Montreal Irish Rugby Football Club

Montreal Irish Rugby Football Club is a rugby union club based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

1950s

When the Montreal Irish played their first game in September, 1957, it was suggested that the Art of Coarse Rugby had gained a valuable new patron. But the club did not take long to show that it was able to more than hold its own in Quebec Rugby, finishing respectably the first season and winning the league in its second and third seasons, 1958 and 1959.

1960s

By the early sixties, they were fielding a good second team and were usually in the top two places In both Senior and Intermediate leagues but it was not until 1966 that they finally won the Quebec Senior Cup, followed by the League again the following year.

To date, 1969 was undoubtedly the most successful year in the club’s history. Not only did they open a club house and grounds at Ste-Julie but they also won both the Senior Cup and the League and supplied six of the seven backs to the Quebec Provincial team.

1970s

The club continued to grow and prosper in the seventies, fielding as many as four league teams in some seasons and starting a junior program which was highlighted by an under-18 tour to Jamaica in 1981. The juniors have also contributed many players to provincial teams and at least 3 have played on the Junior Canada team. The club has nearly always had strong representation on the Senior Quebec team - now the Quebec Caribou - and over the years the club has been proud to have had five of their members play for Canada.

In spite of fielding some very good first fifteens during the seventies, the Cup and League eluded the club and they had to be content with frequent enjoyable and successful tours: Bermuda in 1970 and 1975, Bahamas in 1974, Jamaica in 1976 and Ireland in 1977 to celebrate their twentieth anniversary.

1980s

The club celebrated their 25th anniversary in 1982 in even more fitting fashion by winning both the Senior and Intermediate Cups with the players celebrating by visiting the Bahamas the following spring.

The second team has always been successful winning either the Intermediate Cup or league a conservatively estimated dozen times. The club feels that this has been because the Montreal-Irish has always been an enjoyable club to belong to, whether as a star, a rookie or a has-been. This is probably why the fourths of the late seventies evolved into the Old Boys team of the eighties, welcoming into their midst many veterans of other Montreal and outside-Montreal clubs and leading to the club being joined in the London Golden Oldies tournament by members and friends from across Canada (and probably in London by a few returned exiles).

The club is very proud of their grounds in Ste-Julie, complete with clubhouse expanded in 1984. The number of top class club teams who have visited Ste-Julie is much too great to list here and their annual international tournament held the first weekend in September invariably features excellent Rugby from North American and overseas teams. Some recent winners have been Nottingham, Old Belvedere, Manchester University and Boston RFC.

It is impossible to select individuals from the host of members who have made the club what it is today. Suffice to say, they have come from all hemispheres and all parts of Canada. It is a far cry from the day at te club's second A.G.M. when it was proposed that the name of the club be changed because it was discriminatory to their lone non-Irish member.

External links

• Official Montreal Irish Rugby Football Club Web Site