The Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) is the body managing rugby union in the island of Ireland. The IRFU has its head office at 10/12 Lansdowne Road and home ground at Aviva Stadium, where adult men's Irish rugby union international matches are played. In addition, the Union also owns the Ravenhill Stadium in Belfast, Thomond Park in Limerick and a number of grounds in provincial areas that have been rented to clubs.
Connacht Rugby is one of the four professional provincial rugby teams from the island of Ireland. Connacht competes in the United Rugby Championship and the European Rugby Champions Cup. The team represents the IRFU Connacht Branch, which is one of four primary branches of the IRFU, and is responsible for rugby union throughout the geographical Irish province of Connacht.
Cricket Ireland, officially the Irish Cricket Union, is the national governing body for cricket on the island of Ireland, and oversees the national men's and women's cricket teams. It also organises the Inter-Provincial Series, Super 3s, and three All-Ireland club competitions: Irish Senior Cup, National Cup and the All-Ireland T20 Cup. It achieved Test-status for women in 2000, and then for men in 2017 when it was made a Full Member of the ICC in June 2017.
The Connacht Senior Hurling Championship, known simply as the Connacht Championship, was an annual inter-county hurling competition organised by the Connacht Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). It was the highest inter-county hurling competition in the province of Connacht, and was contested almost every year between 1900 and 1922 before a revival in the 1990s.
Rugby union in Ireland is a very popular team sport. Rugby union is organised on an all-Ireland basis with one national team, governing body and league for both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Founded in 1879, the Irish Rugby Football Union is the third-oldest rugby union after England and Scotland, and was formed two years prior to the Welsh Rugby Union.
The GAA Hurling Under-20 All-Ireland Championship is an annual inter-county hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). It is the highest inter-county hurling competition for male players between the ages of 17 and 20 in Ireland. The championship was contested as the All-Ireland Under-21 Championship between 1964 and 2018 before changing to an under-20 age category from 2019.
Nenagh Ormond RFC is an Irish Rugby union club based in Nenagh, County Tipperary. It was founded in 1884 as the Ormond Cricket and Football Club. The club plays in Division 2A of the All-Ireland League and was County Tipperary's first ever senior grade rugby club. The club's main ground is New Ormond Park with another ground in Tyone where underage teams train and play.
Noel Lane is an Irish retired hurler who played as a full-forward for the Galway senior team.
Oliver Moran is an Irish sportsperson. He plays hurling with his local club Ahane and was a member of the Limerick senior inter-county team from 1997 to 2009. During his career as a hurler, he has won 3 County Championships with Ahane, 2 Fitzgibbon Cup titles with Waterford IT, a National Hurling League and Waterford Crystal Cup title with Limerick, 5 Railway Cup titles with Munster and a shinty/hurling international with Ireland. Ollie's individual accolades include a Munster All-Star award in 2004 and a GAA All-Star award in 2007. He was also captain of the Limerick Senior Hurling Team in 2005. In 2013 he appeared as a studio analyst on The Sunday Game.
Donal O'Grady is an Irish hurler who played as a midfielder and later centre back for the Limerick senior team.
Sport in Northern Ireland plays an important role in the lives of many Northern Irish people. Most sports are organised on an all-Ireland basis, for example rugby union, Gaelic games, basketball, rugby league, hockey, and cricket, whereas others, like association football and netball are organised on a separate basis for Northern Ireland.
Cricket in Ireland is governed by Cricket Ireland, which maintains the Ireland men's and women's cricket teams. Like several other sports in Ireland, cricket is organised on an all-Ireland basis. Following the team's success in the 2007 Cricket World Cup, the sport's popularity increased in Ireland. The country was, until 2017, an associate member of the International Cricket Council and played in tournaments like the World Cricket League and ICC Intercontinental Cup, which are qualifying rounds for associate teams for the Cricket World Cup and ICC World Twenty20. Ireland qualified for the 2009 ICC World Twenty20, the 2011 Cricket World Cup and 2010 ICC World Twenty20. In the 2011 World Cup, they beat England in the group matches.
P. J. Molloy is an Irish retired hurler who played as a left wing-forward for the Galway senior team.
The Bob Kerr Irish Senior Cup, known for sponsorship reasons as the RSA Bob Kerr Irish Senior Cup is a 50-over cricket competition for Irish amateur clubs. It is the most important knock-out cricket club competition in Ireland, is organised by Cricket Ireland and comprises the top teams from each of Ireland's four active provincial unions. Connacht Cricket Union, the youngest, smallest and weakest provincial union, do not enter teams in their own right, but County Galway CC enters as a member club in Munster.
The Northern Cricket Union of Ireland, more usually referred to as the N.C.U., is one of five provincial governing bodies in Ireland. Along with the Connacht, Leinster, Munster and North West unions, it makes up the Irish Cricket Union, the supreme governing body of Irish cricket.
The Leinster Cricket Union, also known as Cricket Leinster, is one of five provincial governing bodies for cricket in Ireland. Along with the Northern, Munster, Connacht Cricket Union and North West unions, it makes up the Irish Cricket Union, the supreme governing body of Irish cricket.
The Munster Cricket Union is one of five provincial governing bodies for cricket in Ireland. Along with the Connacht, Northern, Leinster and North West unions, it makes up the Irish Cricket Union, the supreme governing body of Irish cricket.
Shane Layden is a rugby union player from Ireland. He has played as a fullback, in the centre and on the wing. Layden previously played for the Irish sevens team and played professionally with provincial team Connacht Rugby in the Pro12. Layden plays his club rugby for Buccaneers.
Caolin Blade is a professional rugby union player from Ireland. He primarily plays as a scrum-half. Blade currently plays for Irish provincial side Connacht in the Pro14, having signed a senior contract ahead of the 2015–16 season.
Shane Delahunt is a professional rugby union player from Ireland. He primarily plays as a hooker. Delahunt currently plays for Irish provincial side Connacht in the Pro14.
