Wow. I always dreamed of running out into Lansdowne Road. I grew up watching and idolising Keith Wood, Anthony Foley, Victor Costello, Maggs, Stringer, Howe, Dempsey, Humphreys, Horan, Horgan, Hayes, Gleeson, the Claw, Galway, O’Kelly, etc etc... and I always yearned to follow in their footsteps. I enjoyed success in rugby, and captained my school at under 12/13/14 age grades, but it came clear in my later teens that I was shooting short of the target. It was a painful realisation, given that that is all I wanted. Injuries and studies and a lack of organisation brought my senior rugby to an end in my early 20s... and afterwards I tried coaching and then simply avoiding the game... As I turned more and more to art I came back to rugby and realised I could combine my two passions. I had watched as contemporaries aligned their abiding passion for rugby with their career by going into S&C, physiotherapy, coaching, photography etc etc... And in watching these guys I realised that the rough and tumble rugby does not have to end at pulling on the match day jersey... And inspired also by the French, I began to paint rugby games and players. I pained at @hinchrfc @banbridgerfc #RBAI @clongowes and many other places, with a simple determination to complete a painting and improve as a painter, all the while hoping to get to, some day, Lansdowne Road. I totally believed it would happen, I just didn’t think it would happen so soon. As do this weekend past it did come to pass. A dream come true. #rugby #rugbyart #rugbyartist #irishrugby #italy #IREvITA #Ireland #painter #artist #arts #art #vodafone Photo: @eric_brin (at Aviva Stadium) https://www.instagram.com/p/B1ExU92hqOX/?igshid=1udphos9nkwhq
