Full Description
'An entertaining and whimsical search for "the soul of Irish rugby"... Peppered with astute observations' Irish Times
'Triumphs, Trophies and Troubles has got Irish rugby just right in this the 150th anniversary season of the IRFU' Willie John McBride
FOREWORD by former Ireland fly half Ollie Campbell
'In a world going all too fast, Peter Bills has the time, the wit and the attention to detail for stories that would otherwise be lost. His is an easy style, a remembering of times and values not just of the Saturday internationals past but of the grassroots members who keep rugby alive to this day.' Keith Wood
In late 2024 Ireland, with a population of just 7 million people, stood at the top of rugby union's world rankings.
Ireland's rise to such an exalted position has been the great triumph of rugby's professional era. For a nation that fought tooth and nail to keep the game amateur, their progress since 2000 has been extraordinary. The trophies, once so rare in Irish rugby hands, have become almost commonplace. Six Nations Championships, Triple Crowns, Millennium Trophies have all stood in the IRFU offices in Dublin.
But that is the top tier of the game. What is the health of the sport at other levels all around Ireland? In this book award-winning international rugby writer Peter Bills seeks to take the pulse of the game at every level - schools, clubs, provinces - as well as the fast-expanding women's game. For if rugby at grassroots level withers, the decline will affect everyone. And how can rugby learn to live side by side with the ubiquitous GAA?
Featuring interviews with some legendary names of Irish rugby, such as Keith Wood, Willie John McBride, Tony Ward, Bill Mulcahy, Gordon D'Arcy, Trevor Ringland, Nigel Carr and Tommy Bowe, we also hear from men and women from junior and club rugby, at clubs like Dingle, Kinsale, Monkstown, Boyne, Westport, City of Derry, Donegal Town, Omagh and Oughterard. All of them are doing stirring work behind the scenes for their local clubs and communities as Bills goes in search of the soul of Irish rugby.
Contents
Foreword: by Ollie Campbell Introduction: Introduction Chapter 1: The Military Men Chapter 2: Monkstown: Proudly Contributing Chapter 3: Clontarf Chapter 4: Skerries Chapter 5: Balbriggan Chapter 6: Battles by the Boyne (Delvin, Drogheda, Boyne) Chapter 7: Carlingford and Jack Kyle Country Chapter 8: The Border Chapter 9: Trevor Ringland Chapter 10: City of Derry RFC Chapter 11: Willie John McBride Chapter 12: Inishowen Chapter 13: Omagh Chapter 14: Dave Gallaher Chapter 15: Heading West (Donegal) Chapter 16: Sligo Chapter 17: An Englishman's Words Chapter 18: Westport Chapter 19: Oughterard Chapter 20: The Wild Men Chapter 21: Rugbaí Chorca Dhuibhne (Dingle) Chapter 22: The Men of Munster Chapter 23: Kinsale and Clonakilty Chapter 24: The Leinster Conundrum Chapter 25: Tommy Bowe Chapter 26: And Finally
