Cork Hellhounds RFC, with the support of Munster Rugby, will host our third annual Pride Tag Rugby Tournament on Saturday, July 29 from 12 noon in Musgrave Park.
We are inviting individuals or teams of up to 10 players to take part in a fun afternoon of tag rugby, where you will be put into teams to play with members and friends of the Cork Hellhounds.
Whether you are new to rugby or have played tag before, you are welcome to try tag rugby with the Hellhounds and friends from across the LGBT+ and Munster rugby communities. Supporters are also very welcome to come along and get behind the event, where refreshments will be provided on the day.
If you have never played tag rugby before and don’t know the rules, please note that tag rugby is a non-contact game. Volunteers and referees will be available on the day to explain the rules.
If you sign up as an individual, you will be assigned a team on the day.
If you are registering a team, please contact hello@corkhellhounds.ie after you receive your Eventbrite ticket, and confirm the number of players in your group.
Please present your Eventbrite ticket upon arrival to Musgrave Park.
Don’t forget to tag @corkhellhound, @munsterrugby, and @corkpride when posting on social media.
Cork, Monday 24 April – Cork Hellhounds RFC, Cork’s LGBT-inclusive rugby team, is travelling to Birmingham this weekend to take part in the European gay rugby championships, the IGR Union Cup.
The Union Cup, organised by International Gay Rugby and hosted this year by the Birmingham Bulls, will have over 40 gay and inclusive rugby teams from across Europe travelling to England to take part. This will be the first time the Hellhounds will take part in an IGR tournament, having been a member of IGR since their ratification by Munster Rugby and the IRFU in June 2021.
The Cork Hellhounds were founded in 2020 as an inclusive rugby club, with the support of both the Gay Project (Cork’s community centre for gay, bi, and queer men) and Munster Rugby. They have since become a core part of Cork’s LGBT community, hosting tag rugby tournaments as part of the Cork Pride festival, and regularly collaborating on friendly games and training sessions with local rugby clubs such as Fermoy RFC, Clonakilty RFC, and the Sunday’s Well Rebels mixed ability rugby team. The Hellhounds have already played host to visiting IGR teams including Belfast Azlans and most recently, Glasgow Raptors, winning against both teams on home ground. The Hellhounds train weekly in Mahon, and all are welcome to take part, including straight allies and those with no prior rugby experience. The club currently offers a men’s contact rugby team, as well as a mixed gender tag rugby team during the summer months.
“We can’t wait to travel to Birmingham and represent Cork as a debutant team at the Union Cup this year”, said Scott De Buitléir, Vice-President and Communications Officer for Cork Hellhounds RFC. “Months of preparation and training have led us to this moment, and we have a great group of players and supporters travelling to show the rest of the gay and inclusive rugby community what being a Cork Hellhound is all about. We’re also delighted and humbled by the level of support from the Cork community as we raises funds for our Union Cup campaign, from bake sales to kiss-a-hound auctions at Chambers earlier this year! It has been a lot of fun to get here, and we’re looking forward to the weekend ahead.”
For more information, visit corkhellhounds.ie or search for Cork Hellhounds RFC on Instagram or Facebook.
Cork Hellhounds RFC is an LGBT-inclusive rugby club, offering both men’s contact rugby and mixed-gender tag rugby teams. Founded in 2020, the Hellhounds are the third inclusive rugby club on the island of Ireland, following the Emerald Warriors in Dublin and the Belfast Azlans (part of Ophir RFC in Newtownabbey, Co. Antrim)
International Gay Rugby is an organisation of gay- and inclusive rugby clubs worldwide, of which Cork Hellhounds became a member in 2021. IGR Union Cup is a biennial tournament for European IGR clubs.
Gay Project is a community centre which supports gay, bi, and queer men in the Greater Cork area.
Cork Hellhounds to host Glasgow Raptors for friendly match
Cork, Wednesday 18 January – Cork Hellhounds RFC, Cork’s LGBT-inclusive rugby team, is preparing to welcome their fellow inclusive team, Glasgow Raptors, to Cork for a challenge match on Saturday, January 28.
