2006
“Once more into the breach dear friends, once more…..”
These words echo in history and have been used as a rallying cry for many a lonesome crusade and a battle weary army. To those of us who spent the year sweating and toiling on the rugby pitches of Dublin and beyond, this was once again the call to embark on a Crusade to the distant lands of West Cork, and the annual pilgrimage to Kinsale, home of the Sevens by the Sea.
This was in many ways a new battalion of troops, with many of the officers back again in pursuit of glory on the high pitches of Kinsale Rugby Club. There were a few of the old guard gone to battle on foreign shores and others finding themselves behind enemy lines were unavailable, but the group as a whole provided a formidable fighting force.
The KEF (Kinsale Expeditionary Force) launched on Friday the 28th of May in preparation of the weekend ahead and set up camp in the White House at approximately 19.00 hours. The advance party were soon joined by General Monty, Colonel Kenny and Commandant Carrigy (who had managed to commandeer an Aer Lingus flight from Switzerland). Further members arrived in convoy until a sizeable element of the battalion were gathered, ready to subdue Kinsale town by process of ‘Shock and Awe.’
The first night meant the discussion of the battle plan; some of the more seasoned troops were worried that we may have been under strength for the task at hand. Thankfully the battle plans had been prepared long in advance and the 1st battalion had been sent on training maneuvers to Limerick and would be arriving the following evening. In recognition of the German World War I ‘Schliefen Plan’ it was decided to name the forthcoming event the ‘Leg of Lamb Plan.’ This being a reference to the Commander in Chief, Commandant Carrigy. So the evening descended into talk to tanks, trenches and the most fearsome sevens weapon in recent times….. ‘the maul’.
Saturday was considered to be a training exercise for the main battle on Sunday for which we would have full use of all available personnel and an array of deadly weapons. The team were also in full dress uniform, specially designed for this year’s adventure. To say that the KEF were not clearly visible would be an understatement. We established a beachhead at around 11 am and set in for a days hard slog which consisted of three pitched battles on the fields of Kinsale Rugby Club, with glimpses of adventure and daring but lacking an element of pace. The tactics of ‘shock and awe’ being replaced by ‘shocked and awful’. However as the day neared its end there was a ‘bugle’ like sound from the northwest as the 1st battalion advanced down through the golden vale. Our cannon commander ‘Captain Cannonball’ remarked that it was a sound which brought the memories of the handstand bong back and a tear to his eye. The arrival of the CCC brigade (TRIPS) instilled new life into a tired and emotional KEF. What happened afterwards is Top Secret and classified, although a few 7ups could persuade a tongue or two to loosen.
Sunday was ‘The Big Push’, after having a formidable breakfast and discussion of the previous evening operations, the team advanced on Kinsale Rugby Club once more, this time with full supplies, ammunition and a good deal of enthusiasm. Our first game was against the old enemy, the Marauders, a team we have battle on a number of occasions, they beat us narrowly and we prepared for a showdown against a welsh side eager to prove themselves on the battle fields of Cork. Unfortunately for them, the UCD battle group hit form early and subject them to a well managed defeat, ‘The Maul’ playing a central feature and a first Collidge try for Private Joe Moroney being a memorable feature of the game. Our remaining games turned out to be a hurdle too far, but this failed to dampen spirits and the combined forces of the KEF adjourned to the safety of the officers club (otherwise known as the Kinsale Marquee). With Collidge finishing fifth in the Senior Competition, we had much to celebrate. The team returned to base at the Guardwell Lodge and suited up for the evenings events, but before all of that there was renditions of Spancill Hill, Liverpool and most importantly the long lost verse of George Harrsion as performed by our warrior poet Shandor. The evening concluded in the ballroom of Actons Hotel with Carrigy whistling Dixie and Tom O’Neill unable to whistle at all!
And so another trip to Kinsale was near complete and the long road back to Dublin lay ahead, but once again the journey would be interrupted by a visit to Fethard and the annual pilgrimage to Giggsy’s house for food and water! This continues to be a highlight of the Kinsale trip and many thanks must be given to Tadhg and Sally Gleeson for their hospitality and generosity in looking after us on the way home. It really helps us all to come to terms with the weekend’s events!
In conclusion, on behalf of all those who made the trip, I would like to thank everyone who helped to make Kinsale possible. Thank you to the Club Executive and President Billy Murphy for their continuing support of what really is a fantastic tour and one which I believe plays an important role in the club as a whole. Thanks to Brian Corr for writing the cheque! A sincere thank you to Tadhg and Sally for once again extending us the warmest welcome in their home, it really is appreciated. And finally, thanks to all the KEF who made the journey, I shudder to think what Kinsale would be without UCDRFC making its presence felt. Here’s to next year!
Kinsale Expeditionary Force 2006
Shane ‘Mini D’ Geraghty, David ‘Leg of Lamb’ Carrigy, Kevin ‘47’ Kenny, ‘Bouncing’ Daibhi O’Leary, Brian ‘Warren’ Hall, Kevin ‘Trips’ Croke, Louis ‘Richard Dunne’ Burke, Joe ‘slowkokoko’ Moroney, Brian ‘High Step’ McGovern, Peter ‘Thuggery’ Shanley, Rob ‘Mugabe’ Treacy, Willie ‘Cannonball’ Doran, Darren ‘Kacks’ McKenna, Simon ‘Bruiser’ Norton, Peter ‘Pistol’ Callanan. Richie ‘in like’ Flynn, Gareth ‘Shanley I know your in there’ Quinn, Richie ‘Giggsy’ Gleeson, Tom ‘Kebabs and anything else edible’ O’Neill, Dan ‘Liverpool’ Forbes, Anto ‘banter’ Lee, Richard ‘Hansel’ Mandeno.