Editing Republic of Ireland (section)

===Sports===
{{Main|Sport in Ireland}}
[[File:Croke Park panorama.jpg|thumb|[[Croke Park]] stadium is the headquarters of the [[Gaelic Athletic Association]].]]
[[Gaelic football]] and [[hurling]] are the traditional sports of Ireland as well as popular [[spectator sports]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gaa.ie/gaa-news-and-videos/daily-news/3/2107111732-gaa-attendances-hold-firm |title=GAA attendances hold firm |publisher=GAA official website |date=21 July 2011 |access-date=28 August 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111230062255/http://www.gaa.ie/gaa-news-and-videos/daily-news/3/2107111732-gaa-attendances-hold-firm |archive-date=30 December 2011 }}</ref> They are administered by the [[Gaelic Athletics Association]] on an [[all-Ireland]] basis. Other [[Gaelic games]] organised by the association include [[Gaelic handball]] and [[rounders]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gaa.ie/about-the-gaa |title=About the GAA |publisher=GAA official website |access-date=28 August 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110827084718/http://www.gaa.ie/about-the-gaa/ |archive-date=27 August 2011 }}</ref> [[Association football in the Republic of Ireland|Association football]] (soccer) is the third most popular spectator sport and has the highest level of participation.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.esri.ie/pdf/BKMNINT180_Main%20Text_Social%20and%20Economic%20Value%20of%20Sport.pdf |title=Social and Economic Value of Sport in Ireland |access-date=5 February 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150712134834/http://www.esri.ie/pdf/BKMNINT180_Main%20Text_Social%20and%20Economic%20Value%20of%20Sport.pdf |archive-date=12 July 2015 }}</ref> Although the [[League of Ireland]] is the national league, the English [[Premier League]] is the most popular among the public.<ref>{{cite book|last=Whelan|first=Daire|title=Who Stole Our Game?|publisher=Gill & Macmillan Ltd|year=2006|isbn=0-7171-4004-0}}</ref> The [[Republic of Ireland national football team]] plays at international level and is administered by the [[Football Association of Ireland]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fai.ie/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=75&Itemid=139|title=About FAI|publisher=FAI official website|access-date=28 August 2011|archive-date=26 September 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110926064431/http://www.fai.ie/index.php?option=com_content|url-status=live}}</ref>

The [[Irish Rugby Football Union]] is the governing body of [[Rugby union in Ireland|rugby union]], which is played at local and international levels on an all-Ireland basis, and has produced players such as [[Brian O'Driscoll]] and [[Ronan O'Gara]], who were on the team that won the [[Grand Slam (rugby union)|Grand Slam]] in [[2009 Six Nations Championship|2009]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.irishrugby.ie/rugby/fixturesandresults/5715.php/ |title=Ireland Are Grand Slam Champions! |publisher=IRFU |date=21 March 2009 |access-date=23 February 2015 |archive-date=23 February 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150223164446/http://www.irishrugby.ie/rugby/fixturesandresults/5715.php/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> The success of the [[Irish Cricket Team]] in the [[2007 Cricket World Cup]] has led to an increase in the popularity of [[cricket in Ireland|cricket]], which is also administered on an all-Ireland basis by [[Cricket Ireland]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2011/mar/17/ireland-cricket-more-elite-matches|title=Ireland is learning to love cricket and deserves more visits from the elite|work=The Guardian|date=17 March 2011|access-date=28 August 2011|location=London|first=Mike|last=Selvey|archive-date=8 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140108023437/http://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2011/mar/17/ireland-cricket-more-elite-matches|url-status=live}}</ref> Ireland are one of [[List of International Cricket Council members#Full Members|the twelve Test playing members]] of the [[International Cricket Council]], having been granted [[Test cricket|Test status]] in 2017. [[Cricket in Ireland#Domestic cricket|Professional domestic matches]] are played between the major cricket unions of [[Leinster Cricket Union|Leinster]], [[Munster Cricket Union|Munster]], [[Northern Cricket Union of Ireland|Northern]], and [[North West Cricket Union|North West]]. [[Netball]] is represented by the [[Republic of Ireland national netball team|Ireland national netball team]].

