NI Culture - IAESTE N. Ireland Northern Ireland ‎ > ‎ NI Culture Northern Ireland has a culture all of its own, distinct from either Britain or Ireland and often a mixture of the two. The country has a reputation for being a very welcoming to tourists and so you will find that that most people in Northern Ireland are extremely friendly and willing to help. Food & Drink The pinnacle of food in NI is the Ulster Fry, not to be confused with an English, Irish or Scottish breakfast, which are all inferior versions. An Ulster Fry is a fried breakfast dish (though often served all day) containing at least, but not limited to, Sausages, Egg, Bacon, Potato Bread, Soda Bread and Wheaten Bread / Toast. It may also contain tomatoes, black pudding and beans. The volume of carbohydrates alone should tell you how tasty this is. Northern Ireland has one beer brewed in the country called Harp, which is often exported. There is also an independent brewery in Hilden which serves more flavoursome ales and stouts and distributes to a few places around Belfast. Heritage Northern Ireland has quite a few museums , some of which deal specifically with the culture of the area.

The Ulster history museum has recently reopened after a long refurbishment and is a premier attraction in the city. Other museums include the Ulster Folk museum (one of the most visited in Ireland), the Ulster Transport museum and the Armagh County museum. There are also several good tours or areas of interest in the city of Belfast. These include an ever expanding area dedicated to the Titanic and shipbuilding in the city, the Linen quarter and Black Cab Mural Tours, which gives an excellent account of the past political tensions in the city. Over the course of history Belfast has had a large English influence, resulting in quite a few castles being built in the area. Castles of notice include Belfast Castle and Carrickfergus Castle. Sport One of the unique aspects of Ireland is its sporting history. For such a small country the island as a whole supports two national amateur sports in Gaelic (sometimes, confusingly, called Football) and Hurling. Both come under the heading "Gaelic Games" and are run by the GAA . Gaelic Footbal l is similar to Australian Rules football. Hurling is similar to la crosse except with large wooden sticks and played on Gaelic pitches.

Ireland is one of the only nations that participate in either of these sports (Brittany have a Gaelic team) and so most matches are played between counties across the island. There are both province trophies and an All Ireland trophies in competition each year. Both Gaelic and Hurling would be more popular in the Republic of Ireland and the rural areas of Northern Ireland. Most games in Belfast are played at Casement Park. Northern Ireland is also home to more common sports such as soccer and rugby, although both are conversely more popular in the urban areas. The NI soccer team plays at Windsor park and there is a semi-professional league that operates in the country. George Best, who Pele claimed was the greatest player in the world, was from East Belfast and there are murals dedicated to him in the area. In rugby Northern Ireland participate as part of the province of Ulster and compete in the Magners League with the other Irish provinces as well as the Heineken cup with the rest of the UK and France. Ulster rugby games are played at Ravenhill rugby ground. Belfast is home to the UK Ice Hockey team the Belfast Giants , who play their home games at the Odyssey Arena.

The team has been going for over 10 years and is well supported throughout the city. They compete at a high level within their league and have been champions on a number of occasions. In the recent past Northern Ireland have contributed to the Irish cricket team which has come to prominence in the sport over the last few years. Matches are played in Dublin. The Arts The Grand Opera House has been the premier place in Belfast to see any number of plays or theatre in the city since 1895. It has a beautiful theatrical interior and has been recently refurbished. For local and independent plays The Lyric theatre is another venue of note in Belfast which has been running for over 50 years. The original building was recently demolished and replaced with a brand new theatre in its place. There are various cinema's in the city, such as the Movie House on the Dublin Road or the Odeon in the Victoria Centre. Belfast is also host to an independent cinema run by the Queens University called the Queens Film Theatre ( QFT ) which is the place to go for independent or foreign films in the city. Famous actors from NI include Liam Neeson and Kenneth Branagh.

The Cathedral Quarter of Belfast is considered the cultural area of the city and it has many bars, galleries and performance areas spread around it. This is where a lot of performance art is held, especially during the Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival. Famous artists from NI include playwrights Brian Friel and poet Seamus Heaney. The Ormeau Bathhouses regularly hold exhibitions of local art and artists. Music Northern Ireland has had a high impact on the music scene in the UK in the past, considering the number of bands that the country generates. Examples in the past include Therapy?, The Undertones, Ash, Van Morrison, The Divine Comedy and more recent ones such as Snow Patrol, Fighting With Wire, General Fiasco and Two Door Cinema Club. There are quite a few places in Belfast that hold regular live music nights such as Lavery's, The Empire, Radar at the Students Union and the Ulster Hall. There is a significant amount of Irish traditional music played around the country as well. Many bars would have regular musicians in on different nights to add some Irish atmosphere to the nightlife. Symbols Symbolism is quite prevalent throughout the country and particularly in Belfast. It is not uncommon to see estates marked with flags, murals and bunting as well as having pavements painted.

