Vincent McNamara

Vincent McNamara (11 April 1891 – 29 November 1915) was a rugby union player who represented Ireland. He died at Suvla Bay, Gallipoli, Ottoman Turkey, during World War One.[2]

Vincent McNamara

Date of birth	(1891-04-11)11 April 1891
Place of birth	Blackrock, County Cork, Ireland
Date of death	29 November 1915(1915-11-29) (aged 24)
Place of death	Suvla Bay, Gallipoli, Ottoman Turkey
Height	5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)[1]
Weight	11 st 6 lb (160 lb; 73 kg)
University	University College Cork
Rugby union career
Position(s) Scrum-half Amateur team(s) Years Team Apps (Points) 1911–1914 University College Cork RFC () Senior career Years Team Apps (Points) Munster () National team(s) Years Team Apps (Points) 1914 Ireland 3 (3)
Military career
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	British Army
Years of service	1915
Rank	2/Lt
Unit	Royal Engineers

Early life

Vincent McNamara was born in Blackrock, County Cork,[1] one of the seven children of Patrick and Margaret McNamara to have survived infancy.[3] He went to school at Christian Brother's College in Cork from 1904 to 1911, and then studied engineering at University College Cork.[1]

Rugby career

After playing in his school's first XV, McNamara went up to University College Cork (UCC) where he played in 67 matches for the university, winning 44, drawing 9, and losing 14.[1] McNamara was selected to play three games at scrum half for Ireland. His debut came in the 1914 Five Nations Championship, away to England for the second of Ireland's games in the tournament, at Twickenham on 14 February.[4] He was one of three players to debut for Ireland that day.[5] The next game was against Scotland, at home on 28 February. Making his debut that day at fly half was Henry Walter Jack, McNamara's half-back partner at UCC and Munster, the pair known as "Macky and Jacky".[6] Ireland won the game two tries to nil, with McNamara scoring one of the tries.[4]

The last of McNamara's international appearances was against Wales on 14 March 1914 at Balmoral Showgrounds in Belfast.[2] Reputedly the most violent rugby match in history between Ireland and Wales, it came to be known as the "Balmoral Brawl", with the Scottish referee, J Tulloch, allowing the fighting to continue through the game.[7] The game was played in heavy rain, making it difficult to handle the ball. Ireland scored a try in the first three minutes to take the lead. The Welsh equalised before half time and in the second half scored a further two tries, one converted.[8][9] Wales won 3–11 and its pack was rewarded by Irish critics with the nickname 'The Terrible Eight'.[7] Meanwhile, the Welsh press reported: "In the concluding stages there was a slight tendency of rough play on the part of the Irish forwards.[10]

International appearances

Opposition	Score	Result	Date	Venue	Ref(s)
England	17–12	Lost	14 February 1914	Twickenham	[11]
Scotland	6–0	Won	28 February 1914	Lansdowne Road	[12]
Wales	3–11	Lost	14 March 1914	Belfast	[13]

Military service and death

McNamara was studying engineering at UCC at the outbreak of the First World War, and being a cadet in the Officers Training Corps, he was commissioned second lieutenant in the Royal Engineers on 20 January 1915.[14]

On 29 November 1915, after McNamara had detonated a charge under the mines which Turkish forces were using to deploy tear gas against them, he went down to investigate. However, he went before the gas had dispersed and was killed by it.[15]

See also

• List of international rugby union players killed in action during the First World War

References

1. McCrery 2014, p. 122.
2. Vincent McNamara at ESPNscrum
3. Census of Ireland, 1911
4. "History – Archived Team History : Irish Rugby – Official Website". irishrugby.ie.
5. "The Irish Team". The Cambria Daily Leader. Frederick Wicks. 2 February 1914. hdl:10107/4095600.
6. "News". ucc.ie.
7. Jackson, Peter (3 February 2014). "'Grudge Match' has nothing on the Great War". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
8. The Carmarthen Journal and South Wales Weekly Advertiser. J. Daniel. 20 March 1914. hdl:10107/3678135. Missing or empty |title= (help)
9. "ROUGHING IT". The Cambria Daily Leader. Frederick Wicks. 16 March 1914. hdl:10107/4095910.
10. "Athletic and Sporting Gossip". The Amman Valley Chronicle and East Carmarthen News. Gwilym Vaughan. 19 March 1914. hdl:10107/4012661.
11. "Ireland – England". ESPN UK.
12. "Ireland – Scotland". ESPN UK.
13. "Ireland – Wales". ESPN UK.
14. "No. 29053". The London Gazette. 26 January 1915. p. 916.
15. McCrery 2014, pp. 122–123.

Bibliography

• McCrery, Nigel (2014). Into Touch: Rugby Internationals Killed in the Great War. Pen and Sword. ISBN 978-1473833210.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)