Seven secrets of Navan’s success

Earlier this year Navan RFC published a book to celebrate the club’s 100th anniversary – Navan Rugby Football Club – 100 Years: 1925-2025’. Under a committee chaired by Catherine Brady reams of information were gathered and collated. Many photographs from the past - some found in attics and dusted off - were used in the book to illustrate how the club evolved during its first 100 years. Here are some of the big moments along that journey.

GETTING IT ALL STARTED

On the 3rd September 1925 it all kicked off when Navan RFC was founded by group of men including William Maxwell Kirk, headmaster of Preston School in Navan. Also involved from the start were Navan hoteliers Matty and Charlie Crinion, Navan barber Bobby Byrne, local businessmen Jack Finnegan, George Gibney and William O’Sullivan, who was also president of the Meath Agricultural Society.

FIRST CUP TRIUMPH

Winning the first substantial trophy is always a major milestone for any club; an indication they are going somewhere, making progress.

In 1930 Navan claimed their first piece of silverware in senior rugby when they defeated Birr 9-0 in the final of the Midland Zone Ryan Cup at Mullingar RFC. “Navan’s victory was well deserved and decisive,” reported the Meath Chronicle.

The Navan team displayed a remarkable level of consistency conceding no tries during the course of the competition.

Some the Navan players had certainly indicated they were determined to make their mark that season. They indicated they would prepare as well as possible for the rigors of the competition. Some suggested they would even be prepared to sacrifice “alcohol beverages” to ensure they were ready for battle. The great sacrifice paid off.

The winning team was: N Campbell, Jack Davis, Nat Lacy, Fred Hodgett, WM Kirk, Jim Gibney, Charlie Crinion, Jack Finnegan, Bobby Byrne, Bob Branagan, PJ Russell, JJ Dorris, John Duffy, Matty Crinion and Paddy McNally.

The captain of the team was Pappy Russell, a granduncle of Michael Gavigan, who, of course was, many years later, to serve as Navan RFC president. Down the years also Navan enjoyed many glorious moments in the Towns’ Cup.

ACQUIRING A HOME

Securing a home for the first time can be a daunting - and expensive - business. Even though they were founded in 1925 by the start of the 1960s Navan RFC still didn’t have a place they could call their own.

As the centenary book points out some key appointments were made in 1960 that were to have far-reaching consequences including that of Paddy Tehan as club secretary, Tony Wade as club captain, Tony Brady as vice-captain and Joe Keappock as treasurer.

Other committee members involved at the time included Ambrose Cassells, Jim Nugent, Dr Dermot Dorgan, Tom Marsh, Billy Kealy. They were all part of a strong, visionary committee that went about creating and implementing a strategy that put in place firm foundations for the future.

Arguably the most important part of that vision or strategy was securing a home. “The search extended to fields within a narrow radius around Navan,” the centenary book relates. “Quite quickly, approximately four acres, then known as Boylan’s Field on Swan Lane at Balreask Old, were identified as suitable and acquired in 1961 for the sum of £600.

A further £600 was spent on developing and creating a car park and first team pitch with the plans drawn up by Paddy Brady, father of current club member, Paul Brady.

There were plenty who looked at such enterprise and derring-do and shook their heads in despair. A rephrasing of Winston Churchill’s view of the Battle of Britain was used to express how the cynics felt. The term, “Never has so much money been borrowed by so few with so slim a chance of success” was bandied about.

Those who felt the club’s descent into a financial ruin was a safe bet were to be disappointed. “As it turned out, the development loan debt was repaid within two years and seeding and fencing work was completed on the new pitch in 1962,” the centenary book recounts.

A great source of income was the club’s regular dances or “four-shilling hops” held every Saturday night in the Russell Arms Hotel (now the Newgrange). It was there many a romance kicked-off.

In 1962 also Navan played their first game on the newly acquired pitch. A giant step was taken.

CONSTRUCTION OF FIRST CLUBHOUSE

The scope of the club’s ambitions were underlined in the way - just two years after purchasing their own ground – a new clubhouse was constructed at Balreask Old for the considerable sum of “between £12,000 and £14,000.”