This usually makes it quite easy to distinguish between nationalist (Irish flags and colours) and unionist (British flag and colours) areas of the country. The use of flags in Northern Ireland is a controversial one and it may surprise people to know what NI does not have an official unique flag, for government events the Union Jack is expected. It is not uncommon to see the Ulster Banner used (English flag with red hand and crown) however it is considered a unionist symbol, even if it often flown on some occasions. Supporting football teams in the city can be a thorny issue and as such you will rarely see people walking the streets in football tops. In particular Northern Ireland & Glasgow Rangers (Unionist) and Republic of Ireland & Glasgow Celtic (Nationalist) jerseys have been known to divide the city. As a result you will likely not be allowed into bars if you are wearing a football top which even resembles a contentious one. The 12th of July parades, known as "The Twelfth" are a unique part of NI symbolism. While the name suggests only a single day, parades and marches actually happen over the space of several weeks across the country.

It is organised by the Protestant Orange Order and can be a divisive event in the NI calendar. Some historic marching routes have passed through Catholic areas, which has caused tensions between residents and marchers. Over the course of history this has been an area of real conflict, however in the recent past "The Twelfth" parades have been passing with relative calm. IAESTE NI annually aim to take trainees on an extended trip outside the country around the 12th July. Ulster Rugby - Irish Mirror Sport Ulster Rugby Professional side who play their home games at Ravenhill in Belfast. Won the European Cup in 1999 and reached the final again in 2012. They also compete in the Guinness Pro12. The Head Coach is Neil Doak. Notable past players include David Humphries, Jack Kyle and Willie John McBride. Ulster Rugby - Wikipedia Ulster Rugby 1879; 137 years ago (1879) Location .com Ulster Rugby ( Irish : Rugbaí Ulaidh) is one of the four professional provincial rugby teams from the island of Ireland . They compete in the Pro12 and the European Rugby Champions Cup .

The team represents the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) Ulster Branch, which is one of the four primary branches of the IRFU and is responsible for rugby union throughout the geographical Irish province of Ulster , comprising six counties in Northern Ireland and three counties in the Republic of Ireland . Ulster play their home games at the Kingspan Stadium in Belfast which has a capacity of 18,196. The province plays primarily in white and the team crest features a red hand within two rugby balls, the red hand being taken from the provincial flag of Ulster . Ulster turned professional along with its fellow Irish provinces in 1995 and has competed in the Pro12 (previously known as the Celtic League and the Magners League) since it was founded in 2001, having previously competed in the annual Irish interprovincial championship . [1] Ulster "A" competes in the British and Irish Cup . Ulster won the Heineken Cup in 1999, the Celtic Cup in 2003 and the Celtic League in 2006. Contents History[ edit ] The Ulster Branch of the IRFU was founded in 1879.

Since then, Ulster has been arguably the most successful of the four Irish provinces (the others are Connacht , Leinster and Munster ) having won the Inter-Provincial Championship a record 26 times.[ citation needed ] In the amateur rugby union era, Ulster regularly played international touring sides from the southern hemisphere . Their most impressive performance was in the 1984/5 season when they defeated Andrew Slack's "Grand Slam" Wallabies . In the 1998–99 season, Ulster became the first Irish province to win the Heineken Cup . They beat French side US Colomiers 21–6 in the final at Lansdowne Road (predecessor and still common name for the recently built Aviva Stadium ). The Ulster squad contained many part-time players two of whom, Andy Matchett and Stephen McKinty, started the final. This Ulster side was coached by Harry Williams and managed by John Kinnear. From 2001 to 2004, the Ulster team was coached by Alan Solomons , a former Assistant Coach of the Springboks and head coach of The Stormers and Western Province in his native South Africa .

It was during this time that Ulster fully embraced the professional era. Alan Solomons coached Ulster to a three-year unbeaten home record in the Heineken Cup.[ citation needed ] In the 2003–04 season, Ulster finished second in the Celtic League , only overtaken by Llanelli on the final day of the campaign. Two of Ulster's most impressive achievements in this period were a 33–0 win over English giants Leicester Tigers in the Heineken Cup in January 2004, and winning the inaugural Celtic Cup on 20 December 2003, beating Edinburgh in a rain-soaked Murrayfield final. In July 2004, Solomons departed for Northampton Saints and Mark McCall , former captain of the province and a member of Ulster’s European Cup winning squad, took over as Ulster Rugby head coach with European Cup teammate Allen Clarke as his assistant.

Despite an initially poor start to the season, the two extended Ulster's unbeaten home record in Europe to four years.[ citation needed ] In the 2005–06 season, Ulster led the Celtic league for most of the season thanks to dominant forward play largely inspired by Australian import Justin Harrison , New Zealand-born Irish scrum-half Isaac Boss , and a rapid maturing of a youthful home-grown three-quarter line. However, inconsistent late form from Ulster, combined with a late run from Leinster , meant that either of those sides could take the title in the final game of the season. In Ulster's final match against the Ospreys with Ulster one point behind, David Humphreys kicked a 40-metre drop goal to clinch the game and the league for Ulster. Ulster started the 2006–07 season in fine form racking up a number of victories including a 30–3 thrashing of Heineken Cup contenders Toulouse.

