Aughrim Rugby was officially founded on 3 February 2011 in

Aughrim, County Wicklow Aughrim (; ) is a small town in County Wicklow, Ireland. It lies in a scenic valley in the Wicklow Mountains in the east of Ireland where the Ow and Derry rivers meet to form the Aughrim River. Aughrim is on the R747 road between Arklow and Ba ...

, Ireland. Otherwise known as Aughrim RFC or The Red Kites. During the previous year of 2010 research had been carried out on

primary Primary or primaries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels * Primary (band), from Australia * Primary (musician), hip hop musician and record producer from South Korea * Primary Music, Israeli record label Works * ...

and

secondary school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' secondary education, lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) ...

s throughout South County Wicklow to see if it could recruit and put together a sustainable

rugby club Rugby football is the collective name for the team sports of rugby union and rugby league. Canadian football and, to a lesser extent, American football were once considered forms of rugby football, but are seldom now referred to as such. The ...

. As of March 2011 Aughrim Rugbys Schools Partner Program consists of 7 primary schools. The Aughrim Rugby logo is based on the

red kite The red kite (''Milvus milvus'') is a medium-large bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes many other diurnal raptors such as eagles, buzzards, and harriers. The species currently breeds in the Western Palearctic region o ...

bird of prey which was re-introduced to the Wicklow hills starting in 2007. The club colours for the jersey are royal blue and white linings; the shorts are royal blue; and socks are royal blue and white linings. Aughrim Rugby will initially cater for

mini rugby Mini rugby, also known as New Image Rugby, is a form of rugby union designed to introduce the sport to children. It uses a smaller ball and pitch than standard rugby, and has eight to ten players a side. Invented in England in 1970, mini rugby was ...

up to the age of under 12's (season: 2011/2012). Youths rugby will follow during season 2012/2013. As a new club Aughrim Rugby's medium term plan throughout year one was to appoint volunteers via their volunteer management program. Key positions Child Welfare Officer(s), Coach Development Officer(s), Volunteer Coordinator(s), Schools Liaison Officer(s), Player Recruitment Officer(s) and Club Development Officer(s)have been filled based on previous skills in business and sporting acumen. On 2 April 2011 Aughrim Rugby held its launch day with over 96 children registering to play for Aughrim Rugby. On 12 April Aughrim Rugby was fully accredited to the

IRFU The Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) ( ga, Cumann Rugbaí na hÉireann) is the body managing rugby union in the island of Ireland (both Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland). The IRFU has its head office at 10/12 Lansdowne Road and home ...

and the Leinster Branch of the IRFU. Officially Aughrim Rugby is Ireland's newest rugby club. Aughrim Rugby was one of several lucky clubs to be nominated for funding via Ulster Bank Rugbyforce in 2011. On 26 December 2011 Aughrim Rugby played at half time during the RaboDirectPro12 match between

Leinster Leinster ( ; ga, Laighin or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, situated in the southeast and east of Ireland. The province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige. Following the 12th-century Norman invasion of Ir ...

and

Ulster Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label= Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United King ...

at the RDS Arena in front of a sell out crowd of 20,000. Shane Byrne was born and raised in Aughrim. Shane played for

Saracens file:Erhard Reuwich Sarazenen 1486.png, upright 1.5, Late 15th-century Germany in the Middle Ages, German woodcut depicting Saracens Saracen ( ) was a term used in the early centuries, both in Greek language, Greek and Latin writings, to refer ...

British & Irish Lions The British & Irish Lions is a rugby union team selected from players eligible for the national teams of England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. The Lions are a test side and most often select players who have already played for their national ...

and won over 40 caps for Ireland. He is of course a big supporter of Aughrim Rugby.

References

{{reflist Rugby union clubs in County Wicklow Rugby clubs established in 2011