Claire Molloy is an
Ireland women's rugby union international from Galway. Molloy represented Ireland at the
2010
File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
,
2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
and
2017 Women's Rugby World Cups. At the 2014 tournament she was a member of the Ireland team that defeated
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
and she captained Ireland at the 2017 tournament. She was also a member of the Ireland teams that won the
2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
and
2015 Women's Six Nations Championship
The 2015 Women's Six Nations Championship, also known as the 2015 RBS Women's Six Nations due to the tournament's sponsorship by the Royal Bank of Scotland, was the 14th series of the Women's Six Nations Championship, an annual women's rugby unio ...
s. She is also an
Ireland women's rugby sevens international and captained the Ireland team at the
2013 Rugby World Cup Sevens
The 2013 Rugby World Cup Sevens was the sixth edition of the Rugby World Cup Sevens. The tournament was held at Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, Russia.
New Zealand won the tournament, defeating England 33–0 in the final. Attendance for the tourname ...
. Molloy also played
ladies' Gaelic football
Ladies' Gaelic football ( ga, Peil Ghaelach na mBan) is a women's team sport. It is the women's equivalent of Gaelic football. Ladies' football is organised by the Ladies' Gaelic Football Association. Two teams of 15 players kick or hand-pass a ...
for and featured in the
2005 All-Ireland Senior Ladies' Football Championship Final.
Family
Molloy was raised in a sporting family. Claire's father, Evan Molloy, is a prominent member of the Colaiste Iognáid (Jez) Rowing Club. Three of her siblings have also represented Ireland at international level in different sports. Her younger brother, Tim Molloy, is a former
Republic of Ireland under-19 association football international and also played for
University College Dublin A.F.C.
University College Dublin Association Football Club ( ga, Cumann Sacar Choláiste na hOllscoile, Baile Átha Cliath), known commonly as UCD, is the football team of University College Dublin. They play in the League of Ireland Premier Division. F ...
Her sister, Emily Molloy, played as a goalkeeper for the
Ireland women's national field hockey team
The Ireland women's national field hockey team is organised by Hockey Ireland and represents both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland in international women's field hockey competitions, including the Women's Hockey World Cup and the Wom ...
at underage level and her older brother, Liam Molloy,
rowed for Ireland up to under-23 level.
Gaelic football
Molloy played
Ladies' Gaelic football
Ladies' Gaelic football ( ga, Peil Ghaelach na mBan) is a women's team sport. It is the women's equivalent of Gaelic football. Ladies' football is organised by the Ladies' Gaelic Football Association. Two teams of 15 players kick or hand-pass a ...
for and in 2005, aged 16, played in three finals for her county. On 30 April 2005 she played in the
Ladies' National Football League final which Cork won 2–13 to 0–6.
On 25 July 2005 she played in the
All-Ireland Under-18 Ladies' Football Championship
The All-Ireland Under-18 Ladies' Football Championship is a "knockout" competition in the game of Ladies' Gaelic football played by women in Ireland. The series of games are organised by the Ladies' Gaelic Football Association
The Ladies' Gael ...
(minor) final against
Donegal Donegal may refer to:
County Donegal, Ireland
* County Donegal, a county in the Republic of Ireland, part of the province of Ulster
* Donegal (town), a town in County Donegal in Ulster, Ireland
* Donegal Bay, an inlet in the northwest of Ireland b ...
which Galway won 5–7 to 1–8.
On 2 October 2005 she played in the
2005 All-Ireland Senior Ladies' Football Championship Final which Cork won 1–11 to 0–8
Other members of these Galway teams included
Niamh Fahey
Niamh Fahey (born 13 October 1987) is an Irish footballer who plays as a defender or midfielder for Liverpool in the Women's Super League and the Republic of Ireland women's national football team. She has previously played for Chelsea. Before ...
and
Annette Clarke
Annette Clarke (born 1983; married name Annette Collins) is an Irish sportswoman. She played ladies' Gaelic football with her local club, Kilkerrin-Clonberne, and with the Galway county team.
Playing career
Clarke won the All-Ireland Junior ...
.
Molloy played for Galway up to 2011.