However, following an abject display losing 29–13 to London Irish, their season deteriorated with a number of poor performances, including several home defeats, leading to a fifth-place finish in the Celtic League and another early exit from Europe. The team began the 2007–08 season with a terrible run of form. Mark McCall resigned in November following Ulster's embarrassing 32–14 home defeat to Gloucester in the opening round of the 2007–08 Heineken Cup . [2] Assistant coach Steve Williams took temporary charge of the team. Under Williams, Ulster had some initial success, however several defeats left them firmly rooted to the bottom of the Celtic League and out of Europe. In December, former Leinster and Scotland Head Coach Matt Williams was named Mark McCall's successor as Ulster's Head Coach. He took charge at the beginning of February 2008, but despite some improved performances, he failed to turn the season around, with Ulster finishing 9th in the 10 team Celtic League.

On 21 May 2009, Matt Williams resigned as Ulster's Head Coach after finishing 8th in the Celtic League that season. [3] He was replaced by Brian McLaughlin as Head Coach, with Jeremy Davidson and Neil Doak as his assistants, and former Ulster and Ireland outhalf David Humphreys taking on the role as Director of Rugby. [3] The 2009–10 season brought many changes to Ulster, as they got new management staff, a newly improved Heineken Cup campaign including their first ever win on English soil against Bath Rugby , a new stand at Ravenhill, and new fans as more people started to support the team. But Ulster finished eighth place in the Celtic League again, due to a series of disappointing results in the league since Christmas. The 2010–11 season was even better for Ulster, as they signed key players including 2007 Rugby World Cup winning Springbok Ruan Pienaar . Ulster reached the quarter finals of the Heineken Cup for the first time since 1999 and finished third in the Celtic League.

The 2011–12 season brought even more success. Ulster beat Edinburgh to reach the Heineken Cup final for the first time in thirteen years. [4] In the final, Ulster lost 14–42 to Leinster at Twickenham Stadium . In the Pro12 , Ulster finished sixth after a disappointing finish to the season. Brian McLaughlin did not have his contract renewed as Head Coach at the end of the season. For the 2012–13 season, Mark Anscombe was appointed as the new head coach. Major signings included Nick Williams from the now defunct Aironi and Tommy Bowe returning from his four-year stay at the Ospreys . Ulster started the season with 13 consecutive wins in all competitions, making it the longest unbeaten run in their history.[ citation needed ] It started on 31 August 2012 as they defeated Glasgow Warriors 18–10 in the RaboDirect Pro12 and it ended on 15 December 2012 as they lost 9–10 to Northampton Saints in the Heineken Cup .

Despite finishing top of their Heineken Cup Group for the first time since the 1999 triumph, Ulster were defeated 27–16 by Saracens at the quarterfinal stage. Ulster finished top of the Pro12 table thereby giving them a home semi-final against the Scarlets. Ulster defeated the Scarlets 28–17 in the last match in front of the old grandstand before demolition. Due to the redevelopment of Ravenhill, Ulster played the Pro12 final at the RDS Arena in Dublin against Leinster losing 24–18. The 2013–14 season proved trophyless again. For the first time, Ulster won all their Heineken Cup group games, with away victories against Montpellier and Leicester Tigers being the highlight. They were knocked out at the quarterfinal stage with a 17–15 home defeat to Saracens. The Pro12 season was racked with inconsistency and Ulster finished the league season in fourth place. This set up an away semi-final with Leinster, and for the fourth time in four seasons the season was ended by their old foes with a 13–9 defeat.

The season ended with the retirements of captain Johann Muller , record appearance holder Paddy Wallace , and flanker Stephen Ferris . Director of Rugby David Humphreys also left the province to take up a similar position at Gloucester Rugby . Following Humphreys' departure, Mark Anscombe was sacked by the province and was replaced by Ireland defence coach Les Kiss on an interim basis. [5] The 2014–15 season saw Rory Best return to the captaincy, a position that he first held from 2007 to 2011, after the retirement of the now ex-captain Johann Muller . [6] Ulster were knocked out of the new European Champions Cup at the group stage. They finished fourth in the Pro12 but lost in the playoff semifinal to Glasgow Warriors . 2015-16 saw Neil Doak promoted to Head Coach with Les Kiss returning to the province after the 2015 Rugby World Cup to take up the full-time Director of Rugby role with the province. [7] Ulster were knocked out of the Champions Cup at the group stage despite a memorable back to back win over Toulouse.

