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| Rugby Hist Society |
George Scriven combined both activities at the highest level. He played for Ireland eight times between 1879 and 1883. By this time he had played for his university side (Trinity), Wanderers and Leinster. George was unique in Irish Rugby history in that he became President of the IRU (1882-1883 and 1885-86), chairman of the selectors, and captain of the Irish team. (Details of his rugby career Here).
Born in Balbriggan in 1856, he attended Repton School in Derbyshie then Trinity College, Dublin, from where he graduated BA in 1879. George, like his father, became a physician in 1884. Practising at the Dublin Homeopathic Hospital at 33 St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin (he was resident there in the 1911 Irish census) and then a Consultant at the London Homeopathic Hospital . He was a Magistrate for
Co. Dublin , a member of the Alpine and Junior Constitutional Clubs, and University Club, Dublin .
While at Trinity he played for the college side and also visited the Alps and climbed with the renowned Martin Conway (a schoolfellow at Repton) in 1877 and '78. The latter may have been a fairly hectic year for him since he played on the Leinster side in March (against Ulster); then climbed about ten routes in the Alps, including a number of first ascents - the Monte Rosa and Nordend in one day - in August; then played against Munster in December.
His climbing partner and schoolfellow, Sir Martin Conway, described him as '...the best climbing companion man ever had..' on such peaks as Rimpfishchorn, Zinal Rothorn, Matterhorn and others.
Frank Nugent in 'In search of Peaks, Passes and Glaciers' provides a more detailed account of his climbing career. He spent numerous seasons climbing in the Dolomites and read a paper to the Alpine Club describing some of them and the origin of the name. Another paper read before the Club was on the 'Prevention of snow burning and blistering'.
George died in 1931 in Farnham, Surrey.
Some of his climbing achievements:
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| Cimon della Pala GrazianoU, CC BY-SA 3.0 Wikimedia |
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| Sass Maor, cima della Madonna Wikimedia;Svíčková, CC BY-SA 3.0 |
