Munster an Mhumhain / Cúige Mumhan
Flag
Coordinates: 52°15′N 9°00′W / 52.25°N 9°W / 52.25; -9Coordinates: 52°15′N 9°00′W / 52.25°N 9°W / 52.25; -9
State	Ireland
Counties	Clare Cork Kerry Limerick Tipperary Waterford
Government
• Teachta Dála	21 Fine Gael TDs 9 Labour Party TDs 7 Fianna Fáil TDs 5 Independent TDs 3 Sinn Féin TDs 1 ULA TD
Area
• Total	24,675 km2 (9,527 sq mi)
Population (2011)
• Total	1,243,726
• Rank	3rd in Ireland, 2nd in the Republic of Ireland

Munster (Irish: an Mhumhain / Cúige Mumhan, pronounced [ənˈvuːnʲ]) is one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the south of Ireland. In Ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" Irish: rí ruirech. Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for administrative and judicial purposes. In later centuries, local government legislation has seen further sub-division of the historic counties. In modern times, clusters of counties have been attributed to certain provinces but these clusters have no legal status. The province itself, while enjoying common usage and forming a strong part of local identity, has no official function for local government purposes. Apart from County Clare, much of the area lies in the South constituency for elections to the European Parliament. Geographically, Munster covers a total area of 24,675 km² (9,527 sq mi) and the most populated city is Cork.

History[link]

In the early centuries AD, Munster was the domain of the Iverni and the legendary Clanna Dedad led by Cú Roí and to whom the celebrated Conaire Mór also belonged. During the Early Middle Ages, most of the area was part of the Kingdom of Munster, ruled by the Eóganachta dynasty, who succeeded the once mighty Dáirine and Corcu Loígde overlords from the early 7th century onwards, perhaps beginning with the notable career of Faílbe Flann mac Áedo Duib. Later rulers from the Eóganachta who would dominate a greater part of Ireland were Cathal mac Finguine and Feidlimid mac Cremthanin. Notable regional kingdoms and lordships of Early Medieval Munster were Iarmuman (West Munster), Osraige (Ossory), Uí Liatháin, Uí Fidgenti, Éile, Múscraige, Ciarraige Luachra, Corcu Duibne, Corcu Baiscinn, and Déisi Muman. By the 9th century the Gaels had been joined by Norse Vikings who founded towns such as Cork, Waterford and Limerick, for the most part incorporated into a maritime empire by the Dynasty of Ivar, who periodically would threaten Munster with conquest in the next century. Around this period Ossory broke away from Munster. The 10th century century saw the rise of the Dalcassians (probably descendants of the ancient Mairtine, a sept of the Iverni/Érainn), who had earlier annexed Thomond, north of the Shannon to Munster. Their leaders were the ancestors of the O'Brien dynasty and spawned Brian Bóruma, perhaps the most noted High King of Ireland, and several of whose descendants were also High Kings. By 1118 Munster had fractured into the Kingdom of Thomond under the O'Briens, the Kingdom of Desmond under the MacCarthy dynasty (Eóganachta), and the short-lived Kingdom of Ormond under the O'Kennedys (another Dalcassian sept).

The three crowns of the Munster flag represent these three late kingdoms. This flag can easily be confused with the flag of Dublin which has three castles in a similar pattern on a blue background; it also resembles the lesser coat-of-arms of Sweden, the Three Crowns.

There was Norman influence from the 14th century, due to adventuring of the FitzGerald, de Clare and Butler houses, two of whom carved out earldoms within the Lordship of Ireland, the Earls of Desmond eventually becoming independent potentates, for a time the greatest in Ireland, while the Earls of Ormond remained closer to England. The O'Brien of Thomond and MacCarthy of Desmond surrendered and regranted sovereignty to the Tudors in 1543 and 1565, joining the Kingdom of Ireland. The terrible Desmond Rebellions, led by the FitzGeralds, soon followed. Much of the area was almost three centuries later also hit hard in the Great Hunger, especially the west.^[1] After the kingdom was merged into the United Kingdom, there was a war in the 20th century resulting in secession of the Irish Free State. There was a brief Munster Republic during the Irish Civil War, soon defeated by the Irish Army — the Free State became a republic in 1937.

