Rugby in Ireland

Ravenhill, Ulster Rugby’s modest but adored home is rocking. Rugby season is back – and people couldn’t be happier. Peter Irwin of Ulster Rugby’s Fanzine sets the scene for a night at Ravenhill:

“The Ravenhill atmosphere isn’t exclusive to Friday nights, but that’s when it’s best savoured. Of course, when Ulster goes over the line, the crowd just goes wild. It’s goosebump stuff for the whole 80 minutes.”

Stick around, though: Ravenhill is certainly not Ireland’s only revered rugby home.

Provincial pride

Ulster is just one of the island’s four big name provincial sides who strut forward high in the ranks of the major European Rugby Union championships. On the opposite end of the island, that up and under Rubgy Union high kick that gives full-backs of both hemispheres knocking knees?

It’s called the Garryowen, and the term originated in the town of the same name in County Limerick. The red shirts of those who ascend to the ranks of Munster defend Thomond Park with the pride of a pack of lions.

Just up the coastline, green and black shirts of Connacht bring a sense of the wild west to proceedings at the Galway Sportsground. While usually the west is coveted ground of the GAA, Connacht’s inclusion in the Heineken Cup blue riband competition has introduced the sport to a much larger audience in its native province, so is now a massive force to be reckoned with.

Finally, the fourth provincial side resides in the Republic of Ireland’s capital city of Dublin: the blues of Leinster are no stranger to massive European success and have kept the Heineken Cup in their trophy cabinet for an amazing two successive years.