[[Golf]] is another popular sport in Ireland, with over 300 courses countrywide.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.worldgolf.com/courses/ireland|title=Golf courses of Ireland|publisher=WorldGolf|access-date=28 August 2011|archive-date=4 November 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111104131025/http://www.worldgolf.com/courses/ireland/|url-status=live}}</ref> The country has produced several internationally successful golfers, such as [[Pádraig Harrington]], [[Shane Lowry (golfer)|Shane Lowry]] and [[Paul McGinley]]. [[Horse racing]] has a large presence, with influential breeding and racing operations in the country. Racing takes place at courses at [[The Curragh Racecourse]] in [[County Kildare]], [[Leopardstown Racecourse]] just outside Dublin, and [[Galway]]. Ireland has produced champion horses such as [[Galileo (horse)|Galileo]], [[Montjeu]], and [[Sea the Stars]]. [[Boxing]] is Ireland's most successful sport at an Olympic level. Administered by the [[Irish Athletic Boxing Association]] on an all-Ireland basis, it has gained in popularity as a result of the international success of boxers such as [[Bernard Dunne]], [[Andy Lee (boxer)|Andy Lee]] and [[Katie Taylor]].

Some of Ireland's highest performers in [[sport of athletics|athletics]] have competed at the [[Olympic Games]], such as [[Eamonn Coghlan]] and [[Sonia O'Sullivan]]. The annual [[Dublin Marathon]] and [[Dublin Women's Mini Marathon]] are two of the most popular athletics events in the country.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://dublinmarathon.ie/general_history.php |title=A long and winding road |publisher=Dublin Marathon official website |access-date=28 August 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110810093228/http://dublinmarathon.ie/general_history.php |archive-date=10 August 2011}}</ref> [[Rugby league]] is represented by the [[Ireland national rugby league team]] and administered by [[Rugby League Ireland]] (who are full member of the [[Rugby League European Federation]]) on an all-Ireland basis. The team compete in the [[European Cup (rugby league)]] and the [[Rugby League World Cup]]. Ireland reached the quarter-finals of the [[2000 Rugby League World Cup]] as well as reaching the semi-finals in the [[2008 Rugby League World Cup]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rugbyleagueplanet.com/rlp-nations/ireland/502-rugby-league-planet-ireland |title=Ireland rugby league nation overview |publisher=Rugby League Planet |access-date=28 August 2011 |archive-date=6 March 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130306004553/http://www.rugbyleagueplanet.com/rlp-nations/ireland/502-rugby-league-planet-ireland |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[Irish Elite League]] is a domestic competition for rugby league teams in Ireland.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www1.skysports.com/rugby-league/news/12196/6907954/irish-eye-super-league |title=Irish Eye Super League |publisher=Sky Sports |access-date=2 September 2011 |archive-date=24 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121024002121/http://www1.skysports.com/rugby-league/news/12196/6907954/Irish-eye-Super-League |url-status=live }}</ref>

While [[Australian rules football in Ireland]] has a limited following, a series of [[International rules football]] games (constituting a hybrid of the Australian and Gaelic football codes) takes place annually between teams representing Ireland and Australia.<ref>{{cite web |title=International Rules |url=https://www.afl.com.au/international-rules |publisher=AFL |access-date=28 April 2021 |archive-date=28 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210428105551/https://www.afl.com.au/international-rules |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Baseball in Ireland|Baseball]] and [[basketball]] are also emerging sports in Ireland, both of which have an international team representing the island of Ireland. Other sports which retain a following in Ireland include [[cycle sport|cycling]], [[greyhound racing]], [[horse riding]], and [[motorsport]].