Nick Popplewell
Nick Popplewell is, without doubt, Ballyoughter’s most celebrated son. He was born in Dublin on the 6th of April 1964 but growing up in Ballyoughter during his formative years, this former Irish rugby union player won 48 caps for his country between 1989 and 1999. He also represented the British and Irish Lions on a tour to New Zealand in 1993.
Those who knew Nick in the locality will tell you he was always destined to be a superstar of rugby. Those ‘fortunate’ enough to have played some ‘friendly’ soccer matches with him will attest to the occasional dubious tackle that was more suited to his beloved rugby than the game of soccer.
Nick’s playing career spanned numerous clubs while he also represented his province, country, and the Lions with distinction. As an amateur, he played for Gorey RFC (1982-1984) and Greystones RFC (1984-1987). As a Senior, he played for Leinster (1987-1996), where he was captain for a season, Wasps (1996-1997) and made 19 appearances for Newcastle Falcons (1997-1999). At Newcastle, he won the Premiership in 1997-1998. From his debut against the All Blacks in November 1989 to his final game in 1998 against France, he represented Ireland 48 times scoring 13 points in the process. Seven of these appearances were with distinction in the Rugby World Cups of 1991 and 1995. He played in all three tests for the British and Irish Lions tour to New Zealand in 1993 and was widely celebrated as one of the stars of the tour.
Nick remembers his Ireland debut with great clarity for the pride in wearing the Irish jersey but also because he lasted less than 20 minutes after a heavy tackle from an opponent left him with three broken ribs. He also recounts, with great pride, one of his major achievements when selected for the first test on the British and Irish Lions New Zealand tour in 1993. In fact, Nick was the only Irish man to beat the All Blacks until Ireland beat them in Chicago in 2016.
After retiring from rugby, Nick completed a master’s degree in Business Studies, qualified as a property advisor and became a member of the Institute of Professional Auctioneers and Valuers. He currently works at Sherry Fitzgerald in Wexford where he lives with his family.
I am reminded of Terri Guillemets’ quote, “Every son quotes his father, in words and in deeds”, as I finish speaking to Nick. He is on the way to the airport to collect his son, Ben, fresh from representing Ireland U-20s in a rugby game against France U-20s in Cardiff. History has a nice way of repeating itself.
In conversation with Nick Popplewell on 14/07/2021
There are far too many newspaper articles on Nick Popplewell’s career to publish on this website. For those who wish to delve more into the sporting archives, a good place to start is at FindMyPast (subscription required). The filters applied on this link should give you over 200 reports from Wexford newspapers on Nick’s career from 1989 to 1999 when he was playing for Ireland.
Kate Farrell McCabe
Kate Farrell McCabe may have been born in Dublin in 2001 but is most definitely a Wexford woman at heart. Her family moved to County Wexford when she was a few months old, put down roots in the Brackernagh and became actively involved in the wider community of North Wexford.
Kate attended Ballyoughter National School for her primary education before transferring to Gorey Community School, completing her Leaving Certificate in June 2019. She is currently attending the Technological University of Dublin (TUD) where she is taking a 4-year course in Public Health Nutrition.
It was almost inevitable that Kate was destined to play rugby. Her father is a well-known coach in Gorey Rugby Club while her sister and two brothers were equally passionate about the sport. However, Kate’s passion for the game was more a slow burn compared to the rest of the family. Her early interest was in horses and show jumping with the inevitable love of rugby being awakened at the start of secondary school. Kate would credit her family with her growing interest in rugby through their ‘friendly’ and highly competitive tag rugby games in the garden at their Brackernagh home.
The first foray into underage rugby was with Gorey Rugby Football Club’s U-13 Girls. Her experience of tag rugby meant she was a quick learner and at no disadvantage from not playing club rugby from an early age. Progression through the age groups followed with the U-15s and then the ARGO U-18s, a combined team of players from Arklow RFC and Gorey RFC. Kate tested the water with Camogie and Gaelic Football at different stages but always returned to her true calling, rugby. While attending Gorey Community School, Kate had the distinction of winning an All-Ireland sevens title with the school in 2017.
Having demonstrated an innate aptitude for the sport along with a strong work ethic required to progress in the game, Kate became a member of the South-East Regional Development Squad in 2018. Here, she was exposed to expertise in nutrition, strength and conditioning, skill development and tactical knowledge. This quickly led to her being selected to represent her Province, Leinster, in both the 7s and the 15s squads. In the second half of the 2018/2019 season, Kate was playing for the Leinster 15s U-18 side while also having the honour of being selected for the Ireland 7s U-18 squad.
In August 2019, Kate started training with the Ireland 7s senior squad and was offered her first contract with the team for the 2019/2020 season. In early December, she was part of the Development Team that played in the Dubai Invitational with the team reaching the quarter finals. After her impressive performances since the summer and at the Dubai Invitational, Kate was subsequently selected to play for the 7s in South Africa as part of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series later that same month. The opposition was high calibre with USA, Australia, England facing them in the Pool matches before the team beat Brazil in their final game in the bracket deciders.
As I speak with Kate, she tells me she is training hard and preparing for the 2021 Dubai Women’s Sevens tournament being held in late November. The tournament is the opening event of the 2021-22 World Rugby Women’s Sevens Series. Having missed out on the 2020-21 competition because of cancellation due to Covid19, Kate is relishing the thoughts of representing Ireland on this stage.
According to Kate, her most memorable moments in her fledgeling career are her first cap at U-18 versus Georgia in the European Sevens in 2019 and her debut for the Senior side versus the hosts France in a pre-season game in November.
