Player Profile: David O'Donohoe

Name: Donal O'Donohoe

Nickname: SchoolGirl/ DOD

Age: 19

Club: Skulltimate, UCC

Years Playing: 1 in September

Playing Position: Handler

Standout Ultimate Memory: UCC2-VS-Trinity 1 in Inter-Varsities incredible game that was meant to be a bagle but turn out to be our best match of varsities. You gotta love under dogs doing well.

Favourite Ultimate Player: Kieran Giller

How have you found the summer so far? Great ultimate 3 if not 4 days a week great summer now if only i could learn how to hit the ground with out doing my ankle over and over again.


Whats been the hardest thing for you over the last few months? the first couple of weeks of fitness .

What are you looking forward to most in Austria? Wearing an Ireland jersey for the first time.

Player Profile: Brian Henderson

Name: Brian David Henderson

Name: ORGY

Age: 18

Club: DCU

Years Playing: One (since october 2008)

Playing Position: Handler

Standout Ultimate Memory: the first time i hucked the lenth of the pitch
at mixed club nationals, the look of shock on DCU's faces was great FOXY-
'' why didn't you tell me you could do that, i'm going long''

Favourite Ultimate Player: Cian Quinn

How have you found the summer so far? awesome, lots of ultimate

Whats been the hardest thing for you over the last few months? affording
everything and trying to keep up with training, work, studying and fitness.

What are you looking forward to most in Austria? Some high quality Ultimate...and
the Swedish U19 Womens team

Player Profile: Robbie Brennan

Name: Robbie Brennan

Nickname: Nothing strange, Robbie, Bobby, Knobby, you get the idea

Age: 18

Club: Formerly St. Kilians

Years Playing: About 1 and a half

Playing Position: Wherever, most recently cutter

Standout Ultimate Memory: Being voted player of the tournament in both irish national schools ultimate champs:)



Favourite Ultimate Player: Gotta be chris stokes, got me into the game and taught me everything

How have you found the summer so far? Frustrating not being able to play with the hamstring, but glad im finally back

Whats been the hardest thing for you over the last few months? standing on the sideline, being in the group of "guys who cant run cos they're injured"

What are you looking forward to most in Austria? the badge, the occassion and the swedish womens team

Player Profile: Mike Ryan

Name: Mike Ryan

Nickname: Mossy

Age: 19

Club: UCC

Years Playing: One (almost)

Playing Position: Handler

Standout Ultimate Memory: UCC 2 Vs. Trinity 1 at Inter-Varsities this year. We lost, but we did so much better than anybody,(even ourselves) expected. My favourite match to date.

Favourite Ultimate Player: There are so many UCC players I look up to, but I'd have to say Donal Murray, for showing again,
and again just how much fun Ultimate is.



How have you found the summer so far? Really tough, especially all the travelling up to Dublin I have to do. Us Tipp folk just don't belong in the big smoke!

Whats been the hardest thing for you over the last few months? I'd have to say the gruelling fitness regime Shimbo put us on.

What are you looking forward to most in Austria? Some high quality Ultimate...and the Swedish U19 Womens team :P

Player Profile: Toby Morgan

Name: Toby Morgan

Nickname: T-Bag

Age: 18

Club: UL ninjas

Years Playing: Less than a year

Playing Position: All over the shop really, cutter mainly

Standout Ultimate Memory: Scoring the first point for the ninjas at windmill, cheers junior!

Favourite Ultimate Player: It could only be one guy really, TERANCE O'SHEA, TERANCE O'SHEA, TERANCE O'SHEA!!! Legend of a man, played hard and always with a smile!!! Also, without doubt the funniest guy in Ultimate!!!



How have you found the summer so far? Thoroughly enjoyed it, love the fact that im learning loads and developing as a player joined with having great craic!

Whats been the hardest thing for you over the last few months? The journey up from Tipp!!!!

What are you looking forward to most in Austria? The feeling of pride when i pull on that green shirt for the first time!! And also getting Shimbo as many times as possible with circles!!!

