Page 195 - Gonzaga at 60
P. 195
Kevin McLaughlin and Dominic Ryan, Leinster team mates
KEVIN McLAUGHLIN
My fondest memory of playing rugby in Gonzaga came on Gonzaga for 3 years and subsequently my coach in UCD
a rain soaked day in Lakelands against a much hyped CBC for another 2 years. Bobby especially had a huge impact
Monkstown. It was the 2nd round of the senior cup and on my career as he always insilled in me self belief by
when we pulled on the green jersey, that 80 mins meant insising that he had no doubt that I was good enough to
everything to all 22 players. The beauty of rugby is that make it. And this year I inally made my breakthrough in
unlike a lot of purely skill based sports, the old adage of the professional game. The impact Bobby has on rugby in
‘whoever wants it more will win’ applies very strongly. Gonzaga is monumental and any past pupil will atest to
In rugby, more than any sport there is a need to pull that.
together, work for each other and knuckle down. That day One of the things I loved about Gonzaga was that
in Lakelands we outworked CBC and wanted it more than while it was obvious that rugby was important to the
they did and we were rewarded with a win and a quarter school and a lot of people in the school were passsionate
inal against Blackrock. about rugby, it was always made clear that it wasn’t the
In my ime in Gonzaga I never had huge success in be all and end all and that there was more to life. This was
terms of winning things in rugby but I realised the pleasure especially important to me because I had other interests
that could be taken from playing on a team whose success such as music and I’m not sure that they would have been
so depended on team work and camraderie. It was in tolerated and fostered in another school like they were in
Gonzaga that I was irst introduced to the buzz of playing in Gonzaga. Indeed it was in Gonzaga I realised that I really
highly compeiive sport in a team environment and I never enjoy singing by geing a chance to sing in the school choir
looked back. which was run by the headmaster at the ime and carried
This passion was fostered and driven on by numerous a certain amount of presige within the school. And it was
coaches and indeed all the staf who were so supporive former music teacher Gerry Murphy who pointed me in the
of me in my ime in Gonzaga. Special menion must go to direcion of the RTE philharmonic choir when I let school
David Murray and David Keenahan, my junior cup coaches and I have been in it ever since – despite the inevitable
for 2 years and also Bobby Byrne my senior coach in slagging from my rugby peers!!
KEVIN McLAUGHLIN
My fondest memory of playing rugby in Gonzaga came on Gonzaga for 3 years and subsequently my coach in UCD
a rain soaked day in Lakelands against a much hyped CBC for another 2 years. Bobby especially had a huge impact
Monkstown. It was the 2nd round of the senior cup and on my career as he always insilled in me self belief by
when we pulled on the green jersey, that 80 mins meant insising that he had no doubt that I was good enough to
everything to all 22 players. The beauty of rugby is that make it. And this year I inally made my breakthrough in
unlike a lot of purely skill based sports, the old adage of the professional game. The impact Bobby has on rugby in
‘whoever wants it more will win’ applies very strongly. Gonzaga is monumental and any past pupil will atest to
In rugby, more than any sport there is a need to pull that.
together, work for each other and knuckle down. That day One of the things I loved about Gonzaga was that
in Lakelands we outworked CBC and wanted it more than while it was obvious that rugby was important to the
they did and we were rewarded with a win and a quarter school and a lot of people in the school were passsionate
inal against Blackrock. about rugby, it was always made clear that it wasn’t the
In my ime in Gonzaga I never had huge success in be all and end all and that there was more to life. This was
terms of winning things in rugby but I realised the pleasure especially important to me because I had other interests
that could be taken from playing on a team whose success such as music and I’m not sure that they would have been
so depended on team work and camraderie. It was in tolerated and fostered in another school like they were in
Gonzaga that I was irst introduced to the buzz of playing in Gonzaga. Indeed it was in Gonzaga I realised that I really
highly compeiive sport in a team environment and I never enjoy singing by geing a chance to sing in the school choir
looked back. which was run by the headmaster at the ime and carried
This passion was fostered and driven on by numerous a certain amount of presige within the school. And it was
coaches and indeed all the staf who were so supporive former music teacher Gerry Murphy who pointed me in the
of me in my ime in Gonzaga. Special menion must go to direcion of the RTE philharmonic choir when I let school
David Murray and David Keenahan, my junior cup coaches and I have been in it ever since – despite the inevitable
for 2 years and also Bobby Byrne my senior coach in slagging from my rugby peers!!
