President & Board Members

Robert Lahiff

Robert began his rugby career with Gort RFC, representing Connacht at age-grade level before joining Buccaneers RFC while studying in Athlone. He was part of the successful Senior and Junior squads in the mid-1990s and also won an Irish Colleges Cup with Athlone IT. He later returned to Gort RFC, where he captained the team during the 2000/2001 season.

After retiring from playing, Robert coached at all levels within Gort RFC. He served as assistant coach and manager of the club’s Junior Cup-winning team in 2004, while also holding the role of Club Chairperson for five years.

Since 2005, Robert has held several key roles with Connacht Rugby, including positions on the Disciplinary and Adult Competitions Committees. He has also served as Assistant Secretary, Honorary Secretary, Chair of the Rugby/Club & Community Committee, and was a member of the inaugural Connacht Rugby Board in 2017.

Professionally, Robert has worked with Coca-Cola HBC Ireland for over 25 years and currently serves as Indirect Partnership Manager (IOI). He lives in Peterswell with his wife Trisha and their son Fionnán, who plays mini rugby with the Gort Gladiators.

John Power

John is the Founder and CEO of Aerogen, Ireland’s largest indigenous Med-tech company and the world leader in Acute Care aerosol drug delivery.

John was the 2016/17 recipient of the European Entrepreneur of the Year Award and is a highly accomplished Entrepreneur, Engineer and Innovator.

With over 30 year’s executive leadership experience, John has been a Founder/co-Founder, Board member and investor in several technology-based companies in Ireland, UK and USA.

John has also served on several industry committee’s and Boards including the Irish Research Council for Science Engineering and Technology and the Irish Med-tech Association where he has represented Ireland as an industry expert at the EU Competitiveness Council.

As a lifetime sports enthusiast and community activist John is a Director of Moycullen Community Development Association with whom he has been a member for over 20 years. He is a founder committee member of Connemara Greenway Alliance and is the industry representative on the NUIG Sports Committee.

John has been a season ticket holder and business club member of Connacht Rugby for many years and is passionate about helping Connacht navigate the next stage of its progression and development, both on and off the pitch.

Paul Casserly

Paul is the Chairperson of the Club & Community Rugby Committee. He has been a member of Galwegians RFC for 40 years and played at Senior level for over a decade in many divisions of the AIL, winning the Division 2 title in 1998 in addition to numerous Connacht Senior Leagues and Cups. He has represented Connacht Rugby at Schools, Under 20 and Senior levels.

He coached at Youth and Mini levels and was 1^st Team Manager for Galwegians between 2008 and 2011. He became a Connacht Branch Delegate for Galwegians in 2012 and stepped down in 2019 to become Honorary Secretary of the Connacht Schools Committee. He also served as Chair of the Connacht Schools Committee in 2022-23, prior to joining the Board.

Paul is a teacher of History and Politics at Clarin College, Athenry.

Eamonn Collins

Eamonn is the Managing Director and Founding Partner of Collins Boyd Engineering Ltd, a firm of Registered Architects & Chartered Engineers, based in Roscommon Town and working throughout Ireland.

In his work Eamon has led multi-disciplined professional teams of experts providing planning and all engineering services from concept to completion on a varied range of high-profile projects across both the public and private sectors.

Of particular relevance to Connacht Rugby is Eamonn’s experience from his involvement in the redevelopment of Hyde Park GAA pitch, numerous GAA Centre of Excellences, Multi-Use sporting facilities & many other pitch design-builds.

Away from work Eamonn has always been very active as a volunteer in the area of sport, having been involved across Rugby, GAA and Golf. Most recently he has been a member of the executive committee of Buccaneers Rugby club and is currently finishing his two-year term as President of the club.

Donal Flynn

Donal grew up in Ballina, Co Mayo. He joined ElectroRoute in December 2021 and is Co-CEO of the business. Before joining ElectroRoute, Donal was CFO of the Glen Dimplex group for 5 years. Prior to that he spent 11 years in energy — 6 years as CFO of the vertically integrated utility ESB and 5 years in Airtricity.

Donal qualified as a chartered accountant with Arthur Andersen, having worked in both the London and Dublin practices of the firm. He holds Bachelor of Commerce and Masters in Accounting degrees from University of Galway and University College Dublin respectively and also completed Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program.