They finished fourth in the Pro12 but again lost in the playoff semi final, this time to Leinster. The Kingspan Stadium , known as Ravenhill Stadium until 2014, has been the home of Ulster Rugby since 1923.[ citation needed ] It has hosted two Rugby World Cup matches and several Ireland national team matches. The first redevelopment of the stadium was finished in 2009 with the opening of the Premium Stand. Due to the increased support of the team in recent years, the redeveloping continued in the stadium. Two new stands have been built at the Aquinas and Memorial ends of the ground. The old grandstand got demolished in order for a new, modern stand to be built, which saw its first use in the Heineken Cup quarterfinal against Saracens on 5 April 2014. The reconstruction of Ravenhill was completed in early 2014 and the stadium was officially opened in May 2014 at a Pro12 match against Leinster . [10] The reconstruction increased the capacity of Ravenhill from around 12,000 to 18,196.

The stadium is now capable of hosting European Rugby Champions Cup quarterfinals and Pro12 finals. [11] The Family Stand houses the training centre for Ulster. Ulster A[ edit ] Ulster A is the team that represents Ulster in the British & Irish Cup and in the All Ireland Inter-provincial Championship . [13] Pre-professionalism and a formal Celtic league structure, the main Ulster team competed in the AIPC. Since the advent of professionalism the provinces have fielded lesser teams in order to concentrate on the Celtic League and Heineken Cup . The team is composed of Senior Ulster squad players requiring gametime, Academy players and AIL players called up from their clubs. [14] Academy squad[ edit ] The Ulster Academy squad: [15] Note: Flags indicate national union as has been defined under WR eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-WR nationality.

Player History : Ulster Rugby 25 August 2015 17:23pm By Sara-Louise Bowman The Ulster Rugby team play in the European Cup and Guinness PRO12, with a large number of regular supporters, rugby is known as a true 'sport for all' in Northern Ireland. Ulster Rugby, with it's playing and administrative staff based at Kingspan Stadium in Belfast, is the only sport running a full-time professional team based in Northern Ireland. The Ulster Branch, also based at the stadium, is responsible for the game development structure across the Province. BEFORE THE PROFESSIONAL ERA In the amateur Rugby Union era, Ulster's players trained and competed in their spare time and the team enjoyed considerable success, throughout the 1980's in particular. They regularly played international touring sides from the all over the world such as New Zealand, Australia and Italy. The Interprovincial Championship was viewed as a significant achievement in Irish rugby at the time, with Ulster competing against Munster, Connacht and Leinster for the title.

In the early 80's a number of Ulster players such as Colin Patterson, David Irwin, Trevor Ringland and Keith Crossan were selected for the Ireland squad which went on to win the Triple Crown. During the 1984-85 season, Ulster won the Interprovincial Championship for the first time since 1976. The Ulster side strengthened and in the same season they defeated Australia at the Ravenhill ground. Current Ulster Rugby Doctor, David Irwin, captained the side to a 15-13 win- Ulster's first victory over a major touring side with a now legendary performance. The season signaled the start of Ulster's most successful period in their history and with the David Irwin/Willie Anderson axis controlling things on the field, Ulster either won or shared the interprovincial championship every season until the beginning of the professional era (more than any other Irish province) The form of the Ulster players was recognised when in 1987 eight Ulster players were selected to compete with Ireland in the Rugby World Cup where they progressed to the quarter finals.

BEGINNING OF THE PROFESSIONAL ERA Harry Williams was Ulster's first coach in the professional era and presided over what is arguably the club's greatest achievement when the side lifted the European Cup in January 1999, defeating French side Colomiers, 21 - 6 in the final at Lansdowne Road. Just eight of the players in the squad during that season were playing rugby professionally with the majority of the squad "part-timers", combining a rugby career with a day job. From 2001-04 Ulster Rugby was coached by Alan Solomons, a former Assistant Coach of the Springboks and Head Coach at The Stormers and Western Province in his native South Africa. It was during this time that Ulster Rugby completely embraced the professional era with a roster of full-time players. Solomons coached Ulster to a three year unbeaten home record in the Heineken Cup and in the 2003-04 season Ulster finished second in very a closely contested Celtic League Championship.

Without doubt two of his greatest moments with Ulster included the winning of the Celtic Cup on 20th December 2003, defeating Edinburgh 27 - 21 at Murrayfield, and less than a month later, defeating English Premiership giants Leicester Tigers 33 - 0 in the Heineken Cup at home in Ravenhill. 2004 TO PRESENT In July 2004, Mark McCall, himself a member of Ulster's European Cup winning side in 1999, took over the reins as Ulster Rugby Head Coach with European Cup team-mate Allen Clarke as his Assistant and in May 2006, Ulster Rugby were crowned Celtic League champions. In a league season which saw the team win 14, lose 5 and draw 1 match, the competition went down to the wire and Ulster lifted the trophy after defeating The Ospreys 19 - 17 at the Liberty Stadium in Swansea.

Celtic League Following the Celtic League success, the 2006-7 season failed to live up to expectations with Ulster dropping to 6th in the Magners League with a disappointing Heineken Cup campaign and in November 2007, Coach Mark McCall resigned. Assistant coach Steve Williams stepped in as Caretaker Coach until new Head Coach Matt Williams was appointed in February 2008. However, despite a difficult season, Ulster ended the 2007-08 season on a high by qualifying for the Heineken Cup. Williams coached Ulster through the 2008-09 season but parted company with Ulster Rugby at the end of that campaign. Ulster went back to their roots, installing a home-grown management set-up with former Irish Skills Coach Brian McLaughlin at the helm. Ulster and Irish legend David Humphreys took on the role of Operations Director, while Jeremy Davidson and Neil Doak joined the set-up as Assistant Coaches.

