Finding community at the end of the world

A day with Ireland’s most isolated rugby club

By Rory Cashin

Over an hour west of Galway city centre, we are standing on a rugby pitch quite unlike any other we’ve ever seen. We’ve been blessed with glorious weather today, but we get the feeling that it barely matters.

Rain, hail, or shine, this view has no option but to be glorious.

Just a few meters behind one end of the pitch is the Salt Lake, which feeds out directly to the Atlantic Ocean, and on either end, we can see impressive mountainscapes reach for the sky. We’re at the home turf of Connemara RFC – aka the All Blacks – just outside
the coastal town of Clifden, to talk to some of the folk involved
with the most isolated rugby club in Ireland.

In a recent study*, it was revealed that 1.8 million Irish people are affected by loneliness, and one can only imagine how that might be compounded when you factor in a location as isolated as Connemara seems to be.

However, as is often the case, appearances can be deceiving, as Joe O’Connell – Connacht Rugby President and former Connemara RFC player – tells us:

In a recent study*, it was revealed that 1.8 million Irish people are affected by loneliness, and one can only imagine how that might be compounded when you factor in a location as isolated as Connemara seems to be.

However, as is often the case, appearances can be deceiving, as Joe Gorham – Head of Rugby Development at Connacht Rugby and former Connemara RFC player – tells us:

“It may be famous from a location perspective, and it might sound isolated, but it is hugely connected to the overall world. It is connected to diaspora from all around the world."

"From our perspective, it is geographically isolated – actually, if Connemara play a game here, and they play in opposition in Connacht, you’d be in Dublin quicker – but at the same time, the reverse psychology is everybody wants to come out to Connemara.”

The club certainly does feel like it is the beating heart of the local community, from the players to the fans to those behind the scenes making sure that every match goes smoothly, there is a real sense that rugby has a way of bringing together strangers and helping them form lifelong connections.

That does make sense, especially since that same study* showed that 85pc of people agree that sport can help combat loneliness.

It is something that Ethan Griffiths – Connemara RFC Club Rugby Development Officer and current player – can attest to:

“A huge part of playing for Connemara is how close we are to one another as teammates. You’re making friends for life, that’s the reality of it. These lads that I’m playing with now, and that have passed before me, they’re some serious men."

“I think it’s just great to be a part of it. To say that I am an All Black, and that I’m a part of… this.”

Ethan gestures to the incredibly impressive surroundings, beaming with pride.

Joe seconds this, describing the team and surrounding community as a brotherhood, one in which time and distance mean absolute nothing:

“It doesn’t matter if you’ve played 30 years ago, or [you’re playing] now. Everybody who has put on the jersey feels part of the family.

"You see that in the power of the diaspora. I have a brother in Chicago who knows as much about Connemara rugby as I do, who lives and breathes it here."

“You may not see each other for 10, 15, 20 years, but you just pick up where you left off. That is the beauty of here. It is really about team and teammates, and once you’ve donned the jersey, you’re part of folklore.”

That extends beyond the players on the pitch too, of course.

Ethan describes a big match day, with hundreds of people on either side of this middle-of-nowhere pitch, roaring from the sidelines, belting on the posts. It truly sounds like something special as Ethan recounts it:

“You couldn’t ask for better fans. The fans out here would follow you to the end of the world. I swear to God. The fans here are something else.

"They’d go anywhere with us, they’ll follow us when we’re winning or losing, and the fans are immaculate.”

“I’m getting goosebumps talking about it now.”

The fandom here is so incredibly strong, that Joe tells us it extends beyond what they’ve all come to watch play out on the pitch: “It is far wider than just the sport of rugby. It is a community, it is lifelong friendships and lifelong association
with the area.”

“The fans give their life’s blood for the club. That is the beauty of this club, they attract young and old, it is rugby for all here. From a heartbeat perspective, people use this as the centre of the community.”

As our day at the gorgeous Connemara grounds comes to an end, we take one last look at the awe-inspiring vista, and Joe comments that even when you move, you travel, your life moves on, there is something about this place and the sport that they play here that makes it continue to feel so special:

“Home is home. When people praise the area, praise Connemara, there is a great joy in that for me.”

To foster connection and in light of the insight that most people believe that sport can be a powerful way to help combat loneliness, laya healthcare have given away hundreds of match tickets across all provincial partnerships throughout the season, and plan to implement more initiatives, under the banner of
‘We Are one. Always’.

These initiatives include supporter events and programmes tailored to specifically encourage former or new fans to reconnect, attend games, and much more.

For more information, visit www.layahealthcare.ie/sponsorship/rugby/

*Findings based on a nationally representative study of 1,000 completed by Spark Research, June 2024. Population figures of CSO population statistics for June 2024.