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To say that the 2025/26 Men's AIL season for Galwegians RFC has been good would be an understatement. The Galway City side have recorded no losses and bonus points in nearly every match they've played in the Energia AIL this season, seeing them safely to winning a league title and shooting into a promotion spot meaning they will compete in Division 2A for the 2026/27 season.
Even though they may have made their results this season look easy to the outsider looking on, a lot of hard work has gone into the team on and off the pitch.
When asked about the season, Captain Dylan Keane said, "This season has been fantastic, as a group at the start of the year we came together and set out our goals and at the top of that list was to get promoted from AIL 2B to AIL 2A. With a bit of depth added to the squad and having a good coaching team backing us week in and week out is how we’ve been able to do as well as we have this season and it’s been unbelievable to be part of it and creating our own bit of history along the way".
Head Coach Brendan Guilfoyle is one of the members of the coaching team that's been backing the group week in and week out having been with the team as Head Coach for the past 4 seasons. "We put together a really good squad over the summer and we were positive from the outset. We probably didn't expect it to go as well as it did, but the core group of lads in the club at the minute have all played rugby together since they were young and it's really come through this year[...] they've grown and learned together," says Guilfoyle. "We had the addition of some new players coming in - we have some older players in the squad over the 30 age group and it's all just gelled really, really well".
"From day 1 once we got those first couple of wins under our belts and the lads started to have belief, it turned into a really enjoyable season."
This promotion for Galwegians means that Connacht now has two teams that will be competing in 2A next season - Galwegians RFC and Corinthians RFC.
"With the change to the structure of the AIL with them regionalising 2B and 2C I think it’s important that we got promoted for Wegians and also for club rugby in Connacht; the more teams playing at a higher standard, the better," says Keane. "The goal for 2A next year is to keep pushing. I think every team’s goal before the season starts in every league should be to try and win and at minimum push for a top 4 finish to keep in the hunt. We want to stay competitive and keep pushing ourselves as a group".
For Guilfoyle, the opportunity to compete in the 2A AIL next year means a lot to the group, especially with the restructure of the AIL: "it's massive for the club, it's massive for the team and for the future that I suppose the younger teams coming through can still experience the All-Ireland League rugby. I've always enjoyed it now for 20 odd years as a player and now a coach - I love the fact that you get to travel to Belfast, Wexford, Middleton in Cork and all these journeys".
It's obvious that Galwegians will try to finish out this season as strongly as they can, even with the promotion and league title already secured.
"We'll get through this year, get the season finished out. We potentially have a couple of players retiring - we have Jack Winters who is previous club captain who played a huge part in the resurgence of Galwegians and whose family is moving to Cork so we'll be losing some players [...] so we'll have to build the squad up again and also get some of our younger players coming through the club some exposure to the AIL which will stand to them going into next season," says Guilfoyle.
The hard work doesn't stop here for this group. "We would be really hopeful of getting into the top 4 next year," says Guilfoyle. "1B would be a great place for Galwegians, even if it's not next year we want to put the foundations in next year to push on the year after. Obviously there is the added bonus of Corinthians which are great games to be involved in when Corinthians play Galwegians. It's great to get those darby games back into Galway for the AIL".
From talking to both Keane and Guilfoyle, the vision between players and coaches is a shared one - keep pushing, keep building, and aim for top 4 in AIL Division 2A next year. Given the work they put in this year and the camaraderie and respect amongst the group, it's no doubt that it's onward and upward from here.
But for now, Galwegians will focus on finishing the season on a high and taking time to celebrate their accomplishments to date.
"It’s the first league title the club have won in the last ten years and the first for us as a group so it’s something really special for us, it’s not every day you get to win an All-Ireland league so we’ll definitely be enjoying the celebrations!" says Keane.
