Every "old boy" you talk to will give his version of the official story on the start of the Club.  Since I was the first President and Match Secretary of the Club, I feel qualified to set the record straight.

It was primarily the Kennelly brothers (Art, Joe and Kevin) and Gene Moriarty who started gathering the young Irishmen together during the summer of 1974 to play a game which resembled Rugby. During the summer of 1975, our skill improved and some even accused us of knowing the rules. We also had our first name that season. Since we didn't have jerseys, everyone was told to wear white to the game and consequently our first club name was the "MOTLEYS."

The Fall of "75" saw the club adopt the name South Side Irish Rugby Football Club and it was no wonder, with team members such as Kennelly, Moriarty, Geary, Dinneen, Murphy, McShane, McCormack, Cronin, Coffou and Bickett. There was no official schedule that season, however, we did manage to find a pitch almost every weekend, thanks to Art Kennelly and Gene Moriarty.

After that season of reasonable success, we were all convinced we could make a go of it. We set up an organizational meeting in the basement of Dick Geary's in January of 1976 to set a course of action and knock off a 1/2 barrel.  I made the mistake of showing up with a note pad and a writing utensil.  This automatically qualified me to run for President of the Club and since no one else was running, I was it.  The position of match secretary was thrown in as a bonus.  Earl Bickett took up a collection to pay for the 1/2 barrel of beer and consequently was elected treasurer.  Gene Moriarty lead us in song that evening and therefore became our captain.

The first official seasons were pretty rough, but we did meet every commitment, even if it meant we had to bring our own beer. From the start we demanded respect from our opponents, but not necessarily on the field. Our opponents know they were in for a rough afternoon, a long evening and even a rougher morning, after a match with the S.S.I.R.F.C.

The Club has progressed from these meager beginnings to a formidable powerhouse in the Chicago Area Rugby Football Union.  Unfortunately for me, I find myself on the other side of the pitch these days.  However, I still feel very strong emotion for the S.S.I.R.F.C. and will never forget or regret the eight great years I enjoyed with the Club.

Tom "TANK" O'Brien      

The Irish have also played all over the world, touring Ireland on 4 different occasions and as recent as last Oct. 99, for the Rugby World Cup. Irish players have traveled and played rugby in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Scotland, and South Africa, this has helped develop relationships, with players and coach's overseas, that have come to the States to play and coach the Irish and help the club jump to a new level of rugby excellence.

Since 1974 the Irish have had many successful years, consistently at the top of CARFU. The Irish have been a formable side all over the land, playing and winning tournaments, in Scottsdale AZ, Savannah GA, and Memphis TN to name a few. The Irish have also have had players compete at tops levels for CARFU, Midwest, and for The Eagles, national side. The Irish have won championships at both CARFU, and the Midwest level; this is the goal every year. It has been instilled in the current players, from our Old Boy's: players like, Gene Moriarity, Sean Sullivan, and Brian Hogan. We play for that tradition, we persevere, and we never give up. That is what it means to be a part of the Irish. That is our History… This in our 25th year, we carry on that history we carry on that tradition, we play on...