Birth of a team

In the early to mid 1960s junior rugby was played in Shannon under the guise of the Estates Cup, which was a competition held between the factories which had set up in the Shannon Industrial Estate. The competition proved very popular and interest grew amongst the local community, it was decided that due to the interest that a team should be formed locally.

A meeting was organised in 1974, and held in the Crossroads Pub in Drumgeely, where a team was duely formed. The first president elect was Cyril Kiely and the first team captain was Eamon Dooley, the next step was to gain affiliation to the IRFU. To achieve this, the team had to be proposed and seconded by two existing teams; the teams that filled this requirement were Young Munsters and Garryowen. The application was successful and in 1974 St Senans R.F.C. was formed.

The Early Years

In the development years of the club success was very limited; it was the late 1970s before the first junior trophy was won, this being the Culligan Cup. Following this there were many lean years for the club, until in the 1998/99 season in Thomond Park they won the Gleeson League; this momentous occasion was witnessed by a large supporter base from around the area. In the same year the team also won the Junior Development League, this resulted in promotion for the team to the Munster Junior League Division Three. That season was to become the most successful to date in the clubs history as they also went on to win, the Kiely Cup, the Culligan Cup, and finished runners up in the Webb Cup.

A New Decade

In the 1999/2000 season the team defeated Mallow RFC, in the final game of the season, to gain promotion to the Munster Junior League Division Two. They held their position in this league for the following season, and after defeating St Marys RFC in the final game of the 2001/02 season gained promotion to Munster Junior League Division One.

They held their position in this league until; following the loss of a number of their more experienced players they were relegated in 2006/07 back to Munster Junior League Division Two. Following this the team went through a period of transition, with a number of younger players came up through the ranks, and they consolidated their position in the league. The team was to taste success again in the 2007/08 season when they won the Munster Junior Plate, beating Clanwilliam of Tipperary 7-3 in the final on 13th April 2008.

Players of the Future

St Senans have a vibrant Age Grade and Mini Rugby Section, with teams competing from U8 up to U18s. This section is run by experienced coaches who have completed mini and foundation courses run and accredited by the Munster Branch. Regular coaching/training sessions are held weekly at the clubs grounds. New members will be made most welcome.In addition to its own coaches St Senans contribute to the funding of the Rugby Youth Development Officer, who visits local schools in the locality to introduce them to rugby and to introduce St Senans RFC to them as their local rugby club.

St Senans RFC

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