Player Profile: Roy Briggs

Name: Roy Briggs

Nickname: Briggsey

Age: 18

Club: St.Kilians

Years Playing: 3

Playing Position: Handler/cutter

Standout Ultimate Memory: Winning all-ireland schools tourny

Favourite Ultimate Player: Chris stokes



How have you found the summer so far? Very informative and great experience of the game overall

Whats been the hardest thing for you over the last few months? Handling outdoors for the first time in a competitive match

What are you looking forward to most in Austria? Getting to know good ultimate players from other countries....maybe even england :D

Player Profile: Louise Pollard

Name: Louise Pollard

Nickname: Mandy

Age:19

Club: Captain Huck, OCS, Throwing Shapes

Years Playing: One (almost)

Playing Position: I prefer to cut mainly

Standout Ultimate Memory: Catching the final point in the final of Women's Varsities and the point I scored in the final of Development Varsities (On the same day)

Favourite Ultimate Player: This guy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DHcCuG86Ko I'd also love to be able to cut like Shoulders.



How have you found the summer so far? Chaotic!

Whats been the hardest thing for you over the last few months? Bellmullet to Dublin on a bus. Well that and all the jokes.

What are you looking forward to most in Austria? Wining! Also going on the U-Bahn, meeting people from all over Europe, and being over twice as far away from Ireland as I've ever been before.

Player Profile: David Moriarty

Name: David Moriarty

Nickname: Dave

Age: 16

Club: Gonzaga Ultimate

Years Playing: Nearly 1

Playing Position: Cutter

Standout Ultimate Memory: The Indoor Schools Championship, when 3 of the 4 semi finalists were Gonzaga teams!



Favourite Ultimate Player: Have to say Marko, having coached me and taught me how to play for the last 8 months!

How have you found the summer so far?

Whats been the hardest thing for you over the last few months? Having to miss a lot of training because I've been away has been frustrating, but the sessions I've been to have been really great.

What are you looking forward to most in Austria? Just playing at international level will be really exciting.

Player Profile: Pat Hayden

Name: Pat Hayden

Nickname: Junior

Age: 18

Club: UL Ninjas & OCS

Years Playing: 1 in september

Playing Position: cutter/handler (depends how lazy i'm feeling!)

Standout Ultimate Memory: My first layout - to pull down Einstein's shorts at the end of a game of spank

Favourite Ultimate Player: Padraig Mc Morrow - for a Dub he's alright (should i have said my girlfriend??)

How have you found the summer so far? Good... loads of ultimate and getting to know new people.



Whats been the hardest thing for you over the last few months? All the commuting

What are you looking forward to most in Austria? Playing the first game

Final Team Selection...

Hello everyone.

Below are the two Irish teams for Austria.


Ireland A
Robbie Brennan
Conor Casey (Vice Captain)
Niall Connaughton
Richie Eyres
David Ferguson (Vice Captain)
Finnian Flood
Louis Free
Brian Henderson
Conor Hogan (Captain)
Cian Keogh
Yasin Mammeri
Tom Matthews
Toby Morgan
David Moriarty
Donal O'Donohue
Myles Rooney

Ireland B
Ross Andrucetti
Ivan Baburin
Eoghan Barry
Killian Blake
Roy Briggs
David Ferris
Hugo Fitzpatrick
Pat Hayden (Captain)
Will Hurley
Fergus McKeown
Ben Murray
Louise Pollard
Nick Prendegast
Mike Ryan (Vice Captain)
Cathal Tuffy
John Walshe (Vice Captain)

Well done to everyone for getting this far and showing incredible commitment along the way. We're in the final stretch now so it's time to focus and get excited.

Player Profile: Cian Keogh

Name: Cian Keogh

Nickname: Torres

Age: 19

Club: Chilli-O

Years Playing: About a year in September

Playing Position: Cutter

Standout Ultimate Memory: Eh no idea... Ill get back to it

Favourite Ultimate Player: Super Gay Dave I suppose.. Ha don't really know anyone else like.

How have you found the summer so far? Grand... Cheers

Whats been the hardest thing for you over the last few months? Ahh the Hiit!

What are you looking forward to most in Austria? Ha the spirit ha!

Player Profile: David Ferris

Name: David Ferris

Nickname: ....Ferris?

Age: 17

Club: St. Mary's

Years Playing: <1

Playing Position: Cutter




Standout Ultimate Memory: Sunday Pick-up

Favourite Ultimate Player:

How have you found the summer so far?
Trying, but enjoyable.

