Shane Byrne
Former Rugby International & Speaker
Former Rugby International Shane Byrne is a former Irish and Leinster rugby union hooker. Originally from County Wicklow, Shane was brought up in a traditional Irish household playing Gaelic football up to under-16 level with the local Aughrim club. Shane attended Blackrock College in Dublin and started playing rugby at the age of 13 while boarding at the college, the alma mater for many great rugby players. Although he played rugby at college through his teenage years Shane did not consider a career in the sport until about 17-years-old.
As a result, former rugby international Shane joined Blackrock Senior Rugby Club when he was 21 before joining professional side Leinster in 1995 where he played for 10 years. In contrast to many other professionals at the time, Shane’s international career started comparatively late. Making his debut with Ireland in 2001, Shane seized the opportunity and became an Irish regular making 41 caps between 2001-2005. There have been many highlights in Shane Byrne’s rugby career including winning the Triple Crown in 2004, scoring two tries in a match against Wales, and the New Zealand Lions Tour in 2005, but he feels that getting his first cap will always be a defining moment for him. After the Lions Tour his contract talks with Leinster were inconclusive, and instead Shane joined Saracens FC and traveled to England, with his wife and family in tow for two years.
Former rugby international Shane is also heavily involved in fundraising for various different charities like Temple Street and our Lady’s Hospice and is Ambassador for ‘Fighting Blindness’ and patron of GOAL, the International Humanitarian agency. More recently he has put his name to the Wicklow Hospice Charity and is a big supported of the ‘Pink Ladies’ a local girls youth club who are trying to promote local enterprise. Shane participated in the RTE programme ‘Charity you’re a Star’ in the Helix, Dublin to raise money for his chosen charity, GOAL.
Awards
- Winning the Triple Crown 2004
- First player to reach 100 caps for Leinster
- British & Irish Lions Tour 2005
- Celtic League Champions 2000
Topics
- Leadership
- Motivation
- Teamwork