Westport rugby player Rory Lyons captains Ireland

There is a huge sense of pride along Clew Bay this week after Rory Lyons captained the Irish U-18 Clubs rugby team in their international match against Italy in Rieti, just outside Rome, on Saturday last.

The teenager, who plays for Westport Bulls Rugby Club, is a student in Sancta Maria College in Louisburgh and there was great delight when Rory scored two tries for the Irish team on Saturday.

President of Westport RFC, Liz Brady, said Rory's achievements are well-deserved and a huge inspiration to young people in the club and throughout the community.

“We couldn't be prouder of Rory and his accomplishments on the pitch. To have a player come through our club and be honoured at the highest level is recognition of his efforts and those of the coaches, teammates, and his family, who have supported him on this journey. Being selected as captain of Ireland speaks of the personal values and leadership skills that Rory exhibits on and off the pitch and this is hugely inspirational for our club and the entire community,” she stated.

Rory came through the mini’s and youths teams at Westport RFC and is also a noted boxer, winning two national titles with St Anne’s BC in recent times.

Rory Lyons captained Ireland in Italy

Leading from the front, Lyons made an immediate impact on Saturday's game scoring the opening try and scoring again from close range in the second half. His team mates around Westport and Connacht were no doubt logged onto the YouTube stream of the match. At the moment of Rory scoring the second try, the camera’s panned to the supporters in the stands where his proud parents Joe and Fionnulla could be seen cheering on the Boys in Green. While the result didn't go Ireland’s way, it gave an enormous sense of gratitude and pride to the schools and clubs around the country to see the players they have helped develop step up on the international stage.

The Fifth Year student is part of the recent success of rugby at Sancta Maria College Louisburgh and has played with Westport Bulls throughout. His older brother Cormac played full-back for Westport on last season’s Connacht Junior Cup winning team. Rory had been part of Connacht Rugby’s Provincial Talent squads since U-16 and played a big role in the Connacht U-18 Interprovincial success this September.

All at Westport Rugby Club were delighted to hear of his selection and even further elated with the performance he put in on Saturday. On social media 'From Grassroots to Greenshirts' was the post the club put up while in Sancta Maria they echoed their support with ‘ShouldertoShoulder’ #strongeringreen. After Saturday’s experience Rory no doubt will be back on the pitch soon again with either Westport, Sancta Maria, Connacht or Ireland.