Whats been the hardest thing for you over the last few months?
HIIT training.

What are you looking forward to most in Austria?
Swedish U19's Girls Team.

Player Profile: Eoin Barry

Name: eoin barry

Nickname: Sticky

Age: 19

Club: OCS/DIT

Years Playing: 1

Playing Position: Cutter at the moment

Standout Ultimate Memory: beating ucd at varsities

Favourite Ultimate Player: can't think of just one

How have you found the summer so far? good crack meeting more ultimate players around my age and level and improving alot

Whats been the hardest thing for you over the last few months? finding the places over the southside

What are you looking forward to most in Austria? good intense ultimate...oh and swedish women :-D

Thank You!!

Just a quick word to say a massive thank you to all the friends, parents and players that came to the Quiz last Friday. We made over €1300, all of which will go towards the teams kit. The night as awhole was very enjoyable and run smoothly. Congrats to '3?' aka Rickard's Team who took top prize, to 'Apollo 11' who came in second and to Dom/Yiv/Fiona/Cians team who took third.



A big thank you to the ever-obliging Luan McKenna (his third year in a row as IFDA quizmaster), to Shimbo's brother for his help with the questions and to Naomh Olaf's for being so accommodating. Of course, the quiz wouldn't have happened without the help of the 4 coaches - Sam, Seamus, Shimbo & Podge, well done!

Player Profile: Killian Blake

Nickname: Spewy

Age: 19

Club: DIT/Open Club Sandwich

Years Playing: one this october

Playing Position: cutter

Standout Ultimate Memory: DIT beating UCD 1 in intervarsities in maynooth this year. that was a very proud moment considering we were severe underdogs.

Favourite Ultimate Player: Fag aka Fintan Darcy!



How have you found the summer so far? between ultimate and work, I haven't had much time to do my usual summer things, but having so much fun in the frisbee world that I amn't really missing it.

Whats been the hardest thing for you over the last few months? The HIITs that shimbo, one of our coachs, has demanded that we do each week.

What are you looking forward to most in Austria? Seeing how other countries play ultimate will be very interesting. I'm very curious as to whether there are varied ultimate tactics that different nations prefer, like soccer, or if its all quite similar.

Player Profile: Richard Eyres

Name: Richard Eyres

Nickname: Sterile Steve

Age: 18

Club: O.C.S., Captain Huck

Years Playing: Less than 1

Playing Position: Mostly cutter

Standout Ultimate Memory: Callahan vs Trinity

Favourite Ultimate Player: Dangerous Dave

How have you found the summer so far? Great fun. I thought ultimate went away for the summer but I was very wrong.

Whats been the hardest thing for you over the last few months? HIIT!!! Damn Shimbo.

What are you looking forward to most in Austria? Playing good ultimate in great weather.

Player Profile: Conor Casey

Name: Conor Casey

Nickname: ...The Gazelle? Just call me Casey.

Age:19

Club: Chilli-o

Years Playing: 2 years of intense ultimate mixed with 2 years of no tourneys

Playing Position: Handler

Standout Ultimate Memory: Indoor intervarsities, UCDD2 vs UCC2 5-3 down going into the last 5 minutes, we managed to pull it out of the bag winning 8-5 at the end. Only to watch UCC1 nearly do the same to UCDD1 20 minutes later.

N.B. UCC2 pulled the same trick on us at The siege of Limerick. It's ON next year.

Favourite Ultimate Player: Just for the knowledge imparted it has to be a tie between D-man and Marko. These guys has taught me pretty much everything I know.

How have you found the summer so far? Easily the best Ultimate summer i've had. It's been great to meet some of the lads from the other colleges and guys just behind us in secondary. If I convince most of these lads to go to UCD, we'll be flying!

Whats been the hardest thing for you over the last few months? Definitely coming back to training after a few weeks of injury. I had no idea how unfit a person could become.

What are you looking forward to most in Austria? I really can't wait to get that kit on.

Player Profile: Fergus McKeown

Name: Fergus McKeown

Nickname: Goose

Age: 18

Club: None

Years Playing: 2 years, on and off.

Playing Position:

Standout Ultimate Memory: It was at the School's Indoor Championship. We (Gonzaga) had played and lost to St.Killian's in the group stages. We had expected to win all our games, so it came as a bit of a wake up call. We fought our way into the finals where we found St.Killian's waiting for us. It was a back and forth game, our goal line defence keeping us in it. Time ran out, and we were even, and so we entered Sudden Death. Watching from the sidelines, having taken a sub, it was nerve racking stuff. Finally a pass from Hugo to Dave just about won us the match. The Gonzaga lads swamped the pitch. It was the best game I had seen played at our level indoors. It was a great performance, for both teams, and it was really a time when you could have said 'Ultimate was the real winner'. I am happy to be playing with two of the Killian's team, Robbie and Roy, with Ireland, and since that game, I am really excited about playing with them in Vienna.



Favourite Ultimate Player: I can't really single out one player who I think is my favorite. When you see really excellent 'champagne' flowing Ultimate, it isn't one player who makes it. Playing against Broccoli in the Summer League I really got a chance to see how a team plays well together, and I hope to see the Juniors emulate that in Vienna.

How have you found the summer so far? The Summer has been great. I finished my Leaving Cert., and all during the preparation and execution of it, I was really looking forward to getting out and enjoying the Summer, playing Ultimate. It hasn't disappointed. Playing with a new squad, getting to know everyone on it, and just having fun together, when Shimbo isn't apoplectic, has been a great experience.

Whats been the hardest thing for you over the last few months? The fitness training has been the hardest part of the whole summer. When you are on the pitch playing, getting tired, it's fine, because at least you are having fun. However, purposely exhausting yourself by just running, as you have to do with the HIIT, is not my idea of fun.

What are you looking forward to most in Austria? I know it sounds corny, as does the rest of this profile, but I am really looking forward to playing and watching some great intense Ultimate.

Player Profile: Conor Hogan

Name: Conor Hogan

Nickname: Chief

Age: 17

Club: St. Mary's College

Years Playing: One year in October

Playing Position: Handler

Standout Ultimate Memory: Cage Rage last december. My first Ultimate tournament.




Favourite Ultimate Player: Dave Misstear. Some the things i've seen him do have been pretty sick.

How have you found the summer so far? Tough, but its beginning to show in both my play and fitness.

Whats been the hardest thing for you over the last few months? Keeping down the amount of times Shimbo has had to shout, eh, "encouragement" to me at training!

What are you looking forward to most in Austria? the intense level of play that i've never seen or experienced before. Also the general banter that surrounds an Ultimate tournament

Juniors Table Quiz: Friday 17th @ 8pm

So, as part of our fundraising we're having a table quiz! There'll be a raffle on the night as well as plenty of spot prizes to be won!

Where: Naomh Olaf GAA Club, Stillorgan Industrial Park.
When: Friday 17th July, starting at 8.
Cost: €30 per table of 4.



Naomh Olaf is easily accesible by car and public transport. It is a 2 minute walk from Kilmacud Luas Stop. It is also 3 minutes from the M50 as well as from Dundrum Town Centre. There are directions on the map, just click on the various markers. More directions available on www.naomholaf.com.

Map

All money raised for this will be going towards tournament expenses.

This is Ireland's first foray into the Junior division and your support would be greatly appreciated!!

Shimbo

Kit Design by Lookfly

The hard work of Sam Mehigan and the wonderful folk over at Lookfly produced the following kit:



A special thanks to Steve and Allison and their team at Lookfly who sponsored us, allowing the kit be top quality AND very affordable for the players. Without such help the trip to Vienna would have been much more difficult.

Marko

Irish Juniors EYUC Logo

Steve MacDevitt, graphic designer and media mogul extraordinaire, designed the below logo for the teams kit. We think it looks fantastic.

Juniors Blog is up and running!

Welcome to the Irish Juniors blog. On this blog you will find posts from the coaches and the players of the two teams going to Austia on August 4th to represent Ireland in the European Youth Ultimate Championships in Vienna. For more information on the event itself visit the EYUC Homepage. If you're looking for more information on the Irish team visit the Juniors Section of the Irish Ultimate Homepage.

Saty tuned for more as it happens!
Marko
Team Manager