Great Sport

Professional signings plus winning performances at home and abroad, our Sports Scholars proudly fly the MU flag in gamesmanship and competitive commitment

Darragh Kirwan

First year student, MA Accounting

Naas man, Darragh Kirwan is in his first year of a two-year MA in Accounting. He graduated from DCU with a Bachelor of Business Studies in 2022.

This sports-mad MU Sports Scholar (he played rugby, soccer, and GAA) decided at age 16 to stick with Gaelic football solely and he’s been playing that ever since, “though I have a huge grá for hurling which I could see myself returning to.” He began his football journey playing underage for his local club, Naas, and then moved on to playing development squads for Kildare. He has been a member of the Senior Kildare football team for the last three years.

The eldest of three children (he has a younger brother and sister), Darragh is hugely appreciative of the support he has received from his parents and the values they instilled in him – “I will forever be in their debt,” he admits. Current Kerry Manager (he was previously the Kildare manager), Jack O’Connor also gets a special mention for the self-belief he instilled in the young footballer.

“He gave me my start in Kildare as a senior player and put a lot of faith in me.” Darragh is really enjoying his MU experience, describing it as “brilliant, the lecture facilities are top-class.” He is appreciative of the “huge culture of care at Maynooth - the lecturers are really open to helping you out.” Now that his Naas football commitments have been fulfilled, he’s delighted to be involved with the upcoming Sigerson campaign and togging out for Maynooth.

Acknowledging the challenges of being a sports scholar while keeping on top of his academic studies, Kirwan believes that “being organised, devising a schedule at the start of the week and sticking with it” allows him to navigate things in Maynooth.

This forward is certainly looking forward. Post-Maynooth plans for Darragh include a return to PWC where he interned while completing his undergrad and to obtain his Chartered Accountancy exams. “I’d like to progress through the ranks there,” he said.

David Kitt

2022 BUS (Business and Management); currently studying for a Master’s in Strategy and Innovation

Barry Fennelly and David Kitt with the Arnold Palmer trophy

MU golf scholar David first took up the golf clubs at the tender age of 10, playing for his local club, Mountbellew, County Galway. In sixth class, he became a member of Athenry Golf Club which he still counts as his home club today

So, was he a mini-Tiger Woods from the get-go?

“I was a slow burner golf-wise. I just played more and more on teams and worked hard at my game, but I enjoyed it. In transition year, I saw a real progression in my golf.”

The 22- year-old came to Maynooth University on a golf scholarship. He completed his undergraduate degree in Business and Management at MU and went straight into a Master’s in Strategy and Innovation. His Maynooth experience was varied, mainly due to the pandemic.

He sat his exams in Christmas in first year; then the next set of oncampus exams was in his final undergraduate year.

He loved the structure of the golf scholarship programme at MU. “It really suited my personality. It meant I knew what my schedule was, and I could time-manage things very well. The programme was brilliant and included things like coaching, nutrition, and psychology. Sports psychologist, Anne Marie Kennedy, who also worked with the Dublin Men’s football team and Cricket Ireland was great.”

His game improved and two years into his studies, he went from not making the U-18 Connaught team to playing for Ireland. A sporting highlight was playing in the Arnold Palmer Cup (a Ryder cup type annual team golf competition for college/university golfers) in Geneva this year and winning the Order of Merit. “It gave me real confidence,” he said. Together with MU Manager Barry Fennelly (Barry was the men’s assistant coach for the International Team for the 2022 Arnold Palmer Cup in Switzerland), MU was the only Irish university represented on the winning International Team at the event.

David found his MU lecturers very accommodating of his busy sporting and academic schedule. “I availed of a few extensions during my studies. A combination of exams between January and May and college golf events overseas during that same time could be overwhelming, so getting that support at MU was important.” While he is still figuring out his future post-MU – he will graduate in May 2024 from his masters - he would love to play golf professionally and follow in the footsteps of former MU golf scholars, Gary Hurley and Ronan Mullarney.

Until then, when not playing golf, his other sporting interest is boxing which he enjoys watching. A platinum sports scholar, he also enjoys hanging out with the other golf scholars in their on-campus accommodation apartment.

In her first year with the Froebel Department of Primary & Early Childhood Education, Laois native Koren Dunne has been described as “an exceptional talent, one of the most gifted rugby players in Ireland.” Dunne’s love affair with rugby which has seen her play for Leinster U18 for two years and winning three caps for Ireland U18, began when she was seven years of age playing with her brother and other boys from Portlaoise. With no girls’ team in Portlaoise at the time, her persistence to learn and play the game paid off.

Support from family (“my mam is the main woman – she really knows her rugby stuff now”) and coaches over the years has been huge for Koren. She’s extremely grateful to her brother’s rugby coaches – Cyril Darcy gets a particular mention - who allowed her play back in the day. She also mentions Girls U14 coach and manager Mary and Jack Kavanagh, who brought her to her Leinster and Ireland matches, and continue to show their support. Koren also helps coach the Girls U14. Asked about juggling her current studies at MU with playing for Barnhall Rugby Club, Koren acknowledges that “college is more manageable, and MU is very understanding of the balance between playing the game and my studies. It was tougher juggling everything during my Leaving Certificate when I was playing for Leinster and Ireland.”

A key sporting highlight for Koren was being presented with her first cap against Wales (and yes, it is a physical cap) and with the green jersey by Senior Women’s Head Coach for Ireland, Greg McWilliams. She plays second row and really likes playing at number 4, she says.

Koren’s energy and passion for her sport and life is unmistakable. An avid reader (“I’m obsessed with books”) and musician (she plays the violin and has completed all her music exams), she has her long-term sights on making the Irish Rugby Squad by the next World Cup in three years’ time.

“I would love to make the Leinster Senior Women’s team next year and to play for Ireland at senior level.

Koren Dunne

1st Year Student, BEd Primary Teaching

Greg McWilliams, Senior Women’s Head Coach for Ireland and U18 cap winner for Ireland, Koren Dunne

That would be such an honour for me. My dad has always said rugby will be there for me. I can even see myself going into coaching when I retire too.”

A virtuoso on and off the pitch – that’s Koren Dunne.

Tiegan Ruddy

2022 BCL (Law and Business)

Now living in Switzerland having signed professionally to play for FC Sion earlier this summer, 2022 graduate Tiegan Ruddy has had an eventful year.

“I enjoyed studying and putting in the hours. I really enjoyed Law, especially Constitutional and Contract law. Those studies came in kind of handy when I needed to review my professional contract! It was difficult juggling my studies with playing club football for Peamount United FC (Tiegan also played for Shelbourne FC) and playing for Maynooth. Sometimes, I stayed in Maynooth for 12 hours at a time but the support I had from Barry (MU Soccer Development Manager, Barry Prenderville) and the physio access to the Performance Clinic in Celbridge which the University has links to, was unbelievable,” she said.

Fond memories of her time at Maynooth included training with her teammates and the bus journeys (“it was great fun”) to the matches. She found the two years not playing matches due to the pandemic hard but her final year more than made up for missed games.

A long-time Manchester United fan, centre-back Tiegan is one of the first professional female signings for Swiss Super League club FC Sion who, while firmly established internationally with their men’s team – former Inter Milan striker Mario Balotelli also signed in 2022 - have now set their sights on achieving the same success with the ladies’ team.

So where does Tiegan hope her soccer career will take her?

“My aim is to break into the Irish Senior Team – it’s a childhood dream of mine – but I’ll just take it day by day and see how things go.”

Game on!