The Cork Hellhounds were founded in 2020 as an inclusive rugby club, with the support of both the Gay Project (Cork’s community centre for gay, bi, and queer men) and Munster Rugby. They have since become a core part of Cork’s LGBT community, becoming affiliated by the IRFU and International Gay Rugby, and hosting tag rugby tournaments as part of the Cork Pride festival.
In preparation to take part in the IGR Union Cup tournament in Birmingham in April, the Hellhounds have invited the Glasgow Raptors to Cork to play in Tramore Valley Park. Kick-off is at 1pm, and all are welcome to support.
“We’re excited to see the Glasgow Raptors come to Cork for our first official fixture of the new year”, said Scott De Buitléir, Vice-President and Communications Officer for Cork Hellhounds RFC. “Last year, we travelled to Belfast to play against another IGR team, the Belfast Azlans, where we gained a hard-fought win at the University of Ulster. As we prepare for the Union Cup, we’ll be testing our skills on the pitch with the Raptors.”
The Hellhounds are also running a free “Intro to Rugby” training series for beginners at their training grounds on the Ringmahon Road every Sunday until the end of February. Registration is free and all are welcome, including those from the LGBT community and their allies.
For more information, visit corkhellhounds.ie or search for Cork Hellhounds RFC on Instagram or Facebook.
Cork Hellhounds RFC is an LGBT-inclusive rugby club, offering both men’s contact rugby and mixed-gender tag rugby teams. Founded in 2020, the Hellhounds are the third inclusive rugby club on the island of Ireland, following the Emerald Warriors in Dublin and the Belfast Azlans (part of Ophir RFC in Newtownabbey, Co. Antrim)
International Gay Rugby is an organisation of gay- and inclusive rugby clubs worldwide, of which Cork Hellhounds became a member in 2021.
Gay Project is a community centre which supports gay, bi, and queer men in the Greater Cork area.
Members of Cork Hellhounds RFC at University of Ulster Jordanstown
PRESS RELEASE
The Cork Hellhounds RFC had their first win in Belfast last weekend against the Belfast Azlans, part of Ophir RFC. In Saturday’s Challenge Match, held at the University of Ulster’s Jordanstown campus, the Cork-based LGBT-inclusive rugby club won 41-27.
“The win over the weekend really showed us how far along we’ve come,” said Adam O’Brien, Founder and President of the Cork Hellhounds. “It shows that the hard work does pay off. We are going to use this boost of confidence towards future games and welcoming more players and supporters to the club.”
Established in October 2020, the team aims to encourage and promote the benefits of rugby among the LGBT community and their allies. Last year, the club became officially ratified by Munster Rugby & the IRFU, and they are also members of International Gay Rugby, a global association of gay and inclusive rugby clubs which compete in tournaments around the world. They have also hosted a tag rugby tournament during Cork Pride last year, and have played full-contact games and joint training sessions with the Sunday’s Well Rebels mixed ability rugby team, part of Sunday’s Well RFC.
LGBT-inclusive sporting groups in Cork have continued to grow over the last number of years with groups such as the Cork Hellhounds RFC, Cork Rebels FC, and Frontrunners Cork offering weekly training sessions to their growing amount of members.
The Hellhounds are also launching their Intro to Rugby series this Sunday, 6th February, at 11am at their Mahon Rugby Grounds. The club welcomes anyone who is curious about rugby to try out this 6-week training series in a welcoming environment, especially for those who have no experience playing the sport and want to try something new.
The Cork Hellhounds train twice weekly at both the Glen Resource & Sports Centre on the and at their pitches in Mahon, and continue to actively invite new players regardless of previous rugby experience. For more information, you can email hello@corkhellhounds.ie or follow @corkhellhounds on Instagram or Twitter.
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Notes to Editor:
Adam O’Brien is founder and President of the Cork Hellhounds RFC. He is available for interview.
Scott De Buitléir is Vice President of the Cork Hellhounds RFC. He is available for interviews in either Irish or English.
Cork Hellhounds RFC is affiliated with and supported by The Gay Project, a Cork-based community organisation that works to ensure that gay, bisexual, trans and queer men are enabled to participate fully in Ireland’s social, economic, cultural, political and artistic life.
