Irish eyes were smiling and glued to the Ireland vs Scotland Rugby match at Appleton’s McGuinness Irish Pub
APPLETON, Wis. (WFRV) – With plenty of green on their sleeves and some bangers and mash on their plates, rugby fans packed McGuinness Irish Pub to watch Ireland take on Scotland.
In the crowd were actual rugby players from the Fox Valley.
The men’s team is called the Gargoyles and the women’s team is called Chaos.
Chaos teammate Andi Heesacker was impressed with just how many people turned up.
“This is a great way for us to realize that there are a lot of people interested in rugby,” Heesacker told Local 5 News. “You don’t have to be Irish. Anyone can play.”
Neenah and Appleton welcome the Wisconsin USBC to the Fox Valley
The club is affiliated with USA Rugby, Midwest Rugby Football Union, and Chicago Area Rugby Football Union (CARFU). Established in the Spring of 1975, Fox Valley Rugby is one of the area’s oldest rugby clubs. For 45 years the club has provided and promoted the sport of rugby and continues to do so today.
They have matches, fundraisers, and special events planned throughout the year. Most of the action is between March and June. For more information click here.
When it comes to the longstanding McGuinness Irish Pub, the celebrations of all things Irish happen all year. But, as you might expect, St. Patrick’s Weekend is their biggest.
They put up a tent out back where they play music late into the night.
If you’re an early riser, you might want to get there between 8-10 a.m. on Sunday, St. Patrick’s Day, where they’ll serve the full Irish breakfast.
“We do the full Irish breakfast. It’s a big thing. It’s a big heavy meal,” explained owner Matt Miller. “Then at 11, we switch to our Irish fare which will include our corned beef and cabbage dinners.”
McGuinness Irish Pub is located at 201 South Walnut, right next to the police department.
For more information check out their Facebook page.
