Search Results for 'Dickie Roche'

Kevin Francis O’Byrne was born in Galway on December 2, 1934, the second son of Seán and Mary O’Byrne. He had an older brother, Brendan and a younger sister, Máire. He received his education at St Patrick’s National School and St Joseph’s College (The Bish). He was a very good student and a brilliant all-round sportsman. He featured strongly in the Patrician Brothers’ Hurling Leagues and in the school’s athletics events. Rugby was his favourite game; he played scrum half for his school, for his various clubs and twice for Connacht, both times against Ulster. He was also a fine soccer player, and with Johnny Dooley starred in the match when UCG won their first ever Collingwood Cup by beating UCD by three goals to two in the final, which was played at the Grammar School grounds in 1955.

It is fairly certain that rugby football was being played in Galway before the formation of the IRFU, but the lack of surviving minutes of meetings or records makes it difficult to pinpoint the actual beginnings of some clubs. We know that in 1886 there were four clubs in existence, Queen’s College (now UG), The Grammar School, Galway Town, and Old Galwegians. These latter two clubs amalgamated in the 1909/10 season and called themselves Galway Town. They were a successful club. World War I and its aftermath ruled out competitive rugby but in the resumption, in 1921/22 they again won the senior cup and then, for some reason, decided to change the name again, this time to Galwegians RFC.