Blood And Thunder : Rugby and Irish Life: A History

Liam O'Callaghan

ISBN 10: 0241999766 / ISBN 13: 9780241999769

Published by Penguin Books Ltd Apr 2025, 2025

About this Item

Neuware - Liam O'Callaghan's revelatory Blood and Thunder shows that the rise of Irish rugby is inextricable from the tensions, debates and divisions - of politics, religion and class - that have defined modern Irish history.Despite the political partition of the island, Ireland competes at rugby internationally with an all-island team - and with a bespoke anthem that nobody loves but everyone tolerates. Ireland has become a leading rugby nation despite its tiny population and the fact that the sport is only the fourth most popular team game on the island by participation.In Blood and Thunder, O'Callaghan traces the dramatic evolution whereby a rugby nation that was deeply attached to amateurism has made such a dramatic success of professionalism. From the sequence of events that led Ireland's private Catholic secondary schools to embrace rugby, to the controversies and crises that have shaken Irish rugby - including the Northern Troubles, the Belfast rape trial, and the rising toll of head injuries - Blood and Thunder tells the rich and fascinating story of Irish rugby.Blood and Thunder is more than a social and political history of Irish rugby. It is also a shadow-history of modern Ireland, rooted in brilliant original research and packed with terrific stories.

Seller Inventory # 9780241999769

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Blood And Thunder : Rugby and Irish Life: A History
• Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd Apr 2025
• Publication Date: 2025
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0241999766
• ISBN 13: 9780241999769
• Binding: Taschenbuch
• Condition: Neu
• Dimensions: 196W x 127H x 22D millimeters 196 millimeters width by 127 millimeters height by 22 millimeters depth
• Weight: 240 grams

About this title

Synopsis

Liam O'Callaghan's revelatory Blood and Thunder shows that the rise of Irish rugby is inextricable from the tensions, debates and divisions – of politics, religion and class – that have defined modern Irish history.

Despite the political partition of the island, Ireland competes at rugby internationally with an all-island team – and with a bespoke anthem that nobody loves but everyone tolerates. Ireland has become a leading rugby nation despite its tiny population and the fact that the sport is only the fourth most popular team game on the island by participation.

In Blood and Thunder, O’ Callaghan traces the dramatic evolution whereby a rugby nation that was deeply attached to amateurism has made such a dramatic success of professionalism. From the sequence of events that led Ireland's private Catholic secondary schools to embrace rugby, to the controversies and crises that have shaken Irish rugby – including the Northern Troubles, the Belfast rape trial, and the rising toll of head injuries – Blood and Thunder tells the rich and fascinating story of Irish rugby.

Blood and Thunder is more than a social and political history of Irish rugby. It is also a shadow-history of modern Ireland, rooted in brilliant original research and packed with terrific stories.

About the Author

A native of Limerick, Liam O'Callaghan is a social historian at Liverpool Hope University, specializing in the social history of modern Ireland, with a focus on sport. He is the author of Rugby in Munster: A Social and Cultural History.