Rugby union
Clubs
Molloy switched codes from
Ladies' Gaelic football
Ladies' Gaelic football ( ga, Peil Ghaelach na mBan) is a women's team sport. It is the women's equivalent of Gaelic football. Ladies' football is organised by the Ladies' Gaelic Football Association. Two teams of 15 players kick or hand-pass a ...
to
women's rugby union
Women's rugby union is a full contact team sport based on running with the ball in hand. The same laws are used in men's rugby union with the same sized pitch and same equipment. Rugby was originally a men's sport, and women's rugby has become p ...
while attending
Cardiff University
, latin_name =
, image_name = Shield of the University of Cardiff.svg
, image_size = 150px
, caption = Coat of arms of Cardiff University
, motto = cy, Gwirionedd, Undod a Chytgord
, mottoeng = Truth, Unity and Concord
, established = 1 ...
where she studied medicine. She initially played for
Cardiff Quins, making her debut in the
WWRU National Cup final which Quins won.
She was also a Cardiff Quins player when she made her debut for the
Ireland women's national rugby union team
The Ireland women's national rugby union team represents Ireland in international women's rugby union competitions such as the Women's Six Nations Championship and the Women's Rugby World Cup. They have also represented Ireland in the FIRA Wom ...
.
Molloy subsequently joined
Bristol Ladies
Bristol Bears Women, formerly Clifton Ladies RFC, then Bristol Ladies, is a women's rugby union team based in Bristol, England. They are a standalone, independent rugby club, running in partnership with the Bristol Bears (formerly Bristol Rugby) s ...
and on summer trips home from university she also played for
Galwegians.
Together with
Sarah Hunter
Sarah Alice Hunter, (born 19 September 1985) is an English rugby union player. She has represented since the 2010 Women's Rugby World Cup and currently captains the team. At the 2021 Women's Rugby World Cup Hunter received her 138th internat ...
and
Carys Phillips
Carys Phillips (born 12 November 1992) is a Welsh rugby union player. She plays as a Hooker for the Worcester Warriors in the Premier 15s and for Wales women's national rugby union team.
Personal life
The daughter of back row forward Rowland ...
, Molloy was one of three Bristol Ladies players to captain their countries at the
2017 Women's Rugby World Cup. Hunter and Phillips captained
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
and
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
respectively. Molloy moved to Wasps in 2018,
before returning to
Bristol
Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
in 2022
Provincial level
Molloy has represented
Connacht
Connacht ( ; ga, Connachta or ), is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the west of Ireland. Until the ninth century it consisted of several independent major Gaelic kingdoms (Uí Fiachrach, Uí Briúin, Uí Maine, Conmhaícne, and Delbhn ...
in the
IRFU Women's Interprovincial Series
The IRFU Women's Interprovincial Series, previously known as the IWRFU Interprovincial Championship, is the top level women's rugby union competition in Ireland. It is organised by the Irish Rugby Football Union. It is the women's equivalent of th ...
.
She has also played for the
Irish Exiles
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe
***Éire, Irish language name for the isle
** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
.
Ireland international
On 6 February
2009
File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...
, Molloy made her debut for the
Ireland women's national rugby union team
The Ireland women's national rugby union team represents Ireland in international women's rugby union competitions such as the Women's Six Nations Championship and the Women's Rugby World Cup. They have also represented Ireland in the FIRA Wom ...
when she came on as replacement in a 7–5 win against
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
. This was the first time the Ireland Women had beaten France.
Molloy went onto represent Ireland at the
2010
File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
,
2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
and
2017 Women's Rugby World Cups. At the 2014 tournament she was a member of the Ireland team that defeated
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
. She captained the Ireland team at the 2017 tournament, replacing an injured
Niamh Briggs
Niamh (; from Old Irish ) is an Irish feminine given name (meaning "bright" or "radiant"), anglicised as Neve, Nieve, Neave, Neavh or Neeve.
In Irish mythology, Niamh is the daughter of the god of the sea, Manannán mac Lir and one of the quee ...
. Molloy was also a member of the Ireland teams that won the
2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
and
2015 Women's Six Nations Championship
The 2015 Women's Six Nations Championship, also known as the 2015 RBS Women's Six Nations due to the tournament's sponsorship by the Royal Bank of Scotland, was the 14th series of the Women's Six Nations Championship, an annual women's rugby unio ...
s.
Molloy is also an
Ireland women's rugby sevens international and captained the Ireland Sevens team at the
2013 Rugby World Cup Sevens
The 2013 Rugby World Cup Sevens was the sixth edition of the Rugby World Cup Sevens. The tournament was held at Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, Russia.
New Zealand won the tournament, defeating England 33–0 in the final. Attendance for the tourname ...
.
She also represented the Ireland Sevens at the
2013 European Women's Sevens Grand Prix Series and the
2015 Rugby Europe Women's Sevens Championships
The 2015 Rugby Europe Women's Sevens Grand Prix Series was held over two legs in the cities of Kazan and Brive. France won the championship and qualified for the women's rugby sevens at the 2016 Summer Olympics. Russia finished second and quali ...