Donal is a long time Connacht Rugby supporter and has served on the Finance, Audit and Risk Committee since 2020. He is also a member of the University of Galway's Finance and Resource Committee.

Ann Heneghan

Ann Heneghan is a Solicitor and the owner of Heneghan & Associates, a Solicitors Firm based in Galway City, with a Branch Office in Claremorris, County Mayo.  She is a native of County Mayo and has had a long time association with Connacht Rugby. 

Ann has been a Branch Delegate, a member of, and subsequently, Chairperson of the Disciplinary Committee.  She was also Chairperson of the Connacht Rugby Supporters Club when the Club faced the threat of extinction in 2003.  Ann is also a Judicial Officer with World Rugby.

In 2018 Ann was elected as Junior Vice President of Connacht Rugby.  In the 2020/2021 season Ann became President of Connacht Rugby and was the first female President of any of the Irish Provinces. 

Miriam Kennedy

Miriam Kennedy is Head the Wild Atlantic Way at Fáilte Ireland, the National Tourism Development Authority. She took over the role in 2018 after over 15 years working in international business tourism & events in the public and private sectors.

Based in Galway, Miriam is responsible for the overall development of the Wild Atlantic Way and works closely with industry partners, stakeholders and communities to create highly networked, sustainable and resilient destinations.

An avid supporter of Connacht Rugby for many years, Miriam is passionate about promoting the West of Ireland on an international stage, connecting with both the Connacht diaspora and new visitors to our region.

Ann-Marie Lohan

Ann-Marie is the Managing Director of CWS Hygiene Ireland Ltd, based in Roscommon Town and providing serviced rental of floorcare and hygiene across the island of Ireland. A Chartered Accountant by profession, Ann-Marie is an experienced finance and governance professional (FCA) with over 20 years of expertise in financial oversight, risk management, strategic planning, and corporate governance in both Multi-Nationals and SME's.

Ann-Marie has been involved in Creggs RFC for a number of years, particularly in the Finance area where she held Head of Finance and Treasurer positions as well as supporting the recent facilities development.

Rory Raftery

Rory is a member of the Board of Connacht Rugby and also serves as Chairperson of the Performance Rugby Committee. Prior to his appointment he was the Chair of Connacht Senior Clubs, the Connacht representative to the IRFU National Competitions Committee and served on the Connacht Competitions Committee. He is a native of Sligo and during his playing career he played rugby for Blackrock College and Sligo RFC.

He is an active member of Sligo RFC and has held a range of positions as President, Chairperson, Chair of Finance, Treasurer, Chair of Sponsorship, Membership Secretary, Juvenile and Women’s Coach and has been a long serving member of the Club’s Executive Committee.

Rory is an accountant and is a member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants in Ireland. He runs his own Accountancy Practice, Raftery & Company. He is a former helm and training officer with the RNLI for Sligo Bay Lifeboat and currently serves as a Launch Authority. Rory is also a member of the board of a number of Charity and Community organisations.

Deirdre Whyte

Deirdre is a native of Sligo, now living and working in Ballina, Co Mayo. Deirdre is a long standing member of Ballina RFC. In 2010she was the first person to set up a Youth Girls Rugby team both in the club and within Connacht. Deirdre was elected the First Lady President of Ballina RFC in 2021. Deirdre has served on the Connacht Adult Competitions and Age Grade Competitions Committees. She also serves on the IRFU Women's Sub-Committee.

In 2024 she took up the role as Chairwoman of the Connacht Women’s Advisory Group. Deirdre has also being the recipient of the Western People Sports Awards for her work and contribution to Girls Rugby.

Willie Ruane

Willie Ruane was appointed CEO of Connacht Rugby in the summer of 2014. A Mayo native, Ruane played rugby for Connacht in the late 1990s and also represented Ireland at Colleges and U21 level.

Prior to joining Connacht, Ruane worked in the Banking Sector for 15 years and was a Director within Ulster Bank’s Business Restructuring Division.

Under his tenure as CEO, Willie Ruane has overseen a significant and substantial transformation of the club on and off the field. The club won their first ever trophy with the 2015/16 Guinness PRO12 victory, and he has played an instrumental part in the ongoing redevelopment of Dexcom Stadium.