The Irish leaders Michael Collins and earlier Daniel O'Connell came from families of the old Gaelic Munster gentry.

Culture[link]

The area is famed for Irish traditional music. Gaelic games, especially hurling are popular and the Gaelic Athletic Association was founded in the province. The rugby union team - Munster Rugby - is a prominent identity symbol and is amongst the elite of European rugby clubs. There are many ancient castles and monasteries in the province; this coupled with the vast green countryside and three cities makes it a feature of the tourism industry. A 5th century bishop named Ailbe is the patron saint of Munster.

In Irish mythology, a number of pagan goddesses are associated with the province including Anann, Áine, Grian, Clíodhna, Aimend, Mór Muman, Bébinn, Aibell and Queen Mongfind. Each is historically associated with certain septs of the nobility. The druid-god of Munster is Mug Ruith. A more shadowy figure is Donn, associated with Tech Duinn, beyond the mortal realm.

The province has long had trading and cultural links with continental Europe. The tribe of Corcu Loígde is known to have had a trading fleet active along the French Atlantic coast, as far south as Gascony, importing wine to Munster. The Eóganachta had ecclesiastical ties with distant Germany, which show in the architecture of their ceremonial capital, the famous acropolis on the Rock of Cashel.

The majority of Irish ogham inscriptions are found in Munster, principally in areas occupied by the Iverni, especially the Corcu Duibne.^[2] Later, Europe's first linguistic dictionary in any non-Classical language, the Sanas Cormaic, was compiled by Munster scholars, traditionally thought to have been directed by the king-bishop Cormac mac Cuilennáin (d. 908).

The School of Ross in Munster was one of Europe's leading centers of learning in the Early Middle Ages.

Counties[link]

It comprises the counties of:

Urban Areas[link]

In order of size (2006 census figures; urban areas with over 10,000 inhabitants):

Urban areas in bold have city status.

Economy[link]

The province of Munster contributes 40 billion euro (US$52.57bn) to Irish GDP (25% of total Irish GDP) (2004) (greater than the Economy of Northern Ireland 37.3bn euro).^[4] Munster also is wealthier than Slovenia (pop. 2m), Lithuania (pop. 3.5m), Latvia (pop. 2.5m) and Kenya (pop. 35m). Munster is the home to many modern capital intensive, highly productive private sector enterprises.

The Economy of Cork and Economy of Limerick are the main engines of the province's economy. The Cork harbour area was the centre of Ireland's heavy industry manufacturing sector. Cork had a steel mill, a shipyard, a car assembly plant, a tyre plant, a deep harbour, and a thriving textile sector in the mid twentieth century. However heavy taxes, excessive regulation, competition from larger centres of economic activity, and the sudden removal of protective tariffs upon membership of the European Economic Community caused a decline in the 1970s. Cork was Ireland's rust belt city in the 1980s, as heavy industry moved out, and newer sectors tried to get established in as unemployment peaked.

Munster was the home of 'The Munster and Leinster Bank', which is parent of Ireland's largest bank Allied Irish Bank. Cork, in Munster, is also home of the two largest Irish owned retailing organizations, Dunnes Stores, and the Musgrave Group. Cork is also home to two of the three Irish stout brands; Murphy's Irish stout, and Beamish, as well as the 'Paddy' brand of Irish whiskey.

The Crescent Shopping Centre is Munster's largest shopping center located in Dooradoyle in Limerick City with over 110 shops in an estimated 100,000 square meters of retail space. Mahon Point Shopping Centre located in Cork City has an estimated total retail floor area of 23,225 square meters and has 60 shops.

