Tag: International Gay Rugby

Cork Hellhounds Win in Historic Début at Gay Rugby World Cup

Posted on by Scott De Buitléir in Press Release

Cork Hellhounds win the Challenger Cup at this year’s IGR Bingham Cup in Rome

Cork Hellhounds RFC, Cork’s LGBT-inclusive rugby team, made a historic debut at the IGR World Cup in Rome this month by winning the tournament’s Challenger Cup in a thrilling match against the Plymouth Dolphins. 

The Bingham Cup is a bi-annual competition hosted by International Gay Rugby, an organisation of gay and inclusive rugby clubs, of which the Cork Hellhounds have been members since 2021. This year was the first time the Hellhounds took part in the Bingham Cup, in which the Leeside team won each of their matches in Rome to earn the Challenger Cup last Sunday. 

The Cork Hellhounds were formed in 2020 as the city’s first LGBT-inclusive rugby club, and quickly ratified by Munster Rugby and the IRFU. The success of the Hellhounds has grown year on year since their foundation. Last year, they took part in the IGR Union Cup, the European championships of the organisation, where they reached the finals of their tier. They have also regularly worked with Munster Rugby to host the Cork Pride tag rugby tournament during the city’s Pride festivities, becoming a major sporting event for the festival. Their tag rugby offering also brings men and women into the Hellhound pack, taking part in the leagues organised by Cork Tag Rugby at Highfield RFC and Cork Constitution.

“We are thrilled to be able to bring home the Challenger Cup from Rome”, said Conor O’Brien, Captain of the Cork Hellhounds. “We played our hearts out on the pitch for each of our games, many of which were against other IGR teams we hadn’t faced before. The hard work and training of our players and coaches paid off, and we are so proud to have been able to represent Cork at the Bingham Cup for the first time. We were able to celebrate our win in style in Rome and we can’t wait to continue those celebrations and promote rugby among Cork’s LGBT community, especially with Cork Pride being around the corner.” 

Cork Hellhounds in New Kit Ahead of Gay Rugby World Cup in Rome

Posted on by Scott De Buitléir in Press Release

Cork Hellhounds to take part in IGR Bingham Cup for first time this month

Cork Hellhounds RFC, Cork’s LGBT-inclusive rugby team, presented their new kit to the public for the first time last Thursday (May 9) alongside supporters and sponsors ahead of their tour to Rome for the IGR Bingham Cup on May 23. 

The event took place at the Maldron Hotel South Mall in Cork City, with representatives from the club’s sponsors, including MyMortgage.ie, Qualcomm, and Gay Project at the launch to support the Hellhounds. 

The Cork Hellhounds were formed in 2020 as the city’s first LGBT-inclusive rugby club, and quickly ratified by Munster Rugby and the IRFU. They are members of International Gay Rugby, the global organisation of gay and inclusive rugby clubs, which is hosting its bi-annual Bingham Cup tournament in Rome from May 23 to 26 this year. The Hellhounds are taking part in the Bingham Cup for the first time this year, as players and supporters prepare to travel to Italy after months of training during their rugby season. 

“The Hellhounds are very excited to be flying to Rome soon for the Bingham Cup”, said Scott De Buitléir, Communications Officer for Cork Hellhounds. “Despite being a relatively new rugby club in Cork, we’ve had steady numbers in terms of members, players, and interest and support from the LGBTQ community in Cork and its allies and friends. We are proud to be representing Cork and Munster at the IGR Bingham Cup for the first time, and we can’t wait to play against the other IGR clubs and celebrate rugby as an inclusive sport in a fantastic setting like Rome. It’s going to be exciting for us all.” 

The success of the Hellhounds has grown year on year since their foundation. Last year, they took part in the IGR Union Cup, the European championships of the organisation, where they reached the finals of their tier. They have also regularly worked with Munster Rugby to host the Cork Pride tag rugby tournament during the city’s Pride festivities, becoming a major sporting event for the festival. Their tag rugby offering also brings men and women to the club, taking part in the leagues organised by Cork Tag Rugby at Highfield RFC and Cork Constitution.

The games planned as part of the IGR Bingham Cup will be live streamed via binghamcup.com for those who cannot support the Hellhounds in person in Rome. For more information on the Cork club, visit corkhellhounds.ie or search for Cork Hellhounds RFC on Instagram or Facebook. 

Members of Cork Hellhounds RFC with representatives from MyMortgages.ie, Qualcomm, and Gay Project, at the Hellhounds’ new kit reveal launch in Cork City on May 9. Photo: Karl Knapman

Cork Hellhounds travel to Birmingham for IGR Union Cup

Posted on by Scott De Buitléir in Press Release

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. 

— ENDS — 

Notes to the Editor: 

  • For interviews, contact Scott De Buitléir on comms@corkhellhounds.ie.
  • 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.