Three Offaly representatives in women's Six Nations squad
Three Offaly natives have been included in the Irish squad for the upcoming women's Six Nations Championship.
Tullamore player Nicola Fryday, Walsh Island's Niamh Kavanagh, and Tullamore native Ailsa Hughes have all been named in head coach Tom Tierney's squad.
Hughes, a scrum-half from Railway Union and Leinster, is one of five uncapped players in the squad.
Ireland will play Scotland in their first game of the Championship on Friday, February 3, in Glasgow. They will then travel to L'Aquila to face Italy on Sunday, February 12.
Their first home game will be against France in Donnybrook on Sunday, February 26. They will then take on Wales in the Cardiff Arms Park, on Saturday, March 11 – the morning after the Irish men's team play Wales at the Principality Stadium.
Ireland will finish their Championship at home against England on March 17, in what will be a double header in Donnybrook on St. Patrick's Day, as the Ireland U20s play their English counterparts before the women's game.
For the first time since the inception of the tournament, all of Ireland's games will be broadcast live on RTE.
Ireland Women's 2017 Six Nations Squad
Forwards:
Elaine Anthony (Highfield / Munster)
Anna Caplice (UL Bohemians / Munster)
Ciara Cooney (Railway Union / Leinster)
Ailis Egan (Old Belvedere / Leinster)
Paula Fitzpatrick (St. Mary's College / Leinster)
Orla Fitzsimons (St. Mary's College / Leinster)
Nichola Fryday (Tullamore / Connacht)
Ciara Griffin (UL Bohemians / Munster)
Leah Lyons (Highfield / Munster)
Claire Molloy (Bristol / Connacht)
Cliodhna Moloney (Railway Union / Leinster)
Heather O'Brien (Highfield / Munster)
Ciara O'Connor (Galwegians / Connacht)*
Ruth O'Reilly (Galwegians / Connacht)
Lindsay Peat (Railway Union / Leinster)
Marie-Louise Reilly (Old Belvedere / Leinster)
Ilse Van Staden (Cooke / Ulster)*
Backs:
Niamh Briggs (UL Bohemians / Munster) Captain
Eimear Considine (UL Bohemians / Munster)*
Mairead Coyne (Galwegians / Connacht)
Aine Donnelly (Old Belvedere / Leinster)
Mary Healy (Galwegians / Connacht)
Ailsa Hughes (Railway Union / Leinster)*
Jemma Jackson (Cooke / Ulster)*
Niamh Kavanagh (UL Bohemians / Munster)
Claire McLaughlin (Cooke / Ulster)
Alison Miller (Old Belvedere / Connacht)
Jenny Murphy (Old Belvedere / Leinster)
Sene Naoupu (Ayslesford Bulls)
Nora Stapleton (Old Belvedere / Leinster)
*denotes uncapped player
Ireland Women's Management Anthony Eddy - Director of Women's Rugby
Tom Tierney - Head Coach
Declan O'Brien - Assistant Coach
Derek Dowling - Scrum Coach
Tanya Abbas-Curran - Team Manager
Ed Slattery – Strength and Conditioning Coach
Nathan Buckley - Video Analyst
Emma Gallivan – Physiotherapist
Alan Farrell - Team Doctor
Marcus Shortall– Nutritionist
Rory Wilson - Squad Co-ordinator
Sam O'Byrne - Media Officer