Rugby rivals celebrate St Patrick’s Day with Glynn Cup festival

Attending the Glynn Cup/Langan Trophy Festival of Rugby which will be hosted by Corinthians RFC on St Patrick’s Day were, front row l-r, Mick Roche, Connacht Referees Association; Adrian Glynn and Vivian Langan. Back row, Colm O'Donnellan Galwegians RFC president and Phil Pretorius, Corinthians RFC coach. Photo:-Mike Shaughnessy

By Linley Mackenzie

The city’s oldest rugby rivalry will be renewed once more on St Patrick’s Day when teams from Galwegians and Corinthians battle for the annual Glynn Cup and Langan Trophy.

This year’s event takes place at Corinthian Park, kicking off at 11am with the underage festival of rugby, and continues throughout the day until the big match at 4pm between the club’s two senior sides. Teams from every age group up to u-20, and juniors will contest the event, while the ladies will take part in a Tag competition.

Corinthians, the current Glynn Cup holders, will be keen to demonstrate their continuing form at the top of the Ulster Bank League division 2A when the two senior sides conplete the day’s activities at 4pm. Although Corinthians lost to Galwegians in the league earlier this season, it only proved a hiccup in their bid for promotion as they remain contenders for promotion to division one.

The annual event commemorates the contribution to local and Irish rugby of Galway’s JJ Glynn who died tragically in 1959. The cup was first played for 55 years ago this St Patrick’s Day as an annual match between the clubs’ senior teams and has developed into a festival with every team competing for the trophy. It is five years since this revamped format has been used for the Glynn Cup, proving a huge success.