History

Founded 1974

Timeline

2022
August 31
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 was deemed a success after a very slow start in…Read More

2019
August 1
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 achieve this status. This was a great achievement for the…Read More

2018
August 1
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 AIL. Unfortunately, they did not make it but it was…Read More

2017
August 1
2017

All Ireland Junior Cup Winners – Ashbourne 22 Enniscorthy 20, Energia Park

2015
August 1
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 4 state-of-the art pitches.

2013
August 1
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 remarkable season! The club also progressed on the youth front,…Read More

2012
August 1
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 to the club, a generous gesture that was much appreciated.…Read More

2011
August 1
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 U15’s were runners up in the NE Shield while the…Read More

2010
August 1
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 season. The club went about consolidating its position. The clubs…Read More

2009
August 1
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. In 2009/2010 Ashbourne finished second in Div. 2 to Portarlington,…Read More

2008
August 1
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 best. Winning a line out on the halfway line Grimes…Read More

2007
August 1
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. It rained solid during the game and the pitch was…Read More

2006
August 1
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 under 16’s were runners up in the NE Area league.

2005
August 1
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 saw the launch of the Club Development plan, which mapped…Read More

2004
August 1
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 score of 5 points to 3 and it is the…Read More

2001
August 1
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 be remembered as the Judas final when a certain Robert…Read More

1998
August 1
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 1998, which was a move that was discussed long and…Read More

1991
August 1
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 be fair to say that rugby was the main purpose…Read More

1990
August 1
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 Cup. Craigie did bring home the McGowan Cup that season…Read More

1987
August 1
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 McLoughlin did a wonderful job in organising the high profile…Read More

1984
August 1
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 a home for the club. It was during this time…Read More

1981
August 1
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 through the club. Life in the Metro area was difficult…Read More

1978
August 1
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 taking up the mantle and continuing on the excellent work…Read More

1977
August 1
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 Club. The Christmas Bazar held in the village hall (beside…Read More

1976
August 2
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 is now the Crestwood Estate, kindly provided a pitch. The…Read More