ABSTRACT
This chapter outlines the changes in rugby and Irish society that occurred around the professional era separately. It analyses the extent to which there are any links between the success of professional rugby in Ireland and the broader economic and cultural trends outlined. Establishing a correlation between rugby success and national success (however defined) is quite easy, depending on what measures one chooses: just a series of upward curves that roughly map onto each other chronologically. Statistics from the Economic and Social Research Institute in Ireland also indicate that rugby is behind Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) and soccer in retaining players who have played the game at school. Yet, despite the social homogeneity of rugby, commentators came to gush at what they saw as the game's inclusive embrace. Exact quantitative links between the financial status of professional rugby and the Celtic Tiger are difficult to establish, precisely because of their common chronological origin.
