Extra.ie FAI Cup Quarter-Final, Dalymount Park, Dublin 17/9/2021 Bohemians vs Maynooth University Town Bohs’ Conor Levingston and Ryan Jackson of Maynooth Photo credit: @INPHO/Ryan Byrne
The pride and the passion
Sports at MU have made great strides over the years, with many sports scholars going on to professional careers, or playing for county or country
Allan Hill
3rd Year Student, BA (Accounting & Finance)
Paddy Harrington golf scholar and 3rd year student Allan Hill became the fifth MU player to be selected to play on the International Team in the prestigious Arnold Palmer Cup. Joining golfers from Spain, Thailand, Peru and many other nations, the Roscommon man relished the opportunity.
“It was an amazing experience. I’ve had great support from the golfing community and fellow golfers at MU. In my first year at MU, I played in the Patriot All-America Cup in Arizona. I’ve been pretty lucky these last three years to have so many different experiences at home and abroad.”
Allan has had many highlights in his Maynooth journey to date. On the sporting front, it was playing in the Arnold Palmer Cup while also maintaining his academics. Hill was a MU Entrance Scholar.
So, what does the future hold for Allan? A place on the Ryder Cup perhaps?
“I hope to do a Master’s in either Finance or Mathematics when I complete my undergraduate degree next year. A big goal of mine is to push my way into the Irish team. I think I’m on the cusp of that, but for now, I’ll just concentrate on one event at a time. Small steps first.”
2021 MU Sporting Highlights
Soccer
- A number of former MU soccer scholars are now playing professionally for clubs in Scotland (Glasgow Celtic FC, Motherwell FC), Germany (FC Koln) and England (Oxford Utd FC, and Huddersfield Town FC.)
- Former MU scholars Luke McNally and Danny Grant were Irish U21 squad members this year.
- Isibeal Atkinson, who deferred her final year of MU study and is currently a professional Glasgow Celtic FC player), has represented Ireland at every level.
- MU Town FC were the only amateur club to reach the quarter final of this year’s FAI Senior Cup. It is only the second time a Kildare team reached this quarter final.
GAA
- Two MU students, Mary-Kate Lynch (BA Psychology) and Meadhbh Byrne (BA) were members of the winning Meath Senior Ladies All-Ireland Winning Team 2021. Mary-Kate has recently received an All Star for her position as full back.
- Current BA student Shane Morgan (Galway Minor All-Ireland Hurling Winner 2019, 2020, 2021), joins only two other men to have won three Minor All-Ireland medals in the history of the competition.
- Offaly U20 captain and MU Sigerson Team player Kieran Dolan, currently studying for his BA (Accounting & Finance), together with BBS (Business & Accounting) student Aaron Brazil are 2021 All-Ireland U20 Champions and 2021 U20 Leinster Football Champions.
Golf
- MU represented at seven of the last nine stagings of the Arnold Palmer Cup, a feat not matched by any institution outside of the US.
- MU alumni, Caolan Rafferty (Business/Management, 2020), Alan Fahy (Arts, 2020), TJ Ford (Arts, 2019) and Jack McDonnell (Arts, 2018) helped Ireland to 2021 Home Internationals Victory against England.
- The Paddy Harrington Golf Scholarship at MU has produced 40 Irish international golfers who have represented Ireland at World, European and Home Internationals. Six of these golf scholars have been ranked inside the 45 of the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR).
Rugby
- Women’s first XV promoted from Division 3 to Division 1, the top tier of Leinster Rugby. Division 3 champions 2018/19 and Division 2 champions 2019/20.
- Five students represented in the women’s inter-provincials, playing for Leinster, Ulster and Connacht.
- Leinster ‘A’ and U19 and Ireland U20 and Ireland U19 featured MU players William Reilly and David Dooley.
- Maynooth hybrid club continues to grow, making Maynooth one of the largest rugby clubs in Ireland, fielding eight teams annually.
Setting the bar, raising the bar, and sitting the Bar - 2021 MU law graduate Katelynn Doran has her steely sights on a rugby-playing future and a career as a solicitor specializing in arbitration.
For the last seven years, five of which were playing U18 for Leinster and two years playing at senior level, Doran has been on a scholarship since first year with MU-Barnhall.
“Being on a scholarship allowed me to keep up with my rugby while at the same time, balancing my academic life. Playing for a team, and meeting up with girls who’ve come from all over Ireland, has been a real help to me on and off the field,” she said.
A sporting highlight for Doran was being named Player of the Match following one of the MU rugby finals in 2018. (The team only lost one match that whole season.) She was also awarded Player of the Year that year. Career-wise, playing for U18 for the Irish 7 Team she got her first cap in France, when they were qualifying for the Youth Olympics.
Now studying for a Master’s in Criminology at MU, Doran plans to sit her bar exams next year to become a solicitor. She and her 2021 graduate classmates are planning to return to MU (“it’ll be like a reunion for us”) in 2022 for the on-campus conferring ceremonies the University is planning for graduates affected by the pandemic.
So, will she keep playing the game she loves?
“I can’t see myself falling out of love with rugby. I’ve been playing for so many years at such a high level that my love for it has just grown and grown. Injury or age will have to retire me – it’s such a part of my identity at this stage.”
Katelynn Doran
2021 BBL (Law); current student in Master’s in Criminology
Mary-Kate Lynch
2nd year student, BA (Psychology)
Photo credit: Sportsfile.com/Matt Browne
A fullback on the history-making Meath Ladies Senior Team that won this year’s All Ireland, 2nd year psychology student Mary-Kate Lynch also received her first TG4 All Star award this year.
Being a sports scholar means so much to Lynch. “Playing with other committed sports people and meeting new sports people, either socially or in matches, is something that I love. Kids look up to players and want to play as well as they do, and that really inspires me to do my best.”
Lynch really values the different skills players can bring to a team and the fact that players can develop so well mentally and physically. “Playing sports for me – whether I’m in a match or just kicking a ball around – is a release from stress. If I’m feeling overwhelmed, I find sport so beneficial.”
This Summerhill footballer knows a thing or two about juggling sport and studies.
“I found that having a routine, being organised and making a schedule, made things work for me. Once I knew I had practice or a game to go to, I would allocate time for that, knowing that afterwards, I would be in a much better place to make my studies work. Even when I was doing my Leaving Certificate, I would make time for a run or some sort of physical activity. My parents really noticed I was much chattier and more together when I returned.”
She’s loving her MU studies, especially the return to on-campus lectures.
“I’m a very sociable person so I find that I’m really benefitting much more from college and sports this year now that I can meet up in person with fellow students and lecturers.”
A graduate of the Maynooth University School of Business, Jamie McGrath availed of a sports scholarship link between the University and St Patrick’s Athletic FC in 2014 to pursue his academic studies. Two year’s later, he togged out for MU in the 2016 Collingwood Cup.
The Meath man’s abilities were soon noticed, and he got his first call to play for the Irish senior soccer team in the memorable World Cup qualifier against Portugal in October 2021. More senior international games followed, and he soon earned his fifth cap, playing in the 4-0 win against Qatar at the Aviva Stadium.
Jamie McGrath
2017 BBS (Business & Management)