ABSTRACT
It appears that there are few more appropriate examples of the use of sport for the purposes of developing social capital than that of the case of Ireland. With a total population of 7 million, the island, situated on the western seaboard of Europe, is divided between the Republic of Ireland, an independent nation-state, and Northern Ireland, which despite having a devolved assembly, remains constitutionally tied to Britain. In the latter case, despite over a decade of relative peace, there remains a society broadly divided along ethno-sectarian lines. During the latter part of the 20th century, from 1969 to 1998, Northern Ireland was the site of a confl ict between Irish republican paramilitary groupings, mainly the Irish Republican Army (IRA), and British state forces over the country’s constitutional future. Some 2,087 civilians died as a result of the confl ict, 910 members of the security forces (including the police and army) and 395 republican paramilitaries also lost their lives during a black period in the country’s short history. Deep wounds remain to this day and refl ect the fact that the majority Protestant and Unionist population in Northern Ireland has a set of political and cultural beliefs which are essentially British whilst the minority Catholic and Nationalist community retain a constitutional and cultural position which sees it align more closely with the rest of Ireland. Of course none of these communities are absolute monoliths and, on both sides, a fair degree of moderation is on display.
