Carr the driving force for Ireland and Swords

A Swords teenager made sporting history last month, becoming the first homegrown player to represent Ireland in rugby league. River Valley native, Peter Carr, was part of the Irish Under-18 side who took part in the European Championships in Prague. Not only did the 17-year-old bring home a medal, but he also earned the honour of being the first player from the island of Ireland to be selected for the national side.

‘The first match we played was to get to the semis and we beat Serbia in a pool game,' Peter said. ‘We got to the semis and played France. ‘They were seeded for the first round and they beat us. I played right winger in that match. We then went on to play England. ‘That was the third and fourth place play-off. I played right wing again and they beat us.'

Peter and his team-mates collected a medal for fourth place, though he noted the gulf between the teams wasn't that wide. ‘France weren't that good, but Wales were on the of the strongest teams in it,' he noted, adding he hadn't really given much though to his history-making achievements. ‘I had other things on my mind, I was thinking about playing matches. All of the team were from England - they were all exiles. It was a brilliant experience. The thing I enjoyed most was just playing.'

With his international duties complete now, Peter's attentions turned back to union and to club rugby with Swords RFC. He still intends to switch codes again in the summer months and said he couldn't decide which sport he preferred, though the ambition to get a full cap in league remains.‘They're both around the same level now. I'm back with Swords Under-18s and the season has started. I'll stick with league in the summer and the Home Nations series is coming up soon.'

Peter also paid tribute to his dad, Brendan, his biggest supporter, who got him involved in the sport in the first place. Swords RFC president, Richard Cowman, said the club were delighted with Peter's progress. ‘He is a very talented player and a credit to the club,' he said.