World Cup winning Springboks Johann Muller and Ruan Pienaar joined the Province in 2011 and played a key role as Ulster reached the Heineken Cup quarter finals for the first time since 1999, losing 23-13 to eventual finalists Northampton Saints. The same season, Ulster reached the Magners League play-offs but lost to Leinster, who went on to beat the Saints in the Heineken Cup final. The following year, Ulster reached the knock-out stages of the Heineken Cup final for a second successive season. They beat Munster at Thomond Park in the quarter-final of the competition, a result that marked a milestone in the evolution of the club. Ulster then played Edinburgh in the semi-final at the Aviva Stadium and thanks to the boot of Ruan Pienaar, qualified for the Heineken Cup Final. In what was the final game under Head Coach Brian McLaughlin, Ulster lost the final to inter-provincial rivals Leinster at Twickenham.

Mark Anscombe became the first New Zealander to coach Ulster in 2012 and began his time in charge by leading the Province to 16 games unbeaten. The 2012/13 season saw Ulster beat Castres in the Heineken Cup and record the club's first ever competitive win in France. Ulster qualified for the quarter-final of the Heineken Cup but lost to a Saracens side coached by former Ulster captain Mark McCall. The Province finished top of the RaboDirect PRO12 but lost the final of the competition, again to Leinster. Neil Doak took over as head coach in October 2014. NEVIN SPENCE On 15th September, 2012, Ulster centre, Nevin Spence was killed in a farming accident, along with his brother Graham and father Noel. His tragic death was keenly felt by everyone involved in rugby in Ulster.

Captain at the time, Johann Mulller said shortly after his death that Nevin Spence would 'never be forgotten as long as this great club exists.' In August 2013 it was announced that the new education centre at Kingspan Stadium would be named 'The Nevin Spence Centre'. STADIUM REDEVELOPMENT In November 2012, work began on a £14.7 million redevelopment of Ravenhill Rugby Grounds. The project, funded by the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure, (DCAL) saw three new stands built at the ground. The redevelopment saw capacity increase from 11,000 to 18,000 and saw Kingspan Stadium become one of the most modern and state of the art rugby stadiums in Europe. KINGSPAN STADIUM In June 2014 signed a 10-year agreement with the Kingspan Group, the world's leading provider of sustainable building materials, for the naming rights to what will now be called Kingspan Stadium. The agreement will result in significant investment for the game of rugby at all levels within the Province.

Rugby Football History All Blacks Barbarians Canada British & Irish Lions Ireland Scotland Springboks USA Wales Wallabies History of the IRFU Dublin University, founded in 1854, was the first organised Rugby Football Club in Ireland. Students at the University had first learnt the game while at English Public Schools. Other clubs which were formed at the time and are still in existence include, Wanderers founded in 1869; Lansdowne (1873); Dungannon (1873); UCC (1874); Co. Carlow (1873); Ballinasloe (1875); NIFC (1868); Queen's University (1869). Ballinasloe and Athlone amalgamated in 1994 to form Buccaneers. From 1874 to 1879 there were two Unions. The Irish Football Union had jurisdiction over Clubs in Leinster, Munster and parts of Ulster; the Northern Football Union of Ireland controlled the Belfast area.

When the first International was played against England in February 1875, the teams were twenty a side and the Irish team included 12 players from Leinster and eight from Ulster. The first fifteen a side match was in 1877 and the first Munster players were chosen in 1879. In 1879 the two Unions agreed to amalgamate on the following terms: (i) A Union to be known as the Irish Rugby Football Union was to be formed for the whole country. (ii) Branches were to be formed in Leinster, Munster and Ulster. (iii) The Union was to be run by a Council of eighteen, made up of six from each province. The Council was to meet annually. The Council of the Union still meets annually, but the day to day affairs are managed by a Committee comprising a President, two Vice-Presidents, the immediate Past President, the Honorary Treasurer and nineteen members. In 1885, twenty-six Clubs were affiliated to the Union of which ten were in Ulster, nine in Leinster, seven in Munster. The Connacht Branch was formed in 1886.

The first All Blacks team visited Dublinin November 1905 and the IRFU made the match the first all-ticket rugby international in history due to the high level of interest. Ireland played only seven forwards, copying the then New Zealand method of playing a "rover". The game ended New Zealand 15 Ireland 0. On 20 March 1909, Ireland played France for the first time, beating them 19-8. This was Ireland's biggest victory in international rugby at that time, their highest points tally and a record five tries. 30 November 1912 was the first time the Springboks met Ireland at Lansdowne Road, the 1906 tour game having been played at Ravenhill. Ireland with seven new caps were overwhelmed by a record margin of 38-0, still a record loss to South Africa who scored 10 tries. In 1926, Ireland went into their final Five Nations match unbeaten and with the Grand Slam at stake lost to Wales in Swansea. Ireland again came close to a grand slam in 1927 when their sole loss was an 8-6 defeat by England.

In 1948 when, inspired by tactician and fly-half Jack Kyle, they beat France in Paris, England at Twickenham and a 6-0 win over Scotland at Lansdowne Road. They clinched their first Grand Slam in the Five Nations with a win against Wales at Ravenhill, Belfast. Ireland were champions and Triple Crown winners again in 1949. The Irish used only 19 players in clinching the 1949 Championship and Triple Crown, only the fourth time that the Triple Crown had been retained by a home nation. 1950s In 1951, Ireland were once more crowned outright Five Nations champions and were unbeaten going into their final game. They failed to win the Grand Slam or Triple Crown following a 3-3 draw with Wales in Cardiff. The year of 1952 saw only Ireland's second overseas tour, the first for over half a century - as they headed to Argentina for a nine-match trip which included two Test matches. Ireland won six, drew two and lost one of the matches, their Test record being won one, drawn one.

On 27 February 1954, Ireland were due to play Scotland at Ravenhill in Belfast. The new Irish captain, Jim McCarthy, told IRFU president Sarsfield Hogan that the eleven Republic-based players would not stand for "God Save the Queen" alongside the Scottish team. It was agreed that an abbreviated anthem, known in Ulster as "the Salute", would be played that afternoon and that the Irish team would never play again at Ravenhill. Ireland went on to beat Scotland 6-0 but did not play in Northern Ireland again until 2007. On 18 January 1958 Ireland beat Australia 9-6 in Dublin, this was the first time a major touring team had been defeated. 1960s Ireland managed just three victories in the Five Nations Championship; against England in 1961, Wales in 1963 and England again in 1964. There were also draws against England and Wales at Lansdowne Road to the end of 1964. 1965 saw an improvement as Ireland drew with France before beating England and Scotland, only for their Triple Crown hopes disappear against Wales in Cardiff.

On 10 April 1965 Ireland recorded their first ever win over South Africa. The match, held at Lansdowne Road, was heading for a draw with the score at six points each, when Tom Kiernan won the match for Ireland with a late penalty. Ireland beat Australia again in Dublin in 1967 and became the first of the home nations to win in the Southern Hemisphere when they beat Australia in Sydney in May 1967. On 26 October 1968, Ireland made it four successive wins over the Wallabies with a 16-3 win at Lansdowne Road. In 1969, Ireland claimed a 17-9 victory over France at Lansdowne Road in the Five Nations, a first victory over Les Bleus in 11 years. They were again unbeaten going into their final game in Cardiff but Wales denied them a Grand Slam for the third time. In the autumn of 1969, the Irish Rugby Football Union decided to appoint a coach for the national team for the first time, the role went to Ronnie Dawson.

1970s The 1972 Five Nations Championship was not completed when Scotland and then Wales refused to play in Ireland following threatening letters to players, purportedly from the IRA. The championship remained unresolved with Wales and Ireland unbeaten. In 1973, despite similar threats, England fulfilled their fixture and were given a standing ovation that lasted for five minutes. Ireland won 18-9 and at the after-match dinner the England captain, John Pullin famously remarked "We might not be very good but at least we turn up". Ireland came close to a first win over the All Blacks on 20 January 1973 but with the score at 10-10 an Irish conversion attempt was pushed wide by a gust of wind. In the final match of the 1974 season, Ireland won their first Five Nations Championship since 1951. Roly Meates was national coach from 1975 to 1977 and Noel Murphy from 1977 to 1980. Willie John McBride was coach until 1984.

1980s In 1982 Ireland came close to winning a Grand Slam but were beaten by France in Paris. They beat Scotland, Wales and England to win the championship and their first Triple Crown in 33 years. Three years after their last Triple Crown win, Ireland, coached by Mick Doyle, came out in 1985 and won the Championship and the Triple Crown again. They beat Scotland and Wales. The French again prevented Ireland from claiming a Grand Slam after a 15-15 draw in Dublin. Ireland played England at Lansdowne Road and won the championship with a last minute drop goal from Michael Kiernan. The match ended 13-10 to Ireland. It was Ireland's last silverware until 2004. Ireland were whitewashed in the 1986 Five Nations Championship but on 1 November 1986, Ireland made history when they scored 10 tries against Romania in a 60-0 win. It was the biggest win in international rugby at the time, equaling the French record set in 1967.

