In 2015, a girls rugby blitz was taking place at Garraun Park. Owen Lydon, better known to us all at Tuam RFC as 'Dygo' brought an under 13s team from Tuam, while his former teammate and good friend, Norman Tierney, brought a girls team from Oughterad to the same blitz.

Neither team had enough numbers to field a team so both managers got chatting and decided to join the two teams together and enter a team. The team was called Tuam/Oughterard girls rugby. No one knew it then, but it would be the start of an incredible journey. 

Logistically one would think this partnership would be impossible to work. But it did. And how!

On that day of the blitz, they had only 13 players between them. Yet the team began to steadily grow in numbers and after starting out with just an under 13 team, the club now boasts 4 teams. An under 14, 16, 18 and in the 22/23 season, for the first time ever, they entered a senior ladies team into the Connacht Ladies league. 

Their under 16s, 18s and the senior team, all won their respective leagues (in the 22/23 season). A remarkable achievement and great credit must go to both Dygo and Norman.

The two men were teammates for Tuam in the 1990s and early 2000s and won Ard na Cregg and league two trophies together.  Dygo captained Tuam in the 98/99 season and again in 2003/04 while Norman captained Tuam in 2004/05.

Winning the senior league in their first year was a magnificent feat as 4 tries by Norman's daughter, Karly, helped them defeat Westport 34-14 in the league final in the Sportsgrounds in Galway. That was their ticket into the 23/24 season in the All Ireland Junior Cup competition and once again they grasped their new opportunity with both hands.

A trip down south where they faced Skibereen in the quarter-final was met with a resounding 47-5 victory. That result meant history was made as it was the first time ever a Connacht club had advanced to the semi-final stage of the competition. There they faced more Munster opposition, with UL Bohemians making the trip to Garraun Park on Saturday, November 25th. Tuam/Oughterard led this game 26-0 at half time before running out 38-12 victors.

The final against reigning champions MU Barnhall from Kildare was played at a very cold Mullingar RFC. Despite leading 6-5 with 76 minutes gone thanks to two first half Eabha Nic Dhonnacha penalties, Tuam/Oughterard were cruelly denied All Ireland success after the Leinster side late rally saw them score ten points to retain their crown on a 15-6 scoreline. A cruel defeat for a young Tuam/Oughterard Colts side.

Roll onto the 2024/25 All Ireland Junior Cup campaign where Tuam/Oughterard kicked off their campaign at Garraun Park, recording a 22-7 success over Enniskillen. They faced more Ulster opposition in the semi-final stage, this time it was Malone RFC. The game took place in Gibson Park, Belfast. Tuam/Oughterard led 24-14 at the break but Malone fought back in the second half and the ge was level at 24-24 going into the last ten minutes. Megan Walsh scored a 77th minute penalty for Tuam/Oughterard but the homeside scored a converted try four minutes into injury time to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.


ALL IRELAND JUNIOR CUP RESULTS
23/24 SEASON
Q/F Skibereen 5 Tuam/Oughterard 47
Semi-final Tuam/Oughterard 38 UL Bohemians 12
FINAL MU Barnhall 15 Tuam/Oughterard 6

24/25 SEASON 
Q/F Tuam/Oughterard 22 Enniskillen 7
Semi-final Malone 31 Tuam/Oughterard 27

CONNACHT SENIOR LEAGUE FINAL RESULTS
22/23 Tuam/Oughterard 34 Westport 14
23/24 Tuam/Oughterard Colts 65 University of Galway 0

CONNACHT JUNIOR CUP RESULT:
23/24
Tuam/Oughterard Colts 82 University of Galway 12

HONOURS:

LADIES TEAM; 
Connacht Senior League 22/23, 23/24. 
Connacht Junior Cup: 23/24
Invitational shield 22/23. 
Invitational Cup 23/24, 24/25.
All Ireland Junior Cup: 23/24 runners up.

UNDER 18s; League Champions 22/23. Connacht Cup runners up 23/24.
UNDER 14s: 23/24 Connacht Cup winners.

UNDER 16s; League Champions 22/23.

LADIES TEAM CAPTAINS:

22/23 Sarah Jane Fox
23/24 Sarah Jane Fox
24/25 Beibhinn Gleeson