There was a lot of hard graft involved in ensuring the project was completed – and some humour too. One of the biggest contributions to the building fund was made by local businessman John G Spicer, the owner of the famed local bakery.

He gave £1,300 which had the time would probably have been enough to build a sizeable house. The sum of money was given as a long-term loan.

When asked some years later if he wished to redeem his loan Mr Spicer (who had played rugby for Wanderers) replied that the sum of money had been given to the club interest free and, over time, the club had lost interest in the loan!! It always helps to have a sense of humour.

The clubhouse ensured that Navan RFC were the first rugby club in Leinster outside of Dublin, to secure their own grounds and clubhouse. It was a powerful statement of intent – and ambition. In 1966 a further 26.5 acres of adjoining land was purchased. Navan RFC were really on the move.

MAKING THE BIG LEAP

It was a torturous, rocky road but Navan ended up making the huge leap from junior to senior rugby in 2009.

Securing AIL status had been a primary objective for the club for some years before that but there proved to be a chasm between ambition and reality. This time Navan managed to build a bridge across that wide canyon.

Under Aussie head coach Brad Harris the club’s first team topped the Leinster League and took part in the play-off along with Cashel, Monivea and City of Derry.

In the final game of the series – against Monivea – Navan’s scrum-half, Kiwi Kieran Matson scored two second-half tries, to add to one he bagged in the opening half. The tries were converted by Karl Manning. Navan ended up winning 40-20 to secure a place in local sporting folklore for all those involved.

YOUTHFUL FOUNDATIONS

The origins of youths rugby in Navan goes back to the early 1960s when Len Horan, the headmaster of Preston School in Navan, who had been capped twice by Leinster, along with the assistance of Jim Nugent, John Farrell senior, Bill Kealy, Tom Kelly, Jim McAleese and Ambrose Cassells, set about forming the first Navan underage team. Their first game was against Terenure in November 1962. No cups, trophies or competitions existed for Leinster clubs at schoolboy level during the 1960s. During the 1970s the minis rugby section was developed and expanded with youngsters coached in the skills of rugby from an early age. Former senior players took up coaching positions. The foundations of future success were in place.

Through the decades many trophies were won by Navan at youths and minis levels. Among the most remarkable achievements chalked up was that of the ‘The Invincibles’, the club’s u-18 team for the 2002-2003 season who won all before them including an All-Ireland title.

The 22-man squad in all played 22 matches and stayed undefeated winning several cups in the North-East League as well as the All-Ireland crown. The management team was Richard ‘Dixer’ Kelly (backs coach), Johnny Joyce (forwards coach) and Gerald Williamson (team manager).

A NEW REVOLUTION

In April 2000 a group of 30 players turned up for what was first training session for the Navan women’s team. It was to be the start of a new revolution at the club. Training took place under the supervision of coaches Jim Hartnett, John Mulvihill and Owen Henry with the first game against a strong Boyne side. “The girls brought a new level of energy to the club, with nights out to rival even the most legendary from the past,” the centenary book points out.

A major breakthrough was achieved when Navan defeated Tralee to claim the All-Ireland League Div 2 title in April 2011, with Julieanne Scanlon and Ciara Kennedy scoring tries converted by Zoe O’Connor who also added penalty. The team guided by coaches Leo Finlay and Derek Fletcher won 17-7.

There have been hard times too for the women’s section at the club but by 2023 the number of women playing rugby in Navan RFC had grown. In 2016, Navan – captained by Nour Khairy – reached the Leinster League Div 4 final beating Wanders in front of a large contingent of Navan supporters.

Over the years Navan players have gone on to represent Ireland at senior level including Orla Brennan, Sinead Ryan, Jackie Shiels, who played in two World Cups in 2010 and 2014. Marie Louise ‘Maz’ Reilly played for Navan for a time before going on to win 54 caps for Ireland, including the Grand Slam winning team of 2013. Jenny Finlay was capped for Ireland in 2017.

Others with connections to Navan and the local rugby club who were capped at senior level include Michelle Claffey and Sam Monaghan.

Heroes all in century of heroic efforts by so many.