At the inaugural World Cup in 1987, two straightforward victories over Tonga and Canada were enough to see Ireland through to the quarter-finals, when they travelled to Sydney to face the joint hosts Australia, only to be beaten 33-15. In the Five Nations, England and France were dominant throughout the decade, resulting in the others scrapping around for the odd Championship title. Ireland didn't manage to win the trophy once in the whole decade and worse never finished outside the bottom two. 1990s The second Rugby World Cup took place in Britain, Ireland and France in 1991. Ireland found themselves in the same pool as Scotland. After two easy wins over Japan and Zimbabwe, Scotland sneaked a 24-15 win at Murrayfield. Ireland played the Wallabies at Lansdowne Road in the quarter final and appeared to be on the verge of a shock victory over Australia, when Michael Lynagh scored the winning try to clinch a 19-18 win for Australia. At the 1994 Five Nations Championship, Ireland beat Will Carling's all-conquering England at Twickenham.

At the 1995 World Cup in South Africa, Ireland were in a group containing the All Blacks and Wales. In a close game in Johannesburg, Ireland sneaked through 24-23 against Wales to make their third consecutive quarter-final appearance. Unfortunately France proved too strong, with Ireland going down 36-12. The start of the professional era was disappointing for Ireland who finished bottom in the Five Nations Championship three years in succession (1996, 1997 and 1998). Englishman Brian Ashton was head coach between 1997 and 1998, but after a series of disappointing results resigned barely 12 months into the six year contract he had been awarded by the IRFU. Warren Gatland took over as coach in 1998, but was unable to produce immediate success and 1999 was the first time Ireland failed to reach the last eight at a Rugby World Cup. From this nadir, however, Irish rugby improved rapidly.

With the advent of professionalism, the Irish Rugby Football Union decided to convert the four representative provincial sides into de facto club sides, with the financial capacity to retain top talent in Ireland, yet retaining strong links with amateur clubs and schools to enable young talent to be brought up through the ranks. The close geographical proximity of most of the Irish international squad helped cement relationships between the players in a way that would not have been possible had they left for English, French and Southern Hemisphere clubs. The later formation of the Celtic League (Now called the Magners League for sponsorship reasons) cemented this strategy by ensuring that provincial sides had a regular schedule of competitive rugby. The 1999 World Cup was staged in Wales though Ireland played all their pool games in Dublin. A defeat to the Wallabies meant Ireland having to go down the play-off route. Playing away from Lansdowne Road for the first time in the competition, Ireland were beaten 28-24 by Argentina in Lens. 2000s The advent of the new Six Nations format coincided with this Irish resurgence, and they became the strongest of the Celtic nations. In 2001 the rugby union season was disrupted due to the foot and mouth crisis in Britain.

Ireland were good enough to beat France but were unable to play Scotland until the Autumn and were caught cold losing 32-10. They were still good enough to beat England, spoiling their hopes of a Grand Slam, and finishing second on points difference. Eddie O'Sullivan took over as coach from Warren Gatland in November 2001 following the New Zealander's sacking. The 2003 Six Nations Championship came down to the wire with Ireland and England playing a Grand Slam decider at Lansdowne Road. England, however, won 42-6. That defeat ended an unbeaten run that stretched back 10 Tests to their Rugby World Cup qualifiers warm up against Romania in September 2002 and included defeats of Pool A rivals Australia and Argentina at Lansdowne Road. In 2004 they lost their opening game against France but became the first team to beat England following their World Cup win. They finished second in the table behind France and won the Triple Crown. In 2005 Ireland were considered slight favourites entering the Six Nations Championships, and won their first three matches, including a 19-13 defeat of England in Dublin.

However, Ireland's dreams of their first Grand Slam since 1948 were ended with a 26-19 home loss to France. In the final round, Wales defeated Ireland 32-20 at Millennium Stadium in Cardiff to win the Grand Slam. Ireland finished in 3rd place. In 2006, Ireland showed the capacity to play top class rugby, but only inconsistently - a rout of Wales was balanced by uncertain victories against England , Scotland and Italy and a comprehensive defeat by winners France. Ireland finished second and won the Triple Crown for the second time in three years, incidentally the first ever time a trophy had been awarded for the feat. They then embarked on their annual tour to the southern hemisphere. There they ran New Zealand close twice before a tired Ireland were thumped by the Wallabies in Perth. They returned to their clubs before they gathered once more for the last Autumn Internationals at Lansdowne Road. The South Africans came with an experimental side with an eye on the 2007 World Cup, which was soundly beaten by the Irish 32-15. Next to Lansdowne were Australia with a much more formidable squad.

The weather ruined what many had tipped to be the battle of the backlines, although Geordan Murphy finished off a world class move in their 21-6 victory. That win propelled Ireland to a best ever height of 3rd in the IRB World Rankings. In the final international match at Lansdowne, Ireland thumped the Pacific Islanders 61-17, with Paddy Wallace putting in a man of the match performance with 26 points. The win completed a hat-trick of victories. In March 2007 the IRFU created the "High Performance Select Group" of up and coming Irish players who have been earmarked for future Irish teams. This group includes Luke Fitzgerald, Barry Murphy, Tommy Bowe, Rob Kearney, Daniel Riordan, Stephen Ferris, Roger Wilson,and Jamie Heaslip, some of whom have already been capped. The aim of the group is to provide these young players with the support and infrastructure available to the senior squad and to ease their future transition into the Irish team. With the announcement of the rebuilding of Lansdowne Road, a new venue was required to stage Ireland's home internationals.

