Ireland

The Republic of Ireland is a country in Northern Europe, bordering on Great Britain. Dublin is the capital and largest city.
==Overview==
===National Teams===
===Domestic Teams===
See :Category:Ice hockey teams in Ireland
===Arenas===
See :Category:Arenas in Ireland 
===Competitions===
Competition 	Founded	Folded	Notes
Irish Ice Hockey League 	2007 	2010 	Defunct national league
Irish Championship 	1999 	2002 	Defunct national championship
Junior hockey in Ireland	 	- 	Various junior competitions
==History of hockey in Ireland==
Ireland's first documented arena was the Dolphins Barn Ice Rink in Dublin, which was a converted cinema. The facility was initially used for public skating, but hockey was soon taken up. Most of the early players were young kids who had little skating and no hockey experience. Within a few years, some Canadians studying medicine at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland discovered the rink, and began teaching the local players, and also formed a team known as the R.C.S. Blades. A squad full of Irish players, the Dublin Ice Hockey Team, was also created. The first official game in Ireland took place at the Dolphins Barn Ice Rink on April 21, 1982, between the Dublin Stags and the Liverpool Leopards (an English club), with the home side winning by a score of 11-7. Numerous recreational games were played after this, but by the mid-1980s, the improving Dublin club was in need of more competition, and being unable to arrange matches with other British teams due to expenses, players began to leave. 
The sport was revitalized with the opening of the Silver Skate Ice Rink in Phibsborough (North Dublin) in 1987. A team known as the Phibsboro Flyers was formed, and played against the Rialto Rockets, a revamped squad from the Dolphins Barn rink. An intense rivalry quickly emerged between the two teams. As the 1990s neared, both teams struggled with holding onto players and keeping favor with rink managements, and wound up merging into a single squad known as the Dublin Flyers. The Flyers entered tournaments in Scotland, and after some early struggles, took home the Glenrothes Winter Challenge Cup in 1995 (beating the Glenrothes Cougars, who had defeated them earlier in the tournament, in the final) and 1996, and the Scottish U21 Cup in 1997.
The Irish Ice Hockey Association is the governing body of ice hockey in the country, and Ireland joined the IIHF on September 26, 1996.IIHF.com - Ireland There is currently no full-size ice rink in Ireland, as the Dundalk Ice Dome closed in May 2010. There is however a small ice rink in Dublin, Castleknock on Ice.
The Irish Ice Hockey League was first played in the 2007-08 season, and was contested for three seasons between 2007 and 2010. There was also a second-tier league for lower-skilled players known as the Development Division. Prior to the formation of the league, a national championship is recorded to have been played in 2000 and 2002. Teams from Dublin competed in the Cross Border Cup from 2015-2020. This competition would be succeeded by the Nigel Smeaton Memorial Cup in 2023.
The men's national team made its international debut in 2004, playing in the Division III World Championships held in Reykjavik, Iceland.National Teams of Ice Hockey - Ireland Ireland finished second at the 2007 Division III tournament, which was played in Dundalk. The Irish claimed the title at the 2010 Division III tournament and earned a spot in Division IIB for 2011.
After one year at that higher classification, Ireland was relegated back to Division III. They have not participated in the World Championships since 2013 as the IIHF enacted new "minimum participation standards" which stipulated that countries must have at least one full-sized, functional ice rink to compete - something Ireland has obviously lacked since 2010.
Some of the best Irish players to wear their home colors on the international stage have been: Mark Morrison, Sean Dooley, Gareth Roberts, Steven Ewen, Stephen Hamill, and goaltender Kevin Kelly. 
The women's national team first appeared on the international scene in 2011, playing in the Women's World Championship Division V tournament held in Sofia, Bulgaria. They went 0-4 in the tournament, finishing in last place, and were outscored 43-0. Ireland later lost both games at the 2013 Division IIB Qualification tournament. 
The junior national team participated in the 2002 IIHF World U20 Championship Division III Qualification tournament held in Luxembourg City from April 26-28, 2001. They lost 10-0 to Luxembourg and 20-1 to Iceland.
==References==
Category:Countries