Amazons set to face Devils
Historical game for Arklow
THE Senior Arklow ladies rugby side, the Amazons, are heading for a game in Poland where they face the Devils (Diablice) from Ruda lska.
It is a game of a historical importance for female rugby in Poland as it will be the first 15-a-side female rugby game to take place in this country.
The organisers came up with the idea of a friendly game drawing on the success of last year friendly between Arka Gdynia and Leinster Rugby (Leinster vs. Arka Gdynia) which was part of Polska Éire Festival 2016.
Ruda lska is a home of Silesian rugby and the place where one of the most modern rugby pitches - Burloch Arena - in Poland is located.
The Devils play rugby sevens but, for the sake of the festival, players from other Polish teams are going to join them in order to face the Arklow Amazons.
The game is set to attract large crowds and local media will televise it to thousands of local homes.
Ruda lska is the city situated in the centre of Silesia - the most populated region in Poland which more than two million live in cities bordering with Ruda lska.
The latter one is having a population of around 140,000. The official Ruda lska Festival page is: http://www.polskaeire.rudaslaska. pl/.
The event is part of Polska Éire Festival which was first established in Ireland in 2015 and since then grew quickly. Polska Éire Festival is an annual nationwide celebration of Irish-Polish friendship.
The 2016 edition of the Festival comprised 95 events in around 40 locations all over Ireland, thanks to the involvement of over 80 partners. The festival was hugely popular among local communities with approx. 30,000 people attending the festival events.
The 2017 edition of the festival embraces Poland. The Polish part of the festival is organised by the city of Ruda lska and Polish-Irish Educational Association based in Arklow and is taking place between May 20 and 27 in Ruda lska. Both the Irish Embassy in Poland and the Polish Embassy in Dublin are patrons of the Festival.
James Kilcourse, Secretary of Concil of the Irish Embassy in Poland and Pat Kennedy Cathaoirleach of Arklow Municipal District, are going to attend the rugby game taking place on May 20 as part of the festival grand opening.