Kinsale RFC Host Festival Of Rugby For Over 200 Girls

St Brigid’s weekend became a festival of girls rugby for Kinsale RFC as 16 teams from across Munster met to contest the Annemarie Kingston Cup and Shield.

Designed as a tournament to help develop girls rugby, the day was a huge success with over 200 girls in attendance and 24 matches played at Under-14 and Under-16 level, which culminated in two finals.

The games took place across all five of the seaside club’s pitches, with matches running across the day. The tournament welcomed clubs from all over Munster, such as Cobh Pirates, Old Crescent, Abbeyfeale RFC, Midleton, Mallow, Youghal and many more.

After fierce competition, and plenty of skill, Clonakilty RFC and The West Cork Rebelettes emerged the victors in the Cup and Shield Competitions.

Clonakilty won the U16 Annemarie Kingston cup, beating Waterpark-Dolphin RFC in a highly skilful final 19-5.

The West Cork Rebelettes, made up of players from Skibereen, Dunmanway and Bantry, pipped Fethard from Tipperary in a tight Annemarie Kingston Shield U14 final, winning 14-10. The lead bounced back and forth, with the Rebelettes conversions from the tee proving the difference.

The much expanded event is fast becoming a major milestone for the club. Only in its second year, the event has gone from four teams in 2024 to 16 in 2025, and Kinsale hope to expand it again in 2026.

Kinsale RFC Club President Paul Kingston, whose late wife the tournament is named after, spoke of the clubs’ pride in hosting the event;

“This was a great celebration of girls rugby, with incredible skills on show across all our pitches. Munster girls rugby has a bright future judging by the 16 teams we saw today. Our club is very proud to host them all.”

Paul thanked the many volunteers who made the event a reality.

“A lot of work goes into making an event like this successful for the girls. I’d like to thank the Kinsale and rugby community who came together to make it a great day for the girls and their families.” The club estimated over 500 spectators travelled to enjoy the rugby, along with food stalls, teas and coffee.

Tournament Director Pauline O’Regan spoke about the club’s plans to go bigger in 2026. “Girls rugby is experiencing major growth but we feel more showpiece events like the Annemarie Kingston Cup are needed to give the girls a focus to work towards. That’s why we hope to host an expanded event on St. Brigid’s weekend 2026. We can see there’s a huge demand for it across Munster, so we’re looking forward to going again next year.”

The Kinsale club is no stranger to hosting events, running the annual Heineken Kinsale Sevens every May for over 35 years. Judging by the large crowds and eager players, the Kingston cup will hopefully be a fixture in the Munster girls calendar for as many years to come.