IRFU History

The Irish Rugby Football Union is the governing body for the sport on the island of Ireland. In this section you'll find information on players, captains, IRFU Presidents and links to archive footage of matches dating back to the 1920s.

Initially, there were two unions: the Irish Football Union, which had jurisdiction over clubs in Leinster, Munster and parts of Ulster and was founded in December 1874, and the Northern Football Union of Ireland, which controlled the Belfast area and was founded in January 1875.

The IRFU was formed in 1879 as an amalgamation of these two organisations and branches of the new IRFU were formed in Leinster, Munster and Ulster. The Connacht Branch was formed in 1885.