![Murray, Sean IRISH HISTORY New Sean Murray: Last Disco: The True Story Of The Stardust Tragedy [2023]](http://chaptersbookstore.com/cdn/shop/files/murray-sean-sean-murray-last-disco-the-true-story-of-the-stardust-tragedy-2023-9781804184813-57987612639571_{width}x.jpg?v=1726655167)
![Farrell, Warren DUBLIN INTEREST New Warren Farrell: So Once Was I: Forgotten Tales from Glasnevin Cemetery [2024] paperback](http://chaptersbookstore.com/cdn/shop/files/farrell-warren-warren-farrell-so-once-was-i-forgotten-tales-from-glasnevin-cemetery-2024-paperback-9781785375125-55594418241875_{width}x.jpg?v=1714068128)
![Mcwilliams, David PREORDER NONFICTION New David McWilliams: Money [2024] paperback](http://chaptersbookstore.com/cdn/shop/files/mcwilliams-david-david-mcwilliams-money-2024-paperback-9781471195440-55374277935443_{width}x.jpg?v=1712763133)
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. Liam O'Callaghan's revelatory book 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.
In Blood and Thunder O'Callaghan traces the sequence of events that led Ireland's private Catholic secondary schools to embrace rugby - a game of the Anglo-Protestant elite - rather than soccer or Gaelic football: a choice that may have more to do with Ireland becoming a major rugby nation than any other factor. He tells the strange story of Irish rugby's various methods of dealing with the lack of an all-Ireland national anthem or flag. He shows how a game associated with elite enclaves came to capture the imagination of the general public, and how a game played and administered by Northern unionists and Southern nationalists survived the various political crises that could have torn it apart. He looks at the controversies and crises that have shaken Irish rugby - including the Northern Troubles, the IRFU's long refusal to join the sporting boycott of apartheid South Africa, the Belfast rape trial, the rise and subsequent neglect of women's rugby, and the rising toll of head injuries. And he traces the dramatic evolution whereby a rugby nation that was deeply attached to amateurism has made such a dramatic success of professionalism.
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.
- Publisher Name:Penguin Books Ltd
- Product Format:Hardback
- ISBN: 9781844886616
- Author:O'callaghan, Liam
- Publication Date:2024-09-05
If you are not satisfied with your order in any way, get in touch. We have an excellent customer service record and we will do our best to ensure you are pleased with your purchase.
We are happy to refund a product if it is defective, within 30 days of purchase upon the return of your product. If you return a product to us and request a refund due to an error on our part we will be happy to pay for the postage cost to return it to us.
To be eligible for a return, your item must be in the same condition that you received it, unworn or unused & unread, and in its original packaging. You’ll also need the receipt or proof of purchase.
Please note, if you are requesting a refund based on an issue with condition we kindly ask you to provide a photo in order for us to best advise a suitable resolution.
To start a return, you can contact us at shop@chaptersbookstore.com. If your return is accepted, we’ll send you a return shipping label, as well as instructions on how and where to send your package. Items sent back to us without first requesting a return will not be accepted.
You can always contact us for any return question at shop@chaptersbookstore.com.
Damages and issues
Please inspect your order upon reception and contact us immediately if the item is defective, damaged or if you receive the wrong item, so that we can evaluate the issue and make it right.
Exceptions / non-returnable items
Certain types of items cannot be returned, like custom products or special orders. Unfortunately, we cannot accept returns on sale items or gift cards.
Exchanges
The fastest way to ensure you get what you want is to return the item you have, and once the return is accepted, make a separate purchase for the new item.
Refunds
We will notify you once we’ve received and inspected your return, and let you know if the refund was approved or not. If approved, you’ll be automatically refunded on your original payment method. Please remember it can take some time for your bank or credit card company to process and post the refund too.
