Sport in Ireland

File:Irishsc.png

Logo of The Irish Sports Council

Sport on the island of Ireland is popular and widespread. Levels of participation and spectating are high, but as in other western regions participation has been dropping due to the increasing popularity of other activities such as watching television and playing computer games. Throughout the country a wide variety of sports are played, the most popular being Gaelic football, hurling and camogie, rugby union, soccer and hockey. By attendance figures Gaelic football is the most popular sport in Ireland.

In Ireland many sports, such as rugby union, Gaelic football and hurling, are organised in an all-island basis, with a single team representing Ireland in international competitions. Other sports, such as soccer, have separate organising bodies in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. At the Olympics, a person from Northern Ireland can choose to represent either the Ireland or Great Britain team.

Gaelic football

Further information: Gaelic football

File:Gaelic Athletic Association.png

The Gaelic Athletic Association logo; GAA disciplines dominate the national sporting scene.

Though it has existed for centuries in Ireland, Gaelic football was formally arranged into an organised playing code by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) in the late nineteenth century. Gaelic football is the most popular sport in Ireland, attendance at matches in the senior football championship in the summer can be upwards of 80,000 for some of the more prestigious fixtures. The game is played at underage, minor (under 18), under 21 and senior levels. All players are amateur. There is great pride associated with playing for a county team in Ireland. The main national competitions are the Senior All-Ireland Football Championships and the National Football League. There are many rivalries within the game in Ireland - an example is that between Meath and Westmeath.

Hurling

Further information: Hurling

Hurling is a sport native to Ireland, organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association. The game is similar to hockey, however the ball (or sliotar) is rarely played along the ground. Hurling is also played on a large pitch and is considerably faster. Hurling is especially popular among the young, and most primary and secondary schools have hurling teams. On a senior level, teams are organised by club, and players of different clubs form the county team. All counties aim to win the All-Ireland Hurling Final, held in September of each year. The most recent winner of the final was County Kilkenny.

Rugby union

Further information: Rugby union in Ireland

Rugby union is common throughout Ireland, but is especially popular in Munster (County Limerick is known as the home of Irish rugby union), Ulster and Dublin. Rugby union is played at club, province and national levels. The Ireland national team is composed of players from both Northern Ireland and the Republic, and the Irish Rugby Football Union governs the sport throughout the island. School rugby union is generally only played at secondary level. Notable rugby union schools include Belvedere College, Blackrock College, Clongowes Wood College Terenure College and CBC Cork in the south and the Royal Belfast Academical Institution and Methodist College Belfast in the north. Recent success at international level and the establishment of four professional teams has increased interest in rugby union as a spectator sport in Ireland .

Soccer

Further information: Irish Football Association and Soccer in the Republic of Ireland

Known as football or soccer, sometimes to avoid confusion with Gaelic football, is one of the most popular sports in Ireland. Despite low match attendance at domestic league games, many people have an interest in the English Premier League or the Scottish Premier League. Soccer is played at all levels, with kids playing it on the street, teenagers playing in local clubs, and even-middle aged men playing it with co-workers on a regular basis. Association Football is the largest participation team sport in Ireland. The national body in the Republic is the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) while the national body in Northern Ireland is the Irish Football Association (IFA).

The domestic leagues are the FAI League of Ireland (in the Republic) and the Irish Football League (Northern Ireland). Some of the major teams in Ireland include Cork City F.C., Shelbourne F.C. and Bohemians in the Republic and Derry City FC, Linfield FC and Glentoran FC in the North (although Derry City play in the Republic's league). Due to the small size of the domestic game, most of Ireland's top footballers, such as Damien Duff, Steven Davis and Robbie Keane, play in the leagues of larger European countries, particularly in England and Scotland. This is one of the reasons why Irish people tend to support foreign clubs such as Manchester United, Celtic, and Liverpool. Rarely does a player from the Republic's domestic league make the national team, the most recent of these being Jason Byrne in 2006, although occasional appearances of Irish League players for Northern Ireland have been known.

