From Boston to Annaghdown

For Pakie, the story begins long before Galway City Rapparees existed.

Moving from Boston to Annaghdown as a child was a major change, but sport quickly became the way he settled into life in Galway.

Within days of arriving in Galway, he was already being sent towards football training.

“I think it was about three or four days after we landed here my dad sent me up to football training, so I was always involved in sport and the GAA.”

American sports remained a huge influence too. Through his father, Pakie developed a love for baseball, which eventually led him into softball and, ultimately, Rounders.

The Comment That Helped Spark a Club

The origins of Galway City Rapparees have become part of club folklore.

Pakie’s first introduction came through the Galway softball community.

“The first I heard of it was from a group of lads in the Galway softball team saying they were setting up a team and asking if I was interested in playing.”

Then came a comment that still gets mentioned years later.

At the time, then GAA President Larry McCarthy, who was based in New York, referred to softball as the young girls’ version of baseball while discussing sports similar to Rounders.

That comment did not sit particularly well with many Irish softball players. Softball in Ireland was not a women’s sport. At the time there were around 50 mixed teams throughout the country, with men and women playing together every week.

Pakie laughs remembering what happened next.

“The next thing I hear is that we’re going to win an All-Ireland in Rounders just to show them.”

What started as a challenge quickly became something much bigger.

Learning Rounders the Hard Way

The Galway City Rapparees of 2026 are very different to the group that first took the field in Laurel Park.

Back then, everything felt new.

“It was raw for sure.”

Every match felt like a lesson.

One thing has certainly improved.

“The condition of the carpets has definitely gotten better.”

Even in those early years, Pakie believed the club could eventually compete with the best teams in the country.

Alongside Cathal Creaven, he spent countless evenings watching old Rounders matches and listening to podcasts featuring some of the game’s stalwarts during Covid.

The ambition was there. The experience was not.

“It took a few good beatings to realise we needed to understand the game a bit more and be more tactical about things and not just go out trying to hit home runs every game.”

The Day Emo Brought Everyone Back Down to Earth

One of Pakie’s favourite stories comes from shortly after Galway City Rapparees won the Junior Men’s Blitz.

Confidence was understandably high. Maybe a little too high.

After lifting the trophy, Galway travelled to Emo to play their men’s team.

The result was a reality check. A big one.

Suddenly the gap between where the club thought they were and where they actually were became very obvious.

“It was a very sobering day.”

Years later, Galway City Rapparees would defeat Emo in the Intermediate Men’s All-Ireland Final.

Looking back now, that result means more than most.

“Beating them in the final last year was brilliant because it showed just how far we’d come.”

Heartbreak Before Success

The victories are special. But the defeats are the moments Pakie remembers most clearly.

Two losses stand out: the Junior Mixed All-Ireland Final against Kilmeena and the Intermediate Men’s All-Ireland Final against Michael Glaveys.

At the time, both felt like huge missed opportunities.

“Definitely losing. Especially by the smallest of margins.”

One moment remains crystal clear.

“I’ll never forget watching the winners, who we’d built up a fierce rivalry with at the time, collecting their medals.”

The response was immediate.

“I think we opened the next season scoring 45 runs in the first inning of the first game.”

Sometimes the best motivation comes from disappointment.

Why Not Going Senior Earlier May Have Been the Best Thing

At the time, losing the Intermediate Men’s final to Michael Glaveys felt devastating.

Promotion seemed within touching distance. When it did not happen, doubts inevitably crept in.

“You start wondering, are we just not destined to get to Senior or are we going to have to wait a long time?”

Looking back now, Pakie sees things differently.

Instead, Galway City Rapparees stayed patient. They developed players. They improved tactically. They built depth. They created competition for places.

Now, as a Senior Men’s club, Pakie believes they belong there.

“We can compete now.”

The biggest difference is consistency.

“Players available for selection. Players playing in the same positions. Our overall gameplay.”

“We definitely have more experience now and understand the game better. It helps that we have more bowlers too.”

More Than Just a Softball Team Playing Rounders

One of the biggest misconceptions about Galway City Rapparees is that they are still largely made up of former softball players.

That might have been true at the beginning. It is not true anymore.