Shannon Airport, a rich music tradition, the best food from land and sea, and landscapes of international renown, have all been influential in the development of the tourist sector in Munster.

Power generation[link]

The majority of the Republic's power stations are located in Munster.

Ireland's only oil refinery and oil storage facility is still located at Whitegate.

The majority of Ireland's gas production comes from Kinsale Head in County Cork, from where it is transported by pipeline across the country.

Moneypoint power station located near Kilrush in County Clare is Ireland's largest electricity generating station. It is Ireland's only coal powered station and is Ireland's largest emitter of greenhouse gases. It is capable of meeting around 25% of customer demand across the country.

The hydroelectric power plant at Ardnacrusha to the north of Limerick City in County Clare is Ireland's largest river hydroelectric power station and is operated on a purpose built canal from the River Shannon. It was the largest infrastructural project undertaken by newly established Irish Free State and was completed in 1927. For a time it was the largest hydroelectric power station in the world but was overtaken by the Hoover Dam.

I.T. & pharmaceutical industry[link]

Munster is one of Ireland's most important I.T. hubs with such multinationals as Apple, Intel, Amazon and Dell locating in the province. The Atlantic Quarter in Cork is a new plan to create a smaller version of Dublin's IFSC in Cork docklands. In Kerry, FEXCO Financial Services in Killorglin is a foreign exchange and global payments group.^[5]

Munster has developed into the centre of Ireland's pharmaceutical industry. The province plays an ever greater role in the bio-pharmaceutical industry and is successful in fighting off stiff competition from Switzerland and Singapore for inward investments in the bio-pharmaceutical area in companies such as Amgen and Pfizer and Roche (located in Clarecastle Co.Clare).^[6]

Metropolitan Cork & Shannon Free Zone[link]

The following are some of the more important employers in the region: AOL, Bausch & Lomb, Dairygold, Dell, Amazon, Motorola, Amgen, Pfizer, Analog Devices, Fexco Financial Services, Vistakon, Waterford Crystal, Apple Computer, Intel, Novartis, O2, Lufthansa Technik, Kerry Group, Teva Pharmaceuticals, Siemens, Sony and Blizzard Entertainment. The largest employment hub in Munster is Metropolitan Cork, with many large multinational firms located in the area. The second most important is the Shannon Free Zone with over 120 international firms based there employing over 7,500 people.

Harbour[link]

Cork Harbour is the largest natural harbour in Europe and has always had a long and important maritime history.

Haulbowline Island is the location of the Irish naval fleet and the Irish Naval College.

The town of Cobh and the village of Dunmore East are the only cruise ship destination. Cobh is also where the Titanic made its last port of call before meeting its final destiny.

Golden Vale[link]

The Golden Vale is considered rich pastureland and has historically contributed to the wealth of Munster. It is the best land in Ireland for dairy farming.

International airports[link]

• Cork Airport (Republic of Ireland's 2nd busiest airport)
• Kerry Airport
• Shannon Airport (Republic of Ireland's 3rd busiest airport)
• Waterford Airport

Major infrastructural projects[link]

• The Limerick Tunnel
• The Jack Lynch Tunnel
• The restoration of the Cork to Midleton railway line Cork Suburban Rail (3 lines)
• Limerick Suburban Rail (2 lines)
• The restoration of the Limerick to Galway railway line Western Rail Corridor
• The construction of M7 Limerick to Dublin
• The construction of M8 Cork to Dublin
• The construction of M9 Waterford to Dublin
• The construction of N/M18 Limerick to Galway
• The construction of M20 Limerick to Cork
• The M7/N18 Limerick Southern Ring Road
• The introduction of new Dublin-Cork railway line trains
• The Atlantic Quarter, Cork docklands.
• Riverpoint building, Limerick (tallest building in Limerick city)
• Clarion Hotel, Limerick
• Cork County Hall, Cