Nenagh Ormond’s own Field of Dreams built through the ‘tireless work’ of local community

The famous line from Field of Dreams applies to Nenagh Ormond RFC, having christened ‘New Ormond Park’ with a remarkable win last Saturday.

Prop Jack O’Keeffe describes the refurbished facilities as the “product of tireless work and dedication from everyone in the club”.

A new gym, floodlights, dressing rooms and a smaller all-weather pitch complement the full-sized all-weather where Ormond hosted reigning AIL champs Cork Con in the second round of the Munster Senior Challenge Cup.

The floodlights and surrounding cornfields bring you back to the fantasy world of the classic baseball movie, and the people of Nenagh must have thought they were dreaming after a 31-12 victory.

But it’s the continuation of a remarkable rise for the north Tipperary club – on and off the field – having gone from the verge of 2B to 1B contenders in the space of a couple of years.

This latest victory is another timely step on the journey with their 1B campaign beginning next weekend, as Dublin University come to town. O’Keeffe is their tighthead prop and along with his team-mates he’s revelling in the buzz surrounding the club, having also experienced leaner times before their 2A triumph last year.

“Three years ago, we were one game away from 2B, now we’re up in 1B. We’ve been in a senior cup final. It’s going up, hopefully it stays going that way.

“It was tough when we first came up,” he says, of 18/19 year-olds playing against experienced men.

“We struggled for a while. But now the team is mostly 23, with a few 20 and 21-year-olds too. Most of the lads have stuck together.”

AIL heavyweights such as Shannon and Old Belvedere provide stern opposition in 1B, but Nenagh have a formidable outfit of their own.

Their numbers are higher than ever with 30/40 generally at training, the majority of them homegrown players who have lined out together since day one.

“We’ve had a great underage set-up for a number of years now.

“Most of the lads, you’ve grown up playing with since you were under-14. The bond between everyone is incredible, on and off the field. I don’t think the win at the weekend was expected. The management said earlier in the week to go out and play. Take risks. Don’t fear them. We did that. It sets us up nicely for the new season.”

O’Keeffe pays tribute to the businesses in the town and the club committee, having built the new facilities with zero debt after the sale of their old grounds to the HSE.

“The club have done great, with everyone working together.

“Our coaching staff have been brilliant. Derek Corcoran, James Hickey, Dan Fogarty, there’s a great vibe there now, everyone is happy and ready to go.

​“Look, the speed and physicality [of 1B] will be a big step up,” he adds.

“We’ve played Highfield and Cork Con, 1A and 1B teams already in the cup. It was great to experience that, but AIL will be a different animal, we know that.”

Terence Mann, played by James Earl Jones who died this week, wondered in Field of Dreams about his role in the scheme of things.

But everyone in Nenagh Ormond knows their part in bringing the club to the next level.