Leinster vs Munster

Mary Murdock
asked. “He had great belief that I could
fulfill the role of Honorary Secretary at
Dundalk RFC. It was a great honor to
be asked and while I was delighted I
was unaware of the role or workload
involved.
“After a chat with my family and of
course my employees, Denis and Bridget,
I decided I would take on the role for one
year! I’m still here many years later but
am enjoying every moment of it. It’s good
to give something back.”
For both of these Dundalk women
though, their proudest moment came
from being involved in events that both
supported families in the club who had
been bereaved through tragedy and also
raised vital funds for important charities.
Kathy told us, “One of my proudest
moments has been the confidence in me
and trust afforded to me by the Executive
Committee to lead out on Dundalk RFCs
strategy to tackle breast cancer with the
hosting of the “No High Tackles, Just
High Heels” ladies event in February of
this year.
It was a celebration of Dundalk RFC
Ladies and those who have lost their
battle to breast cancer and those still
fighting the disease. This is a first for a
rugby club backed both by Leinster Rugby
and the IRFU. Its seeds were planted by
our “Think Pink For Caroline” event in
2019 to remember Caroline Gray, the
late wife of our senior player, Jonathon,
and mummy to Alex and Georgia who
sadly lost her battle with breast cancer
at age 27 which started our association
with the National Breast Cancer Research
Institute.”
That sense of family at her club is also
what encouraged Cill Dara RFC’s PRO
Bernadette Prendergast to become
involved. She describes herself as
someone who is naturally shy but she has
pushed herself out of her comfort zone so
that she can be a part of the excitement
of matchdays at the club.
That sense of pushing yourself is
something that means a lot to Bernadette
and a quality that she admires in rugby
players of all ages. She tells us that this is
something that really rubbed off on her
son who has special needs after he had
been made to feel like a valuable part
of a youths team who made him their
mascot. Seeing them working together
to achieve the goals and pushing
themselves as individuals is something
that Bernadette tells us that she believes
played a huge part in her proudest
moment.
“On his first holy communion day, with
the aid of a walker, he stood up from
his wheelchair and walked up to the
altar to receive his communion. It took
every single strand of energy, stamina,
endurance, and determination for him
to do this. The same qualities that apply
to most things in life, especially sporting
activities. Qualities that were without
doubt influenced by the support and
the positive actions of the players and
Berndaette Prendergast
volunteers that he witnessed from the
underage team in Cill Dara.”
More and more, we are seeing our clubs
encouraging women to take on roles
where they can make a real difference.
The energy that new volunteers bring to
every aspect of club life makes the club a
more enjoyable place for every member
and the new ideas that these skilled
volunteers bring create new possibilities
and encourage even more volunteers to
become involved.
Samantha, Mary, Kathy and Bernadette
would all like to encourage anyone
who would like to be a part of the buzz
at their club to reach out to someone
on the club’s committee and tell them
that you would like to contribute. More
importantly, they would like for more and
more committee members to recognise
the potential of the parents on the
sidelines and offer them an easy way to
become involved.
Everyone here at Leinster Rugby applaud
these four women and every woman
who has done their bit to make rugby the
most welcoming and inclusive sport in our
wonderful province. Thank you to each
and every one of you.
If you are
interested in
taking up rugby
or you would like
to follow our
updates, check out
our social media
channels:
Leinster Women’s Rugby
LeinsterWomensRugby
@LeinsterWomen
womenspro@leinsterrugby.ie
www.leinsterrugby.ie | 25