History

LISMORE RFC - A Brief History

IN THE BEGINNING...
Founded in 1901 by a group of players who, at that time, were members of the Royal High School FP Rugby Club, and felt that they were not being given a chance of showing their rugby skills - due, mainly, to the large number of players on the School FP membership roll. This is confirmed by the fact that the RHSFP Club had a number of internationalists playing at that time.

Having now broken loose, what would they call the club? As many members of the new club lived in the Jock's Lodge area of Edinburgh, and in particular in Lismore Crescent, they decided to call themselves the LISMORE RUGBY FOOTBALL CLUB.

OUR VARIOUS TRAVELS
Lismore's first home was at Lady Napier's Park, Milton Road West, Portobello, for 37 years. After suddenly being rendered "homeless", through the good offices of the City of Edinburgh, playing facilities were granted at Firrhill, on the Corporation farm. The field first occupied by Lismore, at Lady Napier's, was where Edinburgh Institution (now the Melville in Stewart's/Melville) previously played before their transfer to Ferryfield. The pavilion (left by the Institution) was a wooden shed of two compartments, and water for washing, was obtained from a trough in one corner of the field, where the cattle drank.

The players usually arrived in their strip and carrying their boots-although sometimes small boys carried the boots of outstanding players and considered it an honour to be permitted to do so.

This field was ploughed up during the 1914-18 War. The problem of where to resume playing was solved when the Countess de La Warr, the then tenant of Duddingston Cottage, agreed to the let of the field known as the Paddock, in front of the mansion house.

After we had been in action for some months following the end of the war, a pavilion was erected in memory of the many members of Lismore who fell in action, and the captains of Lismore and Craigard -the opposing team that day and now, sadly, not in existence - placed poppy wreaths at the base of a plaque containing the names of the fallen.

Shortly before the 1939-45 War, we had launched out on a new pavilion scheme, having first received an assurance that the new tenant of Duddingston Cottage, a great supporter vocally and financially of Lismore, had a long lease of the mansion and the Paddock. The pavilion was duly completed at cost of about £1,000 and was formally opened by the late Mr A. A. Lawrie, the then President of the Scottish Rugby Union. However, there was after all, a flaw in the lease, and the ground was let for house-building. We found, without any warning whatsoever, foundations for two bungalows on our pitch and further-more, we received instructions to remove our pavilion or it would be moved for us! As it happened, a team of demolition contractors razed it to the ground and the only item that was salvaged was the boiler.

From here we eventually found our next home, again courtesy of Edinburgh Council at Firrhill, but it was to be short lived. The ground was allocated for new housing and in season 1953-54 we moved to our present ground at Inch Park.

ClUBHOUSES WE HAVE KNOWN

Following the Second World War, Lismore used Milnes Bar at the corner of Rose Street and Hanover Street, as their Clubhouse. After a game, tables were put together, and the "chair" was assumed by one of the regular fraternity, and Wullie the barman would set up beer and plates of pies and beans.

In 1966 we took over the Liberton Tennis Club Clubhouse beside Inch Park, but this gradually became more and more untenable, and so it was off to the pub again. This time to The Southsider in West Richmond Street where we were made very welcome and had free use of the function room. Given our habit of using pubs as Clubhouses, it was only fitting that in 1983 we took over the lease of The Rock public house and turned into the Lismore Clubhouse which we still use to this day.

JUNIOR CLUBS

Lismore was originally what was termed a Junior Club. In the first half of the Century, young players straight from school joined Junior Clubs for a year or two, before they joined their FP Club. This was one reason why Lismore until well into the seventies had fixtures against school teams. The last fixture being against Merchiston Castle School in the late Seventies. Other Junior Clubs such as Kenmore, Bruntsfield, County Rovers and Craigard, have passed into history, whilst Lismore uniquely has survived and flourished.

SINCE 1970

The seventies saw Lismore playing in the new Edinburgh and District Leagues, which were below National League level. Since then we have progressed upward until we now stand in National League Three, started a popular and successful Womens Team in 1994, and, contrary to most other Clubs, enjoy an expanding membership. In 1996 we held our 95th Dinner, mixed for the first time, followed by our Centenary dinner in 2001. The Club has come a long way since 1901. It is still independent, and with a series of new initiative can look forward positively to our next Century.