Timeline
2022
2022
In 2022 Ashbourne reached the final of the Provincial Towns cup going down to Kilkenny who got some revenge for their loss in 2014. The club finished 4th on the league to qualify for the 2022/2023 AIL Junior Cup. It..Read More
2019
2019
All Ireland Junior Cup Winners – Ashbourne 16 Enniscorthy 11, Edenderry RFC. Pride in place goes the 3 in a row success the club has in the All Ireland Junior Cup, and it is the first club in Ireland to..Read More
2018
2018
All Ireland Junior Cup Winners – Ashbourne 18 Kilfeacle & District 9, Portlaoise RFC – to make it 2 in a row! Ashbourne won the Leinster league and gained entry to the AIL Round Robin to gain entry to the..Read More
2017
2017
All Ireland Junior Cup Winners – Ashbourne 22 Enniscorthy 20, Energia Park
2015
2015
The club open its 4th pitch in in 2015 which was a full sized 4G pitch and it was floodlit. The club had to acquire an extra 5 acres of land to expand the grounds and left the club with..Read More
2013
2013
2013/2014 was milestone season with the club winning promotion to Div. 1a and the Provincial Towns Cup and in the process staying unbeaten. The 2nd XV won their Provincial Towns Cup while the 3rd XV won the McGee Cup. A..Read More
2012
2012
In February 2012 Dr Al Moroney passed away. Al was the only capped player to play for Ashbourne and he got 3 caps in the early 60’s playing in the front row. The Moroney Family presented one of Al’s caps..Read More
2011
2011
In 2011/2012 our youth section really started making its presence felt with a number of teams putting markers down. The U17 side won Div. 1 of their Leinster League and also won the U17 league in the North East. The..Read More
2010
2010
In 2010/2011 saw Ashbourne return to Division 1 or as it was now known as Division 1b. In 2009 the club lost a promotion/relegation game in Coolmine against Garda to narrowly miss out; so the job was done the following..Read More
2009
2009
Also in 2009 the club hosted its biggest event up to then when the 84th Provincial Towns Cup was held in Ashbourne between Boyne and Tullamore. Boyne was the winner and a crowd of over 3,000 attended a great day...Read More
2008
2008
Though relegated in 2008, this was the season of the famous victory over Skerries in the league. On a miserable day Ashbourne scored the only try of the game in what can only be described as “Munsteresque” rugby at its..Read More
2007
2007
2007 was an important year as the first phase of the Development plan launched in 2005 was delivered on, when Roscrea played a league match on a Friday night to turn on the new floodlights on the 30th of September...Read More
2006
2006
2006/2007 was the season that Dermot Grimes had his ‘10 in Row’ side that won Division 2 and it created a great buzz in the club. Dermot led by example, and he had the wounds to show for it. Our..Read More
2005
2005
On the playing side in 2005/2006 Ashbourne 2nd XV won the Provincial Towns Cup Plate beating Athy in North Kildare. Our Under 16’s were runners up Leinster League Division 1 that season, as well. This was also the season, which..Read More
2004
2004
In 2004, following the wedding of Allan and Eimear Gallagher, the attendees moved from Nenagh down to Clonmel to support Ashbourne’ s Women team when they took on Blackrock in an All-Ireland final, a game that they won by a..Read More
2001
2021
If 2001 was to be remembered as the Foot and Mouth year where travel was limited, it can also be remembered as the year that Ashbourne won the Provincial Towns Cup Plate final in Portlaoise beating Roscrea. It will also..Read More
1998
1998
During this period the Leinster Leagues came into being and Ashbourne started out in Division 3 and gradually worked their way through the divisions. The next significant development in on – field activities involved a move to Provincial Rugby in..Read More
1991
1991
In May 1991 the club tour was organised to Holland, organised by Joe Phelan, with help from John Stewart and Sean Mahon. There was along article in the 21st Anniversary Book, which we don’t need to repeat, but it would..Read More
1990
1990
Try as hard as the club did it could never win the Spencer. The nearest Ashbourne came was in 1990 when Garda beat them after extra time in Donnybrook. The Ivan Craigie team were also beaten finalists in the Metro..Read More
1987
1987
The Opening of the grounds on the 27th of September 1987 was a major milestone for the club and the full story is told elsewhere in this book. Eammon and co. were very proud that day and Noel and Michael..Read More
1984
1984/85
It was during this time that Eammon Walshe had his 4-year reign as President of the club. A prop of some ill repute in his day with a soft pair of hands, he worked hard with the Executive to find..Read More
1981
1981/82
The Club went on to Junior 1 competition in the 1981/82 Season, going down to Seapoint in the final of the Spencer Cup in Donnybrook. Throughout the 80’s Ashbourne remained a competitive side with many fine teams and characters coming..Read More
1978
1978/79
Paul is a trustee of the club, and club president in season 1978-79 has been a stalwart and a bulwark for the club for the full 40 years of its existence. It is really gratifying to see son Robert now..Read More
1977
1977
The Under-age Section was set up in 1977, with Pat Bobbett, Tim O Connor and Fergus Duignan taking a lead role. The Ladies Committee were also busy inter alia organising Christmas Bazaars and other fund raising ventures for the fledging..Read More
1976
1976 – Founding
Ashbourne Rugby Club was conceived by eight founding fathers, in the village hall in Ashbourne, in March 1974. A subsequent gathering of approximately forty at THE HUNTER’S MOON set the club in motion. Ned Nulty, on his farm, on what..Read More