![[Irish Rugby Football Union flag]](../images/i/ie@irfu.gif)
image by António Martins-Tuválkin, 19 September 2007
Last modified: 2010-06-11 by rob raeside
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image by António Martins-Tuválkin, 19 September 2007
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The Irish rugby is made of players coming either from the Republic of Ireland
or from Northern Ireland, part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Northern Ireland. In the World Cup 2007, the "official" flag, that is the one
used during the teams' presentation (and, additionally, as an icon on the World
Cup website), is the flag of the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU). Remember
that rugby was originally known as "rugby football", since it was a "deviant"
form of football "invented" at Rugby College in 1823 by William Webb Ellis; the
history is indeed more complicated...)
Quoting the most salient facts in the Irish rugby, from the
IRFU website:
"Dublin University, founded in 1854, was the first organised Rugby Football Club
in Ireland . [...] 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.[...] 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.[...]
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. There are presently 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).[...]"
The IRFU flag, as shown on a photograph on the IRFU website, is green with the
emblem of IRFU in the middle, surrounded by the shields of the four Irish
provinces, Ulster (upper hoist), Leinster (upper fly), Munster (lower hoist) and
Connacht (lower fly) - see
http://www.irishrugby.ie/6855_8117.php. A partial image of the flag used
during the presentations of the teams of Ireland and Georgia in Bordeaux, 16
September 2007, can be seen on the IRFU website at
http://www.irishrugby.ie/8995.php.
Ivan Sache, 17 September 2007
The image above was made using
http://innisfree1916.files.wordpress.com/2007/02/irfu-logo.png for the
emblem and this photo, shields
from
http://www.irishlegendsrugby.ie/aboutcrest.php (where
Munster's crowns are placed 1+2, instead of the usual 2+1). This version
presents several detail differences comparing with the photo at
http://www.irishrugby.ie/6855_8117.php: larger shields with thinner edges,
and (perhaps) smaller logo.
Provincial rugby associations' logos can also be found:
http://www.irishrugby.ie/images/news/Ulster-Logo.jpg
http://www.munsterrugby.ie/images/news/logo_550x290.jpg
http://www.leinsterrugby.ie/uploadedfiles/News%20Area/Leinster%20Logo.jpg
http://www.connachtrugby.ie/
António Martins-Tuválkin 19 September 2007