In fact, Pakie estimates that around 40% of the club’s current members never played softball before joining. That number continues to grow every year.

When the club started, most players came from softball backgrounds. Today, people join because they want to play Rounders, not because they used to play something else.

For Pakie, that is one of the biggest signs of the club’s success.

Rounders is now attracting people directly into the sport.

The People Who Built It

Ask Pakie what makes Galway City Rapparees special and he immediately talks about the people.

The club has gone from a small group of friends to five championship teams, but many familiar faces remain at the heart of it.

Those players helped build the foundations.

Now a new group is helping push the men’s team forward.

“When you see Ajay, Ili, Vishal and Alberto added to the men’s team, you know we are going in the right direction.”

The growth is not just about results. It is about culture.

Whether you are fighting for a place on a junior team or starting for the Senior Men, everybody is part of the same club.

The Softball Raps and the Value of a Social Blitz

This weekend, the Softball Raps will take part in the Galway Blitz, with Joe and Mark helping put a team together so Rounders players can enjoy the buzz of an all-day softball event.

For Pakie, that type of crossover is exactly the kind of thing Rounders should look at more in the years ahead.

Not every player wants every event to be high-pressure championship sport. Some people want a day out, a few games, a bit of craic and the chance to play with people they might not normally line out beside.

It is another reminder that the sport can grow in more than one way: through championship competition, but also through social days that bring players together.

Richard Jeffrey, Darryl Dolan and Players Who Stand Out

Asked which former Rapparees player he would most like to have back in the squad, Pakie does not take long to pick out Richard Jeffrey.

For Pakie, Richard had all the raw ingredients needed to thrive in Rounders.

When it comes to players from other clubs, Pakie admits he does not know every name in the Senior division yet, but one opponent already stands out.

Sharing the Game With Ali

One of the most special parts of Pakie’s Rounders journey has been sharing the club with his wife Ali.

Mixed Rounders gave them the chance to train together, play together and share some of the biggest days in the club’s short history.

Ali’s first game for Galway City Rapparees came in an All-Ireland quarter-final, and she stepped straight into the occasion.

For Pakie, that day was about watching her perform more than anything he did himself.

It has become another part of what makes the club feel like home.

“It’s brilliant being able to train together and teaching her how to bowl as well.”

More Than Team-Mates

For Pakie, the strongest part of the club is not what happens on the field. It is what happens away from it.

“There was a huge crowd from the club at my stag and wedding.”

Rounders players filled two tables at the wedding. They even got mentions in the speeches.

The friendships do not end when the season finishes either.

“Only last weekend there were a few birthdays in the club and we all met up. There were probably 40 people there.”

For a club that only began five years ago, that is remarkable.

The club has become a genuine community.

Mixed Memories and Senior Men’s Competition

While Pakie loves competing at Senior Men’s level, he admits the Mixed game will always hold a special place.

“Playing the Mixed game with so many really good friends means a lot.”

Many of his closest friendships have been built through those teams.

At the same time, Senior Men’s Rounders brings something different.

Every game matters. Every mistake gets punished. Every win feels earned.

And that is exactly how he likes it.

Bowling, Left Field and Ronaldo

Although he now spends most of his time in left field, Pakie still loves bowling.

The attraction comes from his baseball background.

“I always had a fascination with pitching in baseball and how you can control and manipulate what the opposing batter does.”

While he misses bowling at times, he feels at home in the outfield now.

As for the Ronaldo nickname?

He is still trying to figure that one out.

“Joe started calling me Ronaldo out of nowhere and I still don’t know exactly where it came from.”

The Dream Still Ahead

For all the memories, friendships and success, Pakie still believes the biggest achievements may be ahead.

His proudest moment remains helping Galway City Rapparees win the Intermediate Men’s All-Ireland and secure promotion to Senior level.

“It’s all about the team, so definitely winning the Intermediate Men’s All-Ireland.”

The men’s team was the first team established within the club, making the achievement even more meaningful.

But there is still one ambition that stands above everything else.

“I hope to be the first person in the club to win a Senior All-Ireland as both a player and a coach.”

Then comes the final message.

“No pressure Joe, but you might need to sub in for a Senior game yet to secure that title.”