Caroline Earns Her 21st Cap

Caroline Mahon (PE and maths teacher) earned her 21st cap for Ireland when she lined out for the Irish women’s rugby team against Scotland recently. The sports-mad second row player has advanced from rugby novice in 1998 to gaining her first cap for Ireland in January 2006. Caroline took up rugby at the age of 16 in Kilkenny Rugby Club. As a student in Loreto Kilkenny she played hockey, basketball, tennis and camogie and rugby offered a new challenge. Her GAA loving parents entertained the new sport at the beginning and are now her biggest fans, even travelling to Edmonton, Canada for the Womens World Cup in 2006. “It was brilliant to know they were at the matches and I could meet up with them in the evenings.” 

When studying PE at the University of Limerick, Caroline continued playing both basketball and rugby but as years went by rugby became prioritised and basketball took a back seat. UL Bohs Rugby Club started a womens team in 2001. She signed up and hasn’t looked back since. “I love playing rugby and have made some really good friends through playing with Bohs.” The team has won the previous six All Ireland league titles and three seasons ago Caroline captained the side. In the same year she captained Leinster to their only Interprovincial win.

Now she must balance life as a teacher in Newbridge College with her busy rugby schedule. “I’m lucky that the school has a solid rugby background and an understanding staff. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to combine both in my life so well”, she says when questioned about her hectic life. 

In school Caroline is involved with coaching the Junior team and when that season finishes she will get the girls team up and running for the end of the year blitzes. Her immediate thoughts for the upcoming weeks, however, will be on the Wales match. Should Ireland beat Wales, they will have achieved their best Six Nations record with three wins. “It’s a big match for us. We haven’t beaten Wales in two years but know that it’s achievable.”