On the international stage, the Republic of Ireland — despite never winning a major tournament — have had many successful games in recent years, notably drawing with Brazil and Portugal. Northern Ireland's international team, despite a poor run of form in the late 1990s and first few years of the 21st century, and a corresponding slump in the FIFA World Rankings, enjoyed great success in the early and mid 80's and recently have had a revival in their fortunes under manager Lawrie Sanchez, with home wins over Spain and England lifting their FIFA ranking to 33 in April and May 2007 (only one position below the Republic in the latter month).

The Milk Cup is a successful international youth tournament held annually in Northern Ireland, in which clubs and national teams from anywhere in the world may compete. Northern Ireland also played host to the 2005 UEFA Under-19 European Championships.

The Setanta Sports Cup was set up by its sponsors, television channel Setanta Ireland. It is an all-island mini-World Cup style tournament (two groups of four, then semis and final) featuring eight teams, four being from the League of Ireland and four from the Irish League. Despite fairly low turnouts for each jurisdictions leagues, the Setanta Cup drew relatively successful gate receipts and in its three-year existence has had one winner from the North (Linfield in 2005) and one repeat winner from the South (Drogheda United in 2006 and 2007).

Gaelic handball

Handball, once very popular in Ireland, has lost much of its popularity over the years to other sports such as Gaelic football and soccer, and many handball alleys throughout Ireland are in a state of neglect. Ireland still produces top class handballers, but, lacking any international competitive level (except against the United States), the sport has not gained much media coverage in recent years. The sport is governed by the GAA.

Equestrianism

The various equestrian sports have a sizeable following in Ireland. Thanks to generous tax treatment, many of the world's best race horses retire to Ireland to stud. The local industry (including the world's largest thoroughbred breeding operation; Coolmore Stud) produces many top race horses every year. Ireland's top tracks are the Curragh and Fairyhouse. Show jumping also has quite a good following in Ireland, however the disqualification of Cian O'Connor at the 2004 Summer Olympics has deeply damaged the sport.

Greyhound racing

Greyhound racing

Greyhound racing began in Ireland in 1927; there were greyhound races in Celtic Park in Belfast on 18 April of that year and the Shelbourne Park greyhound stadium opened in Dublin four weeks later. Hare coursing was already a well established sport in the country and greyhounds were bred for racing in Ireland from the very start. The great Mick the Miller, winner of the English Derby in 1929 and 1930, was an Irish greyhound and Ireland continues to export greyhounds.

There are now twenty licensed greyhound stadiums in Ireland. There are seventeen in the Republic where the licensing authority is Bord na gCon, the Irish Greyhound Board. This is a semi-state body and was established by the Irish government in 1958. The three stadiums in Northern Ireland are licensed by the Irish Coursing Club, which also organises hare coursing throughout the Island.

Once seen as a sport in decline, the popularity of greyhound racing has surged since 1995 and several million euro are now bet "at the dogs" annually. Bord na gCon has invested substantial amounts of money in developing and marketing the sport, prize money has increased and greyhound stadiums have been refurbished, helping the sport sell itself as a social event. It is now common for families and groups of friends or colleagues to go for "a night at the dogs" instead of to the cinema, the pub or a nightclub. Dogs are generally owned by syndicates. Prize money ranges from a few hundred euro to several thousand for top dogs. The annual Paddy Power Irish Greyhound Derby run each year in August at Shelbourne Park is one of the richest greyhound races in the world.

Road bowling

Irish Road Bowling is an ancient sport. It is centred in Ireland but is also played in the United States and the United Kingdom. Similar sports are played in Holland, Germany and Italy and since the 1960s the sport has enjoyed a genuine international dimension with an international championship being played on a regular basis by athletes from all these countries.

Other sports

Athletics

Basketball

Athletics in Ireland is governed by Athletics Ireland. The various track and field events tend to be supported by local athletics clubs rather than schools. Athletics has seem some of Ireland's highest performers at the Olympics, with several Irish athletes performing well at the games over the years. Denis Horgan won the Shot Putt 13 times at the AAAs, (still holding a title for greatest number of individual titles won), before emigrating to New York to (inevitably) become a policeman, where he also won many American titles. Horgan broke the world record on several occasions, and - at the tail end of his career (despite having a fractured skull) - he won the silver medal at the olympics 1908. Dr. Pat O'Callaghan (also from North Cork) won the hammer throw in 1928 and again in 1932 at the Olympic games. In more recent years, notable athletes have included Ron Delany, Mary Peters, Eamonn Coghlan and Sonia O'Sullivan. Despite these past successes, the sport suffers from low media attention and dropping interest due to the popularity of other sports and past underinvestment.

