County Tyrone is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the thirty-two traditional counties of Ireland. Its county town is Omagh.
Ulster Rugby is one of the four professional provincial rugby union teams from the island of Ireland. They compete in the Irish regional pool of the United Rugby Championship and in the European Rugby Champions Cup, each of which they have won once. Ulster were the first Irish team and the first team outside England and France to win the European Cup in 1999.
Morley Rugby Football Club is a rugby union club based in Morley, West Yorkshire. England. The club are famous for playing in a maroon kit and thus are nicknamed "The Maroons". They currently play in Regional 2 North East, a level six league in the English rugby union league system, following their relegation at the end of the 2017-18 season.
Andrew David Farrell is an English professional rugby union coach and former player for both rugby league and rugby union. Farrell has been head coach of the Ireland national team since 2019.
Ayr Rugby Football Club is a rugby union club. Its professional men's side currently plays as Ayrshire Bulls in the Super 6 competition; and its women's side play in the Scottish Womens National One. The club also runs a "Club XV" which competes in the Tennent's National League 1, a 2nd XV "Ayr-Millbrae", which plays in the SRU West Reserve League Division 1, and various age group teams, from age 4, up to age 18.
Rugby union is a popular team sport on the island of Ireland, organised on an all-Ireland basis, including players and teams from both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Its governing body, the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU), was founded in 1875, making it the third oldest rugby union in the world after the RFU (England) and the SRU (Scotland), which were both founded in 1871.
Belfast Harlequins is a multi-sports club located off the Malone Road in south Belfast, Northern Ireland. The club name provides the overall umbrella for rugby union, men's and ladies' hockey, and squash. The club is associated on and off the field with Methodist College Belfast (MCB).
Justin Michael Fitzpatrick is an Irish former rugby union player who most recently was head coach of the Houston SaberCats of Major League Rugby (MLR). He previously played for London Irish, Castres Olympique, Dungannon RFC & Ulster. He had also held several other coaching positions, including head coach of Dungannon RFC and the Seattle Saracens, and assistant coach of the United States national rugby union team.
City of Derry Rugby Football Club is a rugby club, formed in 1881 in Derry, Ireland. They currently play in the Ulster Rugby Championship Division 1 after relegation from Division 2C of the All-Ireland League in 2022.
Rainey Rugby Football Club is situated in the market town of Magherafelt, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland playing in Division 2B of the All-Ireland League.
Bruff Rugby Football Club is a rugby union club in County Limerick, Ireland. As at September 2024 it was playing in Division 2C of the All-Ireland League. The club plays at home in Kilballyowen Park, near the town of Bruff in County Limerick. As at the 2017/18 season they were fielding 16 rugby teams at the club including 3 men's adult squads, girls' youth, minis and boys' youth rugby teams ranging in age from under-7 to under-18.
Boyne RFC is a rugby team in Drogheda, Ireland, with the men playing in Division 1B of the Leinster League.
Queen's University Belfast Rugby Football Club is the rugby union team of Queen's University Belfast, currently playing in Division 1B of the All-Ireland League. Founded in 1869, it is the most successful and oldest continuous rugby union club in Northern Ireland. They originally played as Queen's College, Belfast and have won the Ulster Senior Cup a record 23 times.
Enniscorthy RFC is a rugby union club based in Enniscorthy, County Wexford in Ireland. Founded in 1912, as of 2024 it was playing in Division 2C of the All-Ireland League. The clubhouse and pitch are located on the Ross Road in Enniscorthy.
Fivemiletown United Football Club is an intermediate-level football club who play in the Intermediate A division of the Mid-Ulster Football League in Northern Ireland. The club is based in Fivemiletown, County Tyrone. Their home ground has been the Valley Stadium on the Cooneen Road in the Town since 1993. The club was formed in 1888 giving Fivemiletown United the illustrious honour of being the oldest club in Northern Ireland not playing at Senior Level in the country.
Christopher Robert Eric Farrell is an Irish rugby union player for French Pro D2 club Oyonnax. He plays as a centre.
Omagh Academicals RFC is a Northern Irish rugby football club from Omagh, County Tyrone, playing in Division 2C of the All-Ireland League.
The 2022–23 season was Ulster Rugby's 29th season since the advent of professionalism in rugby union. They competed in the United Rugby Championship and the European Rugby Champions Cup. It was Dan McFarland's fifth season as head coach.
The 2023–24 season was Ulster Rugby's 30th season since the advent of professionalism in rugby union. They competed in the United Rugby Championship the European Rugby Champions Cup, and the EPCR Challenge Cup. It was Dan McFarland's sixth season as head coach. Despite some good results, including a home win against Racing 92 in the Champions Cup and an away win against Leinster in the URC, Ulster slipped back in the league, and poor performances against Bath, Harlequins and Toulouse dumped them out of the Champions Cup. After an away defeat in the URC against Ospreys in February, McFarland left his position, replaced by former Ireland under-20 head coach Richie Murphy. CEO Jonny Petrie also left, replaced on an interim basis by Hugh McCaughey. Murphy oversaw two away losses in South Africa and a quarter-final exit in the Challenge Cup, but form improved in the league, with four straight wins, including a home win against Leinster, and a losing bonus point away to Munster secured a quarter-final place, losing away to a full-strength Leinster side, and qualification for next season's Champions Cup.
The 2024-25 All-Ireland League, known as the Energia All-Ireland League for sponsorship reasons, is the 33rd season of Irish Rugby's top level domestic competition. The League began on 20 September 2024 and will finish with the League final at the Aviva Stadium, Dublin on 27 April 2025.
