posted — January 30th 2012

Ken McKervey, Electric Ireland Commercial Manager, pictured with Ireland U-20 players Paddy Jackson, Conor Gilsenan and Daniel Qualter at Dubarry Park, Athlone.

Three Buccaneers players, Daniel Qualter, Shane Layden and Conor Finn, are included in the Ireland U-20 squad at time of writing. 24 players are named in the panel which will be whittled down to 23 on match night. Two other Connacht players, Aaron Conneely and Kieran Marmion, are also included as is Conor Gilsenan from Mullingar.

This is wonderful news for the host Buccaneers club. Qualter was a regular in the Ireland team last season and the towering Athlonian (son of Galway hurler Seamus and his wife Sandra) will be a key figure in the second row against Wales on Friday night. A versatile sportsman, he has won a Connacht Senior Schools rugby medal with Summerhill College, Sligo, and also played Minor football with Roscommon. He has been a driving influence in Buccs good first half in this season’s Ulster Bank League.

Powerful wing Layden has been a revelation in his first season with Buccaneers. Hailing from Carrick-on-Shannon, he is an exciting and direct runner who can also comfortably slot in at full-back. He sustained a broken finger when playing for Buccs against Garryowen recently but is hopeful that he will be fully fit for the duel with Wales. He too has represented Roscommon in Minor football.

Finn is another exciting winger whose season has been disrupted due to injury. Accordingly, his appearances for Buccaneers have been rare to date but the Aughrim lad has enjoyed a recent run of games. He previously played with Ballinasloe and is the son of Paudge who, I believe, is the man who first popularised singing “The Fields of Athenry” at matches!

Flanker Conneely is well connected in Athlone too as his father Eamonn’s company Oyster Homes sponsored Buccaneers for a number of seasons. Like Qualter, Aaron was a regular in the Ireland pack last season. His Corinthians clubmate Marmion will be vying for the scrumhalf berth. Mullingar flanker Gilsenan currently plays with UCD.