focus is far simpler – momentum, teamwork, and the pursuit of Energia All-Ireland League honours.

Clonmel sit at the top of Division 2C heading into the final stretch of the season. Last weekend’s emphatic 66-14 victory over Belfast Harlequins secured their place in the semi-finals, confirming that the Tipperary side will have a shot at silverware next month.

Yet the season is far from finished. There are still three league games to navigate – a trip to Malahide, home to Dolphin, and then away to Ballyclare – and the momentum that has carried them up to this point must be protected.

Before all that, however, another challenge awaits at Fethard Town Park on Friday night. Clonmel will contest the Bank of Ireland Munster Senior Plate final against Division 2A club Old Crescent, last season’s Munster Senior Cup runners-up.

For Buttimer, tomorrow’s fixture sits at the intersection of pride and opportunity. As captain, he has spent the past two seasons guiding a group that has grown together through adversity and disappointment, and now sits on the cusp of a major breakthrough.

“To be honest, I think it’s been more or less the same players for the last probably two years, and a lot of us were still nearly Under-20s when we came back playing with Clonmel,” he told IrishRugby.ie.

“We had an awful lot of losses two seasons ago and nearly found ourselves in the relegation fight that year, and it’s one or two coming in and going, we’ve probably kept the same group of players.

“So, it’s a testament to how much the team has come on even just with the two years of growing and experience. But, as well, just in terms of how we’re playing, I feel if you watch a video of us playing two years ago and now there’s a big difference there.

“It’s pleasing that we’ve stuck with more or less the same group, we’ve kind of come along together. It is rewarding that way.”

That sense of shared growth runs through every part of Clonmel’s story this season. The majority of Pat O’Connor’s squad grew up together, firstly pulling on the club jersey in the minis section, then as teenagers balancing schools rugby with club commitments, and eventually as young adults returning home determined to build something lasting.

Buttimer’s own connection to the club stretches back nearly two decades, as he says: “It is a massive honour to be captain. I walked into the Clonmel Rugby Club gates as a six-year-old in 2010 and have been wearing a Clonmel jersey really ever since.

“A couple of years away with Rockwell, but to captain any side in the Clonmel jersey but especially the first team, the AIL team, it’s a massive honour. I really can’t say any more about it. I’ve really enjoyed it.”

The Buttimer name is woven deeply into the club’s fabric, while rugby itself is the same within the family. His older brother Adam played until the age of 16 but pursued a career as a musician. He has played the tuba with the National Youth Orchestra and the National Symphony Orchestra.

Slightly-younger sister Beth, a member of Ireland’s Rugby World Cup squad last year, is an emerging front row star with Munster, and helped UL Bohemian to win back-to-back Energia All-Ireland League titles. Charlotte, the youngest of the lot, continues to watch on from the sideline and the stands.

Their dad Fergal serves as Clonmel’s director of rugby, while mum Suzanne runs the club shop. Saturdays at Ard Gaoithe are as much family gatherings as they are sporting events, with generations of supporters watching from the touchline.

“It’s a community-based club. The majority of our squad would have all played in Clonmel. We’ve known each other for years and all our families know each other,” explained Henry.

“I guess it means a bit more when you’re all so connected to it, there’s a bit more than just a rugby game. It is brilliant there’s a good cohort of people there who would have followed us up and down the country, who would have been there in 2022 when we scraped survival up in City of Derry.

“The same lads here that are supporting us while we’re flying high at the moment – but again, only flying high at the moment. That can very much change within a week, so we’re just focused on the next game.”

That mention of City of Derry brings the story full circle. In the 2021/22 season, Clonmel found themselves fighting for their All-Ireland League status in a relegation play-off. It was in that pressure cooker environment that an 18-year-old Buttimer earned his first league appearance on the wing.

“When I was in sixth year we got knocked out of the of the cup quite early with Rockwell, so I was able to get released and played a relegation final with Clonmel in 2022. That would have been my first AIL game.”

The experience was formative. Clonmel survived that day, but the squad recognised how close they had come to losing their place at senior level. That narrow escape would shape the seasons that followed.

After finishing school at Rockwell College, Buttimer spent a year testing himself in Division 1A with Garryowen, gaining exposure to the highest level of Irish domestic club rugby before deciding to return home. Back playing with players he played as a kid, the goal being to build something special.

“I spent a year playing rugby with Garryowen in Limerick, then came back to play with Clonmel after the start or the start of the season in 2023/24. It’s been great, there is a large amount of those lads that I have been playing with since I’ve started in minis as well.

“With a couple of lads I played with in school as well, and we all kind of decided to come back and try and build something here. It’s been brilliant. It’s tough coming down on a Tuesday or Thursday from Limerick, but it is made a bit easier when it’s enjoyable.”