The Dublin Marathon and Belfast Marathon are run annually and are two of the most popular athletics events in the country.

Australian rules

Further information: Australian rules football in Ireland

Australian rules football in Ireland has a very small following, however due to the International rules series that takes place annually between Australia and Ireland, interest in the sport has increased. In October 2000, the Australian Rules Football League of Ireland was established, and a representative Irish team took part in the 2005 Australian Football International Cup. The Irish Green Machine became inaugural International champions in 2002.

The sport first gained exposure in when former Gaelic football Jim Stynes moved to Australia to play AFL and in 1991 became the first Gaelic footballer to win the Brownlow Medal.

In the 2005 AFL Grand Final, Tadhg Kennelly (son of Tim Kennelly) became the first Irishman to be part of a premiership-winning side, with the Sydney Swans. Australian journalist Andrew Maher flew out to Ireland with Kennelly's family to watch the game on television with them.

Recent exposure however has been negative, due to a spiteful 2005 and calls from the GAA to ban it. As a result, the AFL and GAA agreed on harsh penalties for offenders. Despite this, interest in the 2006 International Rules Series reached an all time high, with the series selling both games out in Ireland including a record crowd at Croke Park for any international sporting event in the country. Other concerns are the active poaching of talented junior Gaelic players by AFL clubs like the Brisbane Lions and Collingwood Magpies. The AFL has since agreed to change the rules for the series and to limit the number of Gaelic players drafted, which may also slow growth of Australian rules in Ireland.

Baseball

See also Irish National Baseball Team

Baseball is an emerging sport in Ireland. The sport is played on an organized level in Dublin, Greystones, Belfast, Cork and Kerry. The Irish National Baseball Team won the bronze medal at the 2004 European Championships in Germany and followed up that performance with a silver medal in the 2006 European Championships in Belgium. On a club level, baseball is organized through Baseball Ireland, which operates an adult league established in 1997 with teams in Dublin, Greystones and Belfast. Irish baseball was the subject of an award-winning documentary The Emerald Diamond in 2006.

Basketball

See also Ireland national basketball team

Basketball is an emerging sport in Ireland. Basketball Ireland is the governing body and organises the main competitions such as the SuperLeague. The main basketball arena in Ireland is the ESB Basketball Arena in Dublin. The sport receives small amounts of media attention, with a few games broadcast on television annually - usually when there is no Gaelic football on. Basketball is mainly driven by school, college and club support. Pat Burke is the only Irishman currently playing in the NBA

Combat sports

Combat sports have had mixed fortunes in recent years. Boxing, once one of the most popular sports in the country now gets little media coverage and struggles to attract new participants. Taekwondo and Karate on the other hand have had huge success in recent years, with several new clubs being founded throughout the country. The All-Ireland Taekwondo Association has worked in recent years to promote the sport in the country and to organise more competitions. Boxing had a brief resurgence in interest in 2004, when Limerick boxer Andy Lee looked like winning a medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics; however he eventually lost and interest in the sport receded.

Cricket

Ireland Compete against Essex at Castle Avenue

Further information: Irish cricket team

Cricket in Ireland is something of a minority sport, and all players are amateurs, but the game is showing signs of development. It has been played in Ireland since the early 19th century, and the game against Scotland (a match which has first-class status) has been played annually since 1909. The Irish team was fairly strong in the mid and late 19th century, and sent several touring parties abroad, but development of the sport was adversely affected first by the Gaelic Athletic Association's ban on its members taking part in "foreign" sports and then by the creation of the Irish Free State; many of the best cricketers in Ireland had been British soldiers and civil servants and their withdrawal led to a decline in the overall standard of the game.

