rugby football

rugby football was introduced to Ireland by former pupils of Rugby School and Cheltenham College who attended Trinity College, Dublin. The university club, the first in Ireland, was founded in 1854, and rules were established by them in 1868. In the intervening period a number of other clubs had emerged, primarily in Dublin and Belfast. In 1879 the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) was formed, incorporating two previous bodies, one based in Dublin, and one in Belfast. Seventy‐seven clubs, most of which were linked to educational establishments, joined the new union. The first international match had taken place against England in 1875. Provincial cup competitions were established between 1882 and 1896, followed by interprovincial championships. From 1884 the Home International Championships were played annually. However, the sport did not become one of mass participation. Players were, and continue to be, drawn from the middle and upper classes. In urban areas rugby suffered from the popularity of soccer, and in the countryside from that of Gaelic football.

Following the First World War, Irish rugby declined in popularity and success, though partition and independence had no immediate effect on the game. From the 1930s rugby was increasingly taken up by the rising Catholic middle classes, and interest in the sport steadied. International success in the post‐war years further raised rugby's profile. After partition international matches initially alternated between stadiums at Ravenhill Road, Belfast, and Lansdowne Road, Dublin. By the 1950s, however, the Belfast venue had become too small, and a protest in 1954 by players from the Republic about the playing of the British nationalanthem and the flying of the Union flag provided the occasion for confining future internationals to Dublin. Reorganization of the game and the legalisation of professionalism from 1995 have given the sport an increased level of popularity.

Bibliography

Diffley, S. , The Men in Green: The Story of Irish Rugby (1973)
Van Esbyck, E. , One Hundred Years of Irish Rugby (1974)

Neal Garnham