The DUFC is celebrating after another fantastic success
Conor Bates
Sports Editor
The prestigious Dublin University Fencing Club (DUFC) has been handed one of its most impressive accolades in recent times. The club, which has won the national intervarsity competition consecutively for the last five years, has recently had six of its members selected for the Irish national team. In a brief interview with The University Times, club PRO Killian Hanlon told us “While DUFC fencers are certainly no strangers to the team, it is no less of an achievement. It’s a testament to the hard work that goes on behind the scenes of competitions – the six fencers have, over the years, put in a tremendous amount of work. Their dedication is something that the club has never taken for granted.”
The six members of the club have been chosen to represent Ireland in the upcoming Five Nations tournament, to be held in Ireland on November 3rd. DCU will play host to proceedings as Ireland will look to claim the title on their home turf. The competition will see the best fencers from Ireland, Northern Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales do battle in the various different fencing classes.
The club proudly lauds the achievement on their website, as Trinity fencers compose one quarter of the entire Irish panel. Jenny Jennings and Geraldine Davis will compete in the women’s foil, with Liz Fitzgerald in the women’s epée completing the female Trinity cohort. Jack McHugh will take up the sword in the men’s sabre, with Rory Greenan and Colm Flynn competing in the men’s epée. Flynn will also captain the epée team.
Hanlon hopes that this wonderful success will benefit the club, and the sport as a whole. “Overall, we at DUFC count ourselves lucky to be part of the club. With wonderful news like our fencers making the Irish team, it’s hard not to be. Not to mention our recent success in the Olympics with our own pentathlete Natalya Coyle. Despite it being her first Olympics, she managed a tremendous ninth, not to mention a fifth in the fencing portion of the competition. Joining her on the Irish team in the pentathlon was Arthur Lanigan-O’Keeffe of UCD – together they did the country, and the country’s fencers, proud. Fencing in Ireland has never received much in the way of coverage, but with people like these to look up to, the future for the sport here looks bright.”