.
Molloy took a break from international rugby at the start of the 2020 season to concentrate on her medical career. She returned in September 2020 in time for the rescheduled
2020 Women's Six Nations Championship game against Italy.
In the
2021 Women's Six Nations Championship
The 2021 Women's Six Nations Championship was the 20th series of the Women's Six Nations Championship, an annual women's rugby union competition between England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales. The 2021 tournament was given a change o ...
she started against Wales and France but did not make the match-day 23 for the play-off game against Italy.
On 28 September 2021, Molloy announced her retirement from international rugby.
Doctor
Molloy is qualified as a doctor. She studied medicine at
Cardiff University
, latin_name =
, image_name = Shield of the University of Cardiff.svg
, image_size = 150px
, caption = Coat of arms of Cardiff University
, motto = cy, Gwirionedd, Undod a Chytgord
, mottoeng = Truth, Unity and Concord
, established = 1 ...
, where her classmates included
Jamie Roberts
Jamie Huw Roberts (born 8 November 1986) is a former Wales, Welsh rugby union player, who most recently played for the New South Wales Waratahs, Waratahs. His usual position is Rugby union positions#Centre, centre.
Beginning in 2005, Roberts ...
.
She has worked as an A&E doctor in
Abergavenny
Abergavenny (; cy, Y Fenni , archaically ''Abergafenni'' meaning "mouth of the River Gavenny") is a market town and community in Monmouthshire, Wales. Abergavenny is promoted as a ''Gateway to Wales''; it is approximately from the border wi ...
and at the
University Hospital of Wales
University Hospital of Wales ( cy, Ysbyty Athrofaol Cymru) (UHW), also known as the Heath Hospital, is a major 1,000-bed hospital in the Heath district of Cardiff, Wales. UHW is a teaching hospital of Cardiff University School of Medicine. Constr ...
in Cardiff.
Honours
Rugby union
;
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
*
Women's Six Nations Championship
The Women's Six Nations Championship, known as the TikTok Women's Six Nations for sponsorship purposes, is an international rugby union competition contested between six European women's national teams. It started in the 1995–96 season as the ...
**''Winners'':
2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
,
2015
File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...
*
Grand Slam
Grand Slam most often refers to:
* Grand Slam (tennis), one player or pair winning all four major annual tournaments, or the tournaments themselves
Grand Slam or Grand slam may also refer to:
Games and sports
* Grand slam, winning category te ...
**''Winners'': 2013
*
Triple Crown
Triple Crown may refer to:
Sports Horse racing
* Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing
* Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United States)
** Triple Crown Trophy
** Triple Crown Productions
* Canadian Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing
* Trip ...
**''Winners'':
2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
,
2015
File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...
;
Ireland Sevens
*
Rugby Europe Women's Sevens Championships Plate
**''Winners'':
2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
;
Cardiff Quins
*
WWRU National Cup
**''Winners'': 2008 ?
;Individual
* 2012 Ireland Women's Player of the Year
*2017
Guinness
Guinness () is an Irish dry stout that originated in the brewery of Arthur Guinness at St. James's Gate, Dublin, Ireland, in 1759. It is one of the most successful alcohol brands worldwide, brewed in almost 50 countries, and available in ove ...
Rugby Writers of Ireland Women's Player of the Year
** 2017
Gaelic football
;
*
All-Ireland Under-18 Ladies' Football Championship
The All-Ireland Under-18 Ladies' Football Championship is a "knockout" competition in the game of Ladies' Gaelic football played by women in Ireland. The series of games are organised by the Ladies' Gaelic Football Association
The Ladies' Gael ...
**''Winners'': 2005
*
All-Ireland Senior Ladies' Football Championship
The All-Ireland Senior Ladies' Football Championship is the premier inter-county competition in the game of ladies' Gaelic football in Ireland. The series of games are organised by the Ladies' Gaelic Football Association and are played during the ...
**''Runners Up'':
2005
File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...
*
Ladies' National Football League
**''Runners Up'': 2005
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Molloy, Claire
1988 births
Living people
Irish female rugby union players
Ireland women's international rugby union players
Ireland international women's rugby sevens players
Alumni of Cardiff University
Galway inter-county ladies' footballers
Rugby union players from County Galway
Connacht Rugby women's players
Ladies' Gaelic footballers who switched code
21st-century Irish medical doctors
Irish Exiles women's rugby union players