There have been brighter spots in recent years, however. Dublin-born batsman Ed Joyce has played with some success as part of Ireland's ICC Trophy team and is now a key member of the Middlesex side in England's County Championship; he captained the county in 2004. Interest in Irish cricket was also generated by the national team's startling victory over West Indies in 1969; they did it again on 17 June 2004. The sport is organised on an all-island basis and is overseen by the Irish Cricket Union, founded in its present incarnation in 1923. Ireland has entered some domestic English tournaments since the early 1980s, but becoming an Associate Member of the International Cricket Council in 1993 paved the way for participation in international competition, and indeed the 2005 ICC Trophy was hosted by Ireland. The Irish finished second in the tournament, beaten by Scotland. Dublin also hosted one game of the 1999 World Cup. The World Cup 2007 which was held in the West Indies was a very successful tournament for the Irish Cricket team. Having qualified for the first time for the tournament, Ireland entered the arena with much to gain. Ireland tied the match with Test Cricket playing team, Zimbabwe and shocked Pakistan by defeating them on St. Patrick's day. Suddenly there was much talk about Cricket in Ireland. Ireland qualified for the super 8 and recorded some good results, including a win against Bangladesh. Ireland have been granted ODI status and now they appear in the ODI ranking table. In June 2007 Ireland is going to hold ODI matches with India and South Africa.

Cycling

Cycling retains a strong following in Ireland. There are several regional clubs throughout the country and several competitions are organised regularly such as the Rás (Irish for race). The main governing body is Cycling Ireland which is responsible for cycling throughout the island. Ireland's most famous cyclists are Stephen Roche, who won both the Tour de France and Giro d'Italia in 1987; and Seán Kelly, who won the Vuelta a España in 1988, the sprinter's green jersey in the Tour de France four times, and numerous single-day classics.

Extreme sports

There is a large underground following of extreme sports in Ireland, with many sports such as skateboarding, rollerblading, surfing, BMX, mountainbiking and mountainboarding growing. Although many people participate in these sports, few of them do so competitively. Most of these sports have national governing bodies, such as the Irish Surfing Association, and national competitions, such as mountainbiking's national series.

Since 2005, skateparks (for skateboarding, rollerblading, etc) have been developed up in several places. Concrete skateparks, are in Gorey, Greystones, Bushy park (Dublin) and Lucan (Dublin). Modular parks can be found in other parts of Ireland[1].

Golf

Golf is very popular in Ireland, with several hundred clubs throughout the country. Golf tourism is growing rapidly. Golf is regularly televised in Ireland, with both domestic and international events broadcast. Among Ireland's most famous golf courses are Portmarnock, Ballybunion, and Royal Portrush. The K Club in County Kildare was the venue for the 2006 Ryder Cup. Ireland has produced several top golfers in recent years, with Pádraig Harrington, Paul McGinley and Darren Clarke all achieving significant success internationally. All three were part of the European team that successfully defended the Ryder Cup on home soil, with Clarke arguably being the emotional leader as he was recovering from the death of his wife from breast cancer.

Hockey

Hockey is quite popular as a participative sport in Ireland. It is played throughout the country, particularly in secondary schools.

Strandhill Golf Course in County Sligo, just one of the many coastal golf courses throughout Ireland

There are many hockey clubs throughout the country. The main body in Ireland is the Irish Hockey Association.

Racquet sports

Tennis, badminton and squash are quite popular in Ireland. Tennis has a growing following, with Tennis Ireland, the governing body running several competitions between the some 200 clubs throughout Ireland. Ireland competes in tennis internationally in the Davis Cup (mens) and the Fed Cup (ladies). Badminton in Ireland is run by the BUI. Squash, which exploded in the 1970s and 1980s has been in decline for several years, but despite this there remain several clubs throughout the country.

Scuba diving

The Skellig Islands, West Ireland

Ireland, being an island on the western edge of Europe and on the continental shelf, is perfectly suited for the sport of SCUBA diving. Ireland's waters provide dive sites of various qualities and standards to encompass all individual requirements. Because of its small size it is relatively easy to travel from one part of the country to another; giving divers the opportunity to travel for one or more days diving. The dive season in Ireland generally starts around March and ends around October. It is possible of course, to dive outside these times, but due to adverse weather and sea conditions it is not appealing.

Diving started in Ireland in the early 1950s with the founding of the Belfast Branch of the British Sub Aqua Club. In the early 1960s the independent Irish diving clubs formed the Irish Underwater Council (or Comhairle Fó-Thuinn in Irish). This voluntary body regulates all aspects of diving for its members and represents Ireland at the Confédération Mondiale des Activités Subaquatiques.

