Members of the victorious Corinthians RFC Junior Cup & Senior League teams

 Success was immediate, with the club winning the Connacht Senior Cup in its inaugural year in March 1933. Corinthians retained the cup the following year, 1934. The Connacht Senior Cup, like the other provincial cups, was at that time the major event of the rugby season. There had been an All Ireland competition for the Bateman Cup but it had been discontinued some ten years earlier.

Pictured:

M.Browne, M. Reid, M. Deacy, B. O’Halloran, J. McDermot, N. Toner, J. Reid

P. Griffin, Ned Shae, J. Owens, J. Browne, J. Mahoney, J. Tierney, B. Toner, Jack Deacy

T. Brenelly – Referee

Corinthians First Season

This story begins at a committee meeting on an evening in February 1933,  held in the Mechanics Institute. Corinthians had  been in existence for only one season.   It was decided that they would travel to Dublin for the Ireland v Scotland Fixture.  They arranged a fixture with Dublin University College 2^nd fifteen and an overnight for the International game on the Saturday.  As the Great Southern Railway rate of 16 shillings a head was too expensive,  it was decided to travel with the Galway Omnibus Company of which its manager Mr Sparrow been a member of Corinthians and allowed a better rate of 12 shillings and 6 pence.

Weather Ahead

Weather forecasting at the time was more than eratic and uninspired guesswork.  The team (which was captained by Jack Browne) and alickadoos assembled at Eyre Square for the trip.   The instincts and a cloud laden sky was enough to warn them that the journey would not be the most comfortable that they ever had.  This Corinthian team were a youthfull side, however,  made up of mostly ex Bish players and a few Jes thrown in for good measure, nothing daunted as one would say as they, took off for Dublin. [..]