While Ireland are planning to play one of their warm up matches for the 2007 World Cup at Ravenhill, the only stadium in Ireland capable of holding major rugby internationals was Croke Park, home of the Gaelic Athletic Association. To accommodate this, the GAA temporarily relaxed its rule governing the playing of so-called "foreign games" on its property. Initially, two Six Nations games were played at Croke Park during 2007; the first was a 17-20 loss to France, and the second a 43 to 13 win over England. Ireland began their 2008 Six Nations Campaign with a narrow win over Italy. France then edged Ireland out in Paris, before they went on to beat Scotland in Dublin, Ireland then lost to eventual Grand Slammers Wales and England. In March 2008, Eddie O'Sullivan resigned as Ireland coach after the disappointing Six Nations and World Cup campaigns. Declan Kidney was subsequently appointed as manager but did not take up this role formally until after Ireland's tour of New Zealand and Australia (losing to the All Blacks 21-11 and Australia 18-12).

His first official game in charge was against Canada at Thomond Park which Ireland won 55-0. Ireland won the 2009 Six Nations Championship and Grand Slam by beating Wales at the Millennium Stadium 15-17 on 21 March 2009, the first time they had won the championship since 1985, and the first time they had won the Grand Slam since 1948. Ireland also became only the second team (after Wales in 2005) to win a Six Nations Grand Slam after playing more away games than at home. The Ireland team arrived home on 22 March 2009 at Dublin airport to a heroes welcome. Afterwards around 18,000 fans turned out at the Mansion House to greet the team after clinching the first Grand Slam for Ireland in 61 years. After Autumn Series victories against Fiji and South Africa and a draw against Australia, Ireland ended 2009 unbeaten. 2010s Ireland began the 2010 Six Nations with a home game against Italy, winning 29-11.

Their second game was away to France in a match which many saw as the decider for this years competition. France ran out comfortable winners, the final score being 33-10. After a one week break Ireland were away to England. In a close game Ireland eventually emerged victorious, a Tommy Bowe try and Ronan O'Gara conversion winning the match 16-20. After another one week break Ireland were back at Croke Park against Wales. Ireland were winners, beating Wales 27-12 after a Man-of-the-Match performance from Tomas O'Leary. Ireland's final game of the Six Nations, and the last ever game at Croke Park, was against Scotland. Ireland went into the match with a 5th Triple Crown in sight but were undone by a 79th minute Dan Parks penalty, which gave the Scots a 20-23 victory. Ireland began their 2010 Summer Tests with a non-cap friendly against the Barbarians, which they lost 23-29 despite a characteristic fight-back in the second half. Their next game saw them take on New Zealand.

An injury hit side fielded a number of inexperienced or uncapped players, and Ireland were duly thrashed 66-28, their heaviest ever defeat, though a spirited come back in the second half gained them a lot of deserved credit, with tries from O'Driscoll, Bowe and D'Arcy after Tuohy's first half try. Jamie Heaslip was also sent off in the 15th minute so Ireland were at a numerical disadvantage. Ireland's next game was against New Zealand Maori. The side was captained by Geordan Murphy and fielded many inexperienced players. The game was level at 18-18 at half-time thanks to Jonathon Sexton's boot, but the Maori eventually won 31-28. Ireland's next game, and last of the Summer Tests, was against Australia which they lost 22-15. Presidents of IRFU D.V. Healy Today (2010) As of 2010 there are 60,000 (approx.) players in total in Ireland.

56 clubs are affiliated to the Ulster Branch; 71 to the Leinster Branch: 59 to the Munster Branch and 19 to the Connacht Branch. In addition there are 246 Schools playing rugby, Ulster (107), Leinster (75), Munster (41) and Connacht (23). There is a National League of 50 Senior Clubs. The Union owns grounds at Lansdowne Road at which International Rugby and Soccer matches are played. The ground is also home to Wanderers and Lansdowne Rugby clubs. Developments in recent years have added greatly to the seating capacity and the ground now holds approx 50,000. The Union also owns Ravenhill Park in Belfast, Thomond Park in Limerick and a number of grounds in provincial areas that have been rented to Clubs. There is a Branch of the Union in each Province which s managed by a Committee representative of the Clubs in that province. The function of a branch is to regulate the affairs of its Clubs and Schools and to organise Interprovincial matches, Club competitions and Club matches.

The Interprovicial series that is played before Christmas each season provides a useful series of trial matches for the Irish Selectors. References: 1. IRFU website retrieved Oct 22, 2010 2. wikipedia.org/wiki/ireland_national_rugby_union_team retrieved Oct 22, 2010. NB. I don't usually like sourcing information from wikipedia as I have found it to contain many errors in the past. I therefore intend to verify and re-write most of the text on this page in due course.

Question: What is the name of the ground, in Belfast, on which the Ulster Rugby Union team play their home matches?
Answer: RAVENHILL