There are also about 40 dive centres affiliated to the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI), mostly along the West coast.

Snooker and pool

Snooker and pool hold some interest in Ireland, with significant media coverage of most major international tournaments. Despite being home to one of the world's most successful snooker players (Ken Doherty), both snooker and pool are in decline in Ireland as major sports. They retain popularity in pubs, but many of the country's snooker/pool halls have closed in recent years including Jason's of Ranelagh. see Irish Snooker Homepage

Target shooting

Target shooting in Ireland comprises a large number of disciplines such as the Olympic shooting disciplines (administered by the NTSA), Metallic Silhouette shooting (administered by the NSAI), Gallery Rifle disciplines (administered by the NASRC), the Tetrathlon (administered by the Pony Club) and Olympic Penthathlon (administered by the Modern Pentathlon Association of Ireland), Clay Pigeon Shooting (administered by the ICPSA) and various long-range rifle shooting disciplines (administered by the NRAI).

Triathlon

The triathlon, as well as the duathlon, pentathlon, and decathlon, are rapidly gaining interest in Ireland. The national body for the triathlon is Triathlon Ireland which organises competitions between various clubs throughout the country. Many participants are members of clubs that specialise in swimming and cycling as well as Triathlon clubs. Although the Triathlon remains the most popular multi-event sport in Ireland, the other sports such as the pentathlon are gaining popularity. The Modern Pentathlon Association of Ireland was set up in 2004.

Water sports

Water sports practised in Ireland include canoeing, swimming, surfing, diving, water polo, sailing, kayaking, and scuba diving. Whilst many people participate in these, few do so competitively. Ireland has had only one Olympic medalist in swimming, Michelle Smith, and her medals have since been tarnished by drug allegations. The National Aquatic Centre was opened in Ireland in 2003 and held the European SC Championships in December 2003 — the first time the country hosted such a competition. At the competition, Ireland won its first medal at the European SC Championships ever, a silver in the 200m breaststroke by Andrew Bree. Swim Ireland is the national governing body of swimming in Ireland. See also List of Olympic size swimming pools in Ireland.

Competitions and events

National

The various GAA discipline finals are easily the largest sporting events regularly held in Ireland, in both terms of attendance and media coverage. The biggest national sporting event in Ireland is the final of the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, held annually in Croke Park, usually in September. It usually attracts a sell out crowd of 82,500 to croke park. Many of the matches in the championship attract crowds of 50,000+, depending on who is playing.

Aside from the GAA, the biggest multi-sport event held in Ireland regularly is the Community Games. The games are organised every year from a local level, where hundreds of thousands of young people compete indifferent disciplines such as athletics, swimming, cycling etc., in the first half of the year. Winners progress to county level, and then to the Community Games finals. The finals are held over two weekends in the summer where over 3,000 children sleep over at a campus facility such as Mosney (which was used until 2004.)

International

On an international level, Ireland has had mixed fortunes. Ireland has been particularly successful in recent years in rugby, horse racing, showjumping, snooker, and golf. However, several scandals have arisen in recent years which have tarnished Ireland's international participation. In 2002, Roy Keane, one of Ireland's top international footballers, quit the national squad during the run-up to the World Cup after a bitter and public falling-out with coach Mick McCarthy. Ireland's main swimming body, Swim Ireland, has been involved in damaging child sex abuse scandals and a legal battle with the new CEO, Sarah Keane. There was widespread criticism of the lack of infrastructure and poor resources available to top athletes at the time of the Olympics.

Showjumping

Ten Irish people have won Olympic medals, most recently Cian O'Connor who won a gold for showjumping. However, soon after, O'Connor has lost his medal after his horse tested positive for banned substances. At the 2004 Summer Olympics, Ireland had one of its smallest contingents in its history at the games, with only 106 individuals participating. This was due to the strict policy followed by the Olympic Council of Ireland of only allowing A time athletes and swimmers to attend the games. This prevented several sportspeople from competing.

One of the biggest international events in Ireland is international soccer. The Republic's national team has punched above its weight in recent years, qualifying for the 2002 World Cup, and performing well against such teams as Brazil and Portugal. In rugby union, Ireland's national team has been ranked in the top five teams regularly over the last few years, and has produced major stars such as Keith Wood and Brian O'Driscoll. In golf, Ireland is home to several top golfers such as Padraig Harrington.

