Vincent McNamara

Vincent McNamara (11 April 1891 – 29 November 1915) was a rugby union player who represented . He died at Suvla Bay, Gallipoli, Ottoman Turkey, during World War I.

Early life Vincent McNamara was born in Blackrock, County Cork, one of the seven children of Patrick and Margaret McNamara to have survived infancy. He went to school at Christian Brother's College in Cork from 1904 to 1911, and then studied engineering at University College Cork.

Rugby career After playing in his school's first XV, McNamara went up to University College Cork (UCC) where he played in 67 matches for the university, winning 44, drawing 9, and losing 14. McNamara was selected to play three games at scrum half for . His debut came in the 1914 Five Nations Championship, away to for the second of Ireland's games in the tournament, at Twickenham on 14 February. He was one of three players to debut for Ireland that day. The next game was against , at home on 28 February. Making his debut that day at fly half was Henry Walter Jack, McNamara's half-back partner at UCC and Munster, the pair known as "Macky and Jacky". Ireland won the game two tries to nil, with McNamara scoring one of the tries. Wales won 3–11 and its pack was rewarded by Irish critics with the nickname 'The Terrible Eight'. Meanwhile, the Welsh press reported: "In the concluding stages there was a slight tendency of rough play on the part of the Irish forwards.

International appearances Opposition Score Result Date Venue 17–12 Lost 14 February 1914Twickenham 6–0 Won 28 February 1914 Lansdowne Road 3–11 Lost 14 March 1914 Belfast

Military service and death McNamara was studying engineering at UCC at the outbreak of the First World War, and being a cadet in the Officers Training Corps, he was commissioned second lieutenant in the Royal Engineers on 20 January 1915.

On 29 November 1915, after McNamara had detonated a charge under the mines which Turkish forces were using to deploy tear gas against them, he went down to investigate. However, he went before the gas had dispersed and was killed by it.