Young Ireland Gives Back holds its first Fund Raising Venture : May 2008
benefiting The Forgotten Irish Campaign

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The Young Ireland Gives Back inaugural tag rugby blitz took place at Blackrock College RFC on Saturday, 17th May 2008. The sold out tournament saw twenty five teams from many of Ireland’s leading companies produce fast paced, highly skilled performances as they battled it out for the coveted YIGB trophy.

The group stages saw eight teams win through to the quarter finals, with four elite teams emerging to the semi final leg. The “Final Four” were Team Samuel (Dillon Eustace Solicitors), Team Davy (Davy), Victorious Secret (Central Bank and Financial Services Authority of Ireland) and Team Swoop (Northern Trust). It required total concentration, courage and commitment as Team Swoop and Team Samuel prevailed in impressive form to meet in the final in front of the capacity crowd. Team Samuel sought to keep their winning streak going however Team Swoop dug deep to clinch victory in an agonising close game which ended 2-1.

Thanks
Thanks to the outstanding ITRA referee panel and congratulations to all participating teams; Boardbarians, Catch Me If You Can, FINCAD, Hero Squad, Maulers, Office Line Backers, Operation Human Shield, Randoms, Tag’em and Bag’em, Tagformers, Team Davy, Team O2, Team Samuel, Team Swoop, The Chronic, The Dirt Trackers, The Fig Rollers, The Green Machine, The Green Team, The Mfers, The Pink Panthers, The Redneck Yacht Club, Tom Aspell’s Technicoloured Socks, Victorious Secret, Who is Harto?

Sponsors
Match day sponsors included Bovale Developments, Davy, Dillon Eustace Solicitors, KMPG and C&C. Hospitality was generously provided by Jacob Fruitfield, Ballgowen Pure Irish Water and Lily O’Brien. • sponsors page >

The blitz was followed by an outdoor BBQ and a laughter filled evening’s entertainment. The legendary broadcaster and rugby pundit George Hook regaled players and their guests at the prize giving ceremony before noting the importance of remembering, honouring and marking the role and contribution of the “Forgotten Irish”. These are the people who through no fault of their own missed out on the rising tide of prosperity and the Celtic Tiger economy. They left Ireland out of necessity and in many cases a sense of duty and self sacrifice. Almost invariably they were the sons and daughters of large families who found it difficult to make ends meet. They left farms or homes in the cities so that their siblings could have a better chance at life and because their families needed the money from an extra earner. Their combined efforts helped rebuild Britain, and, by means of an estimated 3 billion Irish pounds worth of remittances, they helped Ireland to emerge from one of the darkest and most poverty-stricken periods in its history. Whatever their reasons for leaving, their labour built the foundation of the Ireland that we know today and they should not be forgotten.

Hugo MacNeill, Chairman of the Ireland Funds in Ireland, invited all to connect with a new form of Irish patriotism - that of active philanthropic engagement. Vincent McCarthy, Chairman of YIGB, thanked the committee, sponsors and players explaining that this was the first of a number of events scheduled in 2008 to raise €25,000 for the campaign.

Young Ireland Gives Back
Young Ireland Gives Back is an energetic and progressive group committed to delivering real support to help those who need it most by giving of their time, money, skills and experience. Our goal is to raise money for and awareness of a range of Irish causes at home and abroad. Facilitated by The Ireland Funds, the chosen beneficiary for 2008 is The Forgotten Irish Campaign.
If you are interested in learning more about Young Ireland Gives Back and/or getting involved please email us at - yigb@irlfunds.org. We look forward to hearing from you.

Photos
1. Young Ireland Gives Back Trophy
2. Team Davy
3. Team Samuel
4. Team
5. Charity Tag Rugby Blitz jersey
6. Sarah Hamill and a young supporter
7. Hardworking YIGB committee members
8. The ITRA referee panel
9. Hugo MacNeill, George Hook, Vincent McCarthy
10. Chef at the ready!
11. A fun evening at Blackrock College Rugby Club.
12. The victorious Team Swoop