Those midweek journeys from Limerick to Clonmel have become routine. After lectures in UL, Buttimer makes the trip for training sessions under the floodlights at Ard Gaoithe. It is far from glamorous – long drives, late nights, and early mornings – but the commitment reflects a deeper loyalty.

The Clonmel senior set-up that he returned to was still finding its feet. Two seasons ago, they struggled to turn performances into results, and almost again found themselves in relegation trouble.

“I think last year nearly every loss we had was by less than seven points, so we were quite disappointed come the end of last season to not get a play-off spot. But I guess it’s just a testament to how tough the league is at the moment.

“The quality of teams there and, to be honest, there’s been a lot of games this year that have been very tight and the only difference to last year is we’ve just maybe got a bounce of the ball here and there, and come out on the right side rather than being the losing side this year.

“It ebbs and flows each year but it seems like we’ve caught a nice few breaks this year which has put us into a nice position. The league is so competitive, even (against) the lads who aren’t in the top four at the moment.

“Every week you don’t know if you’re getting a win or a loss, at home or away. It is testament to the other teams in the league, up and down the table.”

Division 2C is often described as one of the league’s most unpredictable tiers. Travel stretches across the island, styles vary wildly, and results frequently hinge on small moments – a missed tackle, a bounce of the ball, or a late score.

Clonmel have learned to embrace those tight margins. Last weekend’s excellent 10-try performance against Belfast Harlequins, and their 35-11 result against fourth-placed Monkstown may have looked convincing on paper, but Buttimer insists the scoreboard did not tell the full story.

“I can definitely speak for that Monkstown game, it was a completely flattering scoreline. They came down to us last year and beat us in in Ard Gaoithe, we knew exactly how tough it was going to be.

“To be honest, there was two kind of breakaway tries in the last 15 minutes that made the scoreline a bit more flattering than it was. They are a completely quality side with a couple of lads that played right up the divisions.

“So, if we were to face them down the line we know how tall a task they would be. Definitely we got on the right side of a few bits of luck on the day as well, to put it to a scoreline that big.

“Chatting to a few of the Harlequins lads after the game, and it’s like we said two years ago we were in in a similar spot. It is down to a few games that just don’t go your way, one or two losses and you end up down that side of the table.

“It just again it shows how how competitive the league is and how important it is to take wins when they’re available. It was a good day for us last Saturday.”

Buttimer himself embodies that hunger. A try-scoring centre with a physical edge, he has grown into the captaincy role after taking over from Diarmuid Devaney two seasons ago.

Leadership at 22 is rarely straightforward. The dressing room includes players older and more experienced, while the demands of university life continue in parallel. Nonetheless, Buttimer’s steady presence has helped anchor a squad that is discovering what it means to compete at the top of the table.

“It’s been brilliant. I was lucky enough to take over from Diarmuid who was there before me, really helped me out. But it was a massive leap of faith from the the coaching team at the time.

“I can’t say it was smooth sailing at the start, but I’ve definitely learned a lot myself and hopefully been able to help out where I can in terms of the team.”

Now the challenge shifts to guiding the team into a league semi-final next month and maintaining that momentum. Despite securing their play-off place already, Buttimer insists that O’Connor’s men have not allowed themselves to look too far ahead.

“I actually didn’t even realise that we were mathematically there (after last weekend’s game). The coaching staff really have us in a mindset that it is really the next game and momentum is only there while you’re still winning.

“It is a great spot we’re in at the moment but we also know it’s a massive challenge on Friday first and then heading to Malahide. They’re going be a massive challenge as well. I guess we’re not really looking too far past Friday now at the moment.”

That immediate focus in what is a rest week from All-Ireland League action begins with the Munster Senior Plate final. Facing Old Crescent, a team competing two divisions higher, presents both a test and an opportunity for Clonmel’s young side.

And as he steps away from the library in UL, preparing for another training session and another week of balancing study with sport, the significance of the moment becomes clear.

Clonmel are no longer fighting relegation. They are chasing titles. A provincial final under floodlights tomorrow, then there are three league encounters remaining, and a semi-final awaiting them.

For Buttimer, that six-year-old who once walked through the gates of Clonmel RFC with a ball tucked under his arm, the opportunity to lead his hometown club towards silverware carries a meaning that extends beyond results or league tables.

It is about community, it is about growth, and as the season enters its final chapter, it is about seeing just how far a group full of young players who grew up together can go.

“It’s a great testing for the team as well, you always want to test yourself at as high level as you can. We’d still consider us ourselves quite a young team, so we have massive aspirations in the coming years to hopefully get up to that level anyway, without looking too far ahead obviously.

“It is a massive opportunity and the lads are really hungry for it. Especially down in 2C, when you’re coming into these Munster Cup competitions, it can be quite difficult.

“You end up getting some tricky fixtures in terms of playing teams a few divisions above you, but again it is a challenge and there’s a lot of lads that’ll be looking to prove a point,” he added.

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