Kate’s hopes for the future are for continued selection for the Women’s Sevens World Series squad and the small matter of representing Ireland in Women’s Sevens Rugby at the Olympics in Paris in 2024. Everyone in Ballyoughter will be wishing her ‘bonne chance’ and every success in her quest.
In conversation with Kate Farrell McCabe on 18/11/2021
George Graham
George Graham is Ballyoughter to the core and has strong family ties to the area that span the generations. He has a lifetime experience in sheep shearing, following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather.
George’s interest in sheep shearing has brought him great acclaim nationally and internationally. He has travelled around the world representing his country at the highest level in this most physically demanding of activities.
George would cite his two most memorable career moments as representing Ireland in the ‘Golden Shears World Championships’ in New Zealand (1996) and Ireland (1998). South Africa was pipped by one vote when Ireland secured the right to host the competition in 1998 with the event being held in in Gorey at the local Rugby Club grounds. George is very proud of representing Ireland in New Zealand as it is, as he says, “serious sheep country”. During the championships there, he had the privilege of meeting Jim Bolger, Prime Minister of New Zealand at that time, whose parents hailed from North Wexford. George also recounts the special nature of the 1998 championship in that it was the first time the World Championships ever came to Ireland, and it was being held in Gorey.
Among his many achievements, George won a ‘two-stand’ record with Billy Codd in 1990 when between them, they sheared 913 sheep in nine hours. In 1991, George attempted to break the existing ‘single-stand’ shearing record of 358 sheep in nine hours, held for 16 years by Seamus Breathnach from Co. Mayo. This attempt was made in his native Ballyoughter, and George set a new record by shearing 404 sheep in nine hours. Not content with this, he beat his own personal best in 1997 when he sheared 483 sheep in nine hours in Aughrim. In 2008, he came sixth in the division when representing Ireland in the World Wool Handling Championships in Norway. In 2010, George won an Open Plate international event at the All Irelands in Portlaoise He represented Ireland at the Golden Shears World Championships in Wood Handling, along with his son Brendan. The duo achieved a commendable seventh in the world.
Among other notable achievements, George has provided radio commentary for shearing competitions with a memorable stint as the lead commentator at the World Shearing Championships in Norway in 2008. He was a special invitee guest commentator at the 50th Golden Shears competition in New Zealand in 2009. Nowadays, he judges a lot of competitions and provides advanced shearing courses for young shearers.
Away from his sheep shearing achievements and after a period in his life where he struggled with his own mental health, George became an advocate for the promotion of mental health among members of the farming community. He believes that there is enormous pressure on farmers today and many are ‘lone workers’ further intensifying the loneliness. He is very passionate about this issue and regularly gives talks about mental and general health as well as farm safety for community and farming groups all over the country. He has also given talks for the Department of Agriculture and participated in Health and a Wellbeing Farm Family event.
Check out George’s Facebook Page at George Graham – Sheep Shearer and his Website on Sheep Shearing.
In conversation with George Graham on 17/07/2021
Photographs and Newspaper images are reproduced with the kind permission of MediaHuis (formerly Independent News and Media PLC)
Diarmuid Devereux
Diarmuid Devereux may be a native of Gorey town, but his home and his heart are most definitely in Ballyoughter. Raised in Coislinne in Gorey, he married Ballyoughter lady, Yvonne Roche, and quickly became an established and active member of his newly adopted community.
In his work life, Diarmuid was employed as an Assistant Principal Officer and Assistant Staff Engineer with Telecom Eireann/Eircom for 28 years before holding the position of Managing Director of Cork-based consultancy firm MDK Ltd for 14 years before he retired.
As a resident of Ballyoughter, Diarmuid has the proud distinction of being the only resident to hold the position of Chairman of Wexford GAA. As if that was not enough, he is also the only elected public representative from the area in the history of the state.
Diarmuid became Chairman of Wexford GAA in December of 2011 and held the position for five years. His appointment followed a period of financial uncertainty for the county which required immediate attention upon his appointment. Among the notable achievements during his tenure, he brought a measure of control to the county’s finances, halving the overall debt. He oversaw the development of the Ferns ‘Centre of Excellence’ which played a part in the improving standards in underage hurling in the county culminating in the 3 in a row U-21 Leinster Hurling title successes. Perhaps his greatest coup was in securing the services of Davy Fitzgerald as Wexford Senior Hurling manager and Séamus McEnaney as the Wexford Senior Football manager.
In 2019, Diarmuid was nominated by Camolin and Ballycanew districts to stand in the Fine Gael selection convention as a potential candidate in the Gorey electoral area. Given his track pedigree, there was only one possible outcome. Diarmuid was selected as a candidate, his name listed on the ballot, and he was duly elected to the Council chambers. He now finds himself very busy representing the people of the Gorey Electoral Division as their Councillor but is enjoying his new role immensely.
Among Diarmuid’s many other notable contributions to the wider community at local and national level are:
- Chairman of St. Aidan’s Day Care Centre in Gorey 2021 for a 3 year term.
- CEO of Gorey Chamber of Commerce (2017-2020)
- President of the National Irish Safety Organisation (1992-1997)
- National Standards Authority of Ireland (1991-1994)
- Chairman of Coiste na nÓg Loch Garman (2009-2011)
Diarmuid does not appear to be a person that takes too much ‘down time’. Even his hobbies draw him to other work. His interest in the relaxing past time of fly fishing in Kerry led him to becoming a trustee of the Waterville Lakes and Rivers Trust. You may not be able to keep up with Diarmuid and you will certainly not find him standing still but you can learn more about him on his Facebook Page and his Website.
In conversation with Diarmuid Devereux on 28/09/2021
A quick ‘Google’ search will bring up numerous articles on Diarmuid’s involvement in his local community, electoral division and county.