History
On Sunday, 28 April 1946, the idea of forming an Old Boys' Rugby club was conceived at the official opening of the new Christian Brothers College Lansdowne Pavilion and Sports Ground at the top of Patrick's Hill, Cork. However, it wasn't until 1948 that a General Meeting of Past Pupils of the school interested in forming a Rugby Club was held at the College and in October 1948 the first Annual General Meeting was held and a list of Exhibition and Friendly Fixtures were presented to the new members.
Old Christians had now officially started their mark on Cork and Munster Rugby for years to come, fulfilling many a glamorous fixture. However in the 1950s due to heavier club commitments to players the Old Boys team became fewer in number and it was with this in mind that a decision was made to open up membership to all past as well as present playing pupils of the college.
The club grew from strength to strength with the influx of its new members and was fielding a full complement of players at all grades up to Junior level. It wasn't long before the first successes were recorded in the 1958/59 season, three that year by all account between league and cup.
The first decade of the club was to prove a runaway success and, to cater to its ever increasing membership, new and larger grounds needed to be sought out. In the years leading up to 1964 an intensive fund raising campaign was embarked upon and that year a 5-acre (20,000 m2) field was acquired at Carrigmore, Montenotte from C.I.E. Sports and Social Club.
An old stable (refurbished and watered) became the new home for the Old Boys and it was officially opened with a game between an Old Christians XV versus a Corinthians Senior VX.
The second decade saw the building of a new clubhouse, dressing rooms (the boys came out of the stable, you might say!), social, dancing and bar facilities which famously went on to become one of the highlights in the social circles of Cork City at the time. Another landmark decision was made in 1976 when the club decided to open its playing membership to non past pupils of the college and this decision alone was to start the mould that is Old Christians, the club and the family that it is today.
Old Christians was now bringing rugby into many new homes throughout the breadth of Cork City, so many in fact that it was coming to a stage once more where their numbers were outgrowing their facilities. Additional grounds were purchased in Killcully as the club failed to acquire the plot next to Carrigmore now known as Merrion Court. It was now that the country roots were set to seed in the Old Boys home camp.
In 1983 the opportunity to dispose of Carrigmore and Killcully arose and this was to help fund what is now Old Christians home today, a 16-acre (65,000 m2) sporting facility which was opened officially on the 11th Oct 1986 by then-president of the I.R.F.U. Sir Ewart Bell. The day was marked with a game between an Old Christian Presidents XV (Tom McCarthy, President) and a Munster XV led by Irish & British Lions and ex-Christians player Donal Lenihan.
Read more about this topic: Old Christians RFC
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