Ireland Foofball Essay, Research Paper

t was John M. McAlery, a Belfast merchant, who introduced association football or soccer to

Ireland in 1878. McAlery, manager of the Irish Tweed House, chose to go to Edinburgh for his

honeymoon and from the standpoint of Irish sport, it proved a highly significant decision.

In the course of his travels there, he was introduced to the sport that had spread northwards from

the English midlands, over the previous decade. The Football Association was established in

London in 1866, but because of the travel and communication problems of the day, its influence

took a long time to spread.

Cad had been the traditional field sport in Ireland. But in 1874, a powerful new organisation was

born with the formation of the Irish Rugby Foot

t was John M. McAlery, a Belfast merchant, who introduced association football or soccer to

Ireland in 1878