Young rugby players and fans from Colaiste Craoibhinn in Fermoy had a special sneak preview today of the prestigious RBS 6 Nations Trophy and Triple Crown courtesy of Ulster Bank, part of the Royal Bank of Scotland Group (RBS), sponsors of the RBS 6 Nations Championship.
Guests of honour were Munster and Ireland stalwarts, Alan Quinlan and Frankie Sheahan, who discussed Ireland’s progress and chatted with young rugby players and enthusiasts during an informal talk and ‘question and answer’ session in the school assembly hall.
Accompanying the players on the local leg of the All Ireland tour was David Valentine, Ulster Bank Fermoy Branch Manager, who said: “Ulster Bank is delighted to bring these famous trophies to Colaiste Craoibhinn, a school with a great interest in rugby as the panel and discussion with the pupils has demonstrated. Ulster Bank is also keen to support rugby at grass roots level and as Official Community Partner to the IRFU; we have once again launched the Ulster Bank RugbyForce initiative which supports rugby clubs across Ireland encouraging people to get involved with their local club.”
Principal of Colaiste Craoibhinn, Christy Healy, welcomed the opportunity for pupils to see at first hand the renowned and historic trophies. “It has been a special privilege to host the Triple Crown and the RBS 6 Nations Trophy here today. This has certainly been an inspirational experience as today’s pupils have enjoyed meeting the rugby greats and hearing about their sporting careers. We’ve enjoyed listening to such a great rugby line up discussing Ireland’s form and I’d like to thank Alan Quinlan and Frankie Sheahan for visiting us today. The match against France this weekend will be all the more interesting!”
Current Irish International, David Wallace had joined Sheahan and Quinlan earlier in the day at a business breakfast hosted by Ulster Bank at the Maryborough Hotel, Cork before the pair took the trophies onto the Ulster Bank Patrick Street branch, posing for pictures with staff and customers.