The traditional Gaelic Games of Gaelic football and Hurling are played by Irish expats, with increasingly local involvement in communities around the world, however no nation has enough players to compete with Ireland. To compensate for this the GAA has entered into a partnership with the Australian Football League (Australian rules football) and plays a hybrid annual series called International rules football - this series has been going in various forms since 1967. Also the GAA plays an international Hurling hybrid match with Scotland's national Shinty team (Shinty is an ancient Celtic field sport of stick and ball similar to Hurling).

In 2003, Ireland hosted the Special Olympics, which was the biggest sporting event ever held in the country. In December 2003, Ireland hosted the European SC Championships 2003. In 2006, Ireland hosted the Ryder Cup Matches.

Stadia

Ireland boasts the fourth largest stadium in Europe. Croke Park in Dublin can hold 82,500 people. Until recently it was only used for Gaelic games and concerts. Soccer and rugby are played at Lansdowne Road which can accommodate approximately 35,000 people for soccer and 50,000 for rugby union (the difference is because standing-room terraces cannot be used for international soccer but can be used for rugby union). Further to the stadia already mentioned there are several facilities throughout the country capable of accommodating between 10,000 and 50,000 people such as Semple Stadium Thurles, Gaelic Grounds Limerick and Páirc Uí Chaoimh Cork. Ireland currently has three Olympic sized swimming pools - two of which are open to the public, the largest; located at Sports Campus Ireland, is the National Aquatic Centre. Ireland has several large horse and greyhound tracks such as Fairyhouse.

A project to rebuild Lansdowne Road to create a modern stadium with an all-seated capacity of 50,000 will begin shortly and will be complete in 2008.

The UK government is currently developing controversial plans to develop a national stadium for Northern Ireland at the site of the former Maze prison in County Antrim. The stadium was proposed to host rugby, football and Gaelic games, however the move is opposed by a majority of football supporters according to a survey run by the Amalgamation of Northern Ireland supporters clubs. Alternative plans from private consortia have emerged to build a stadium in Belfast, Northern Ireland's biggest city.

Media coverage

• Newspapers: All major newspapers dedicate significant amounts of space to sports coverage. These pages are usually dominated by soccer, Gaelic games and equestrian events. The most popular newspapers in Ireland for sports coverage are the Star, Irish Independent and The Sunday World.

• Television: Gaelic games and soccer receive most of the sports coverage on domestic channels. RTÉ Two and TG4 currently hold the right to broadcast Gaelic games in Ireland. TV3 and RTÉ Two have joint rights to the various European soccer tournaments and foreign leagues such as the FA Cup. Setanta Ireland launched in early 2004 with the aim of offering a dedicated service to Irish sport. Satellite and Cable subscribers have access to many other foreign channels such as Sky Sports, Eurosport and Attheraces.

• Magazines: There are relatively few Irish based magazines apart from GAA ones such as the Hogan Stand. However many foreign sports magazines are widely available.

References

• Croke Park: Cathedral of Sport by Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh, first printed September 2004 - ISBN 1-903464-54-4
• The Ras: Ireland's Unique Bike Race 1953-2003 by Tom Daly, first printed October 2003 - ISBN 1-903464-37-4
• Golfing in Ireland: The Most Complete Guide for Adventurous Golfers by Rob Armstrong, first printed May 2000 - ISBN 1-56554-726-8
• The Fighting Irish by Roger Anderson, first printed October 2004 - ISBN 1-84018-755-7
• Michael Fortune (2002), Greyhound racing in Brian Lalor (Ed.), The Encyclopedia of Ireland. Dublin: Gill and Macmillian. ISBN 0-7171-3000-2

See also

• Culture of Ireland
• Ireland at the 2004 Summer Olympics

External links

• Irish Sports Council
• Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism
• Olympic Council of Ireland
• Sports Institute of Northern Ireland
• Sports Council Northern Ireland
• Sports Campus Ireland
• Irish Sports News
• Sports.ie
• Ireland's Sports Broadcast Guide
• Sumo Ireland
• Motorsport Ireland (Governing body of motorsport in the Republic of Ireland)