Rugby Union and Nationalism in Irelandnat Research Paper

Rugby Union and Nationalism in Irelandnat - Research Paper Example What the considerations of this context to be explored includes historical accounts of Irish rugby, British media portraits of Irish rugby union, and the views of contemporary international Irish rugby players. The concept of "identity" can be summarized as the deep-rooted subjective feelings and valuations of any group of people who share common experiences and cultural characteristics (Bloom, 1990). Individuals are not tied to one identity but with their multiple and complex personal identities that are continually molded by societal dynamics. National Identity is among these where within its terminology: the nation and feelings of "nationness" are largely articulated through national culture (Schwarz, 1992). A national culture in many ways is composed of a set of competing discourses bound to the actions of specific social groups. Dominant social groups can therefore manufacture identities about "the nation" the public, can relate. Identifications with the nation are deeply anchor ed in "national history" is continuously narrated through stories, memories, and images. This symbolic historical ritual of narrations is consequently loaded with the "recollection of shared experiences" of a people in the form of an "imagined community" (Anderson, 1983), which gives meaning onto the nation. However, this representation can also become part of a person's "second nature" and turned "real" for example, through sporting affiliations rather than simply imagined. When considering the relationship between sport and the nation, it has been widely acknowledged that sport and national identity have been closely associated over the past century and a half. Sporting competition arguably provides the primary expression of imagined communities; the nation (at least temporarily) turning real in the domain of sports. (Bale, 1986) states that, "Whether at local, regional or national level, sport is, after war, probably the principal means of collective identification in modern life ." Brief History of Sports and Nationalism of United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland Historically, sporting identities have reflected also the national identities within the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. The "Celtic Fringe" has used sports in various ways as a means of asserting its own national identities. For example, in the late nineteenth century, Irish cultural nationalists, eager to reclaim their cultural identities by forging a new Irish nation, rejected "British" sports and established their own Gaelic games under the arm of Gaelic Athletic Association (Mandle, 1987). Case study: Documents that Relate Rugby Union, National Identity, and Ireland Diffley (1973) and Van Esbeck (1974, 1986, 1999) extensively documented the "story" of Irish rugby and here is a brief overview of the official histories of the relationship between rugby union and national identity in Ireland. Van Esbeck (1974) states that, "the essential physical character of the game is certainly compatible with the essential character of the Irish temperament. . . ." implying present is a special tie between rugby and being Irish. Diffley's (1973) accounts: The players may . . . play as intensely as teams from any other country but . . . in the