UCC return for Rebel Quirke

Cork’s 2010 All-Ireland-winning goalkeeper Alan Quirke is to join UCC’s Department of Sport and Physical Activity as a sports officer.

Quirke is leaving the Defence Forces for the college, where he will work under the Director of Sport, Ireland’s Grand Slam-winning coach Declan Kidney.

“I’ll miss it,” he said yesterday in reference to the Army.

“I’ve had 12 and a half very good years, I’ve done some very interesting things and worked with some great people, travelled overseas and done some really interesting courses, so I’m leaving the Defence Forces with great memories.”

He’s looking forward to the new role: “I’ll be working with the development officers for the various sports in UCC, the facilities staff who run the Mardyke and the Farm and so on. There are over 60 clubs, from the mainstream sports to the likes of archery and ultimate frisbee. It’s not all about elite sport either, participation is a big issue.

“It’s not unlike being an army officer in that there are quite a lot of hats to wear, there’s health and safety given the numbers participating, coordinating the information on the website, the promotion of sport among all students, event management for inter-varsity events, sports scholarships, and budgeting and accounts.

“It’s easy to convince an inter-county Gaelic footballer or international hockey player about the importance of sport, but it’s convincing other students which is the challenge, such as international students who mightn’t be interested in rugby and GAA, and so forth.”

The Valley Rovers club man said team management might be an option at some stage but not in he immediate future.

“I’ve done a little work with the Cork underage squads, but that’s been specific goalkeeper coaching. I’ve done some work with the underage teams in the club as well. But I wouldn’t see management as an option in the short term anyway.”

Quirke acknowledged the crossover between his new post and his previous career, given the importance of sport in the Defence Forces.

“There are similarities, given the wide range of sports in the Defence Forces with people interested in martial arts, triathlon and the traditional team sports. My father was in the army and would have played as lot of sport in the army at a time when inter-army competition, for instance, would have been very keen. Everyone is catered for in the Defence Forces, and it’s the same in UCC — 60 clubs shows the broadness of the interest in sports there.”

Quirke cited links between the Defence Forces and UCC.

“There’s a connection between Collins Barracks and UCC, insofar as the Cork City Sports would traditionally be launched in the mess here, and people here in the Barracks would have been involved in that event over the year. I went to UCC so I have an affinity with the place, and I’m certainly looking forward to working with Declan and all the other staff there.”