| Date of birth | 4 January 1991 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Place of birth | Sligo, Ireland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 80 kg (180 lb; 12 st 8 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Aoife McDermott (born 4 January 1991) is an Irish rugby union player from Riverstown, Co Sligo. She plays lock forward for Railway Union RFC, Leinster and the Ireland women's national rugby union team. She is a qualified Intellectual Disability nurse and works currently in clinical research.
McDermott played basketball for Ireland, from Under-16 to senior level and won a silver medal at the European Championships for Smaller Countries in 2016. Seeking a new sporting challenge she switched to rugby in 2016 and was a complete beginner when she joined Railway Union club. [1]
Within a year of playing she was selected for Leinster and within two years she made her debut for Ireland. McDermott won interprovincial medals with Leinster in 2018 and 2019 and was part of the Railway Union team that won the club's first All-Ireland League title in 2019. [2]
McDermott made her test debut for Ireland women's national rugby union team, against Wales (a late pre-match replacement for Nicola Fryday) in the 2018 Women's Six Nations and started in the remaining two games. [3]
She has been Ireland's first choice Number 4 since, playing all five games in the 2019 Women's Six Nations. [4]
She missed the game versus Italy in the 2020 Women's Six Nations due to a broken bone in her foot and was back to start in all three of Ireland's games in the truncated 2021 Women's Six Nations. [5] [6]
In the summer of 2019, to further her rugby development, she went to Australia to play with Sydney's Eastern Suburbs for four months, alongside Irish teammate Anna Caplice. [7]
McDermott was a very talented basketball player. She won a Division 1 championship with Sligo Allstars, won three Irish Superleagues and two National Cups with UL Huskies and was Basketball Ireland's U23 Player of the Year. [8]
McDermott was a ‘Living For Sport’ (basketball) ambassador for Sky Sports from 2014 to 2017 in a group that included future Irish Olympic medallists Katie Taylor (boxing) and Annalise Murphy (sailing). Ireland rugby international Jenny Murphy was part of the same group and prompted her towards rugby. [9]
She was inspired to take up nursing when Ireland hosted the Special Olympics World Games in 2003. She has a BA Nursing (Intellectual Disabilities) from the University of Limerick (2009–2013) and a Masters from Trinity College (2015–16). She is a clinical research nurse. [10]
Donnybrook Stadium, known for sponsorship reasons as Energia Park, is a rugby union stadium in Donnybrook, Dublin 4, Ireland. The stadium has a capacity of 6,000, including a 2,500 seat covered grandstand which was completed in early 2008.
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Fiona Coghlan is a former Ireland women's rugby union international. Coghlan represented Ireland at the 2006, 2010 and 2014 Women's Rugby World Cups. She also captained the Ireland team that won the 2013 Women's Six Nations Championship. In 2013 Coghlan was named The Irish Times / Irish Sports Council Sportswoman of the Year after captaining Ireland to their first ever Six Nations, Grand Slam and Triple Crown titles. Coghlan was a member of the first Ireland teams to defeat France, England and New Zealand. She was the Ireland captain on the latter two occasions. In addition to captaining Ireland, Coghlan also captained her club team, UL Bohemians, her provincial team, Leinster and was captain of the first ever Barbarians women's team.
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Ailsa Hughes is an Irish rugby player from Tullamore. She plays, at scrum-half, for Railway Union and the Ireland women's national rugby union team.
Chloe Pearse is an Irish rugby player from Limerick. She plays for UL Bohemians, Munster Rugby and the Ireland women's national rugby union team.
Katie O'Dwyer is an Irish rugby player from Athenry, County Galway. She plays for Railway Union, Leinster Rugby and the Ireland women's national rugby union team at prop forward. She is a health and safety officer.
Ciara Cooney is an Irish rugby player from Galway. She plays in the second row for Wasps RFC, Leinster and the Ireland women's national rugby union team. She works as a medical research scientist.
Emma Hooban is an Irish rugby player from Portlaoise, Co Laois. She plays for St Mary's College RFC, Leinster and the Ireland women's national rugby union team.
Ellen Murphy is an Irish rugby player from Dromard, County Longford. She plays for Blackrock College and Leinster Rugby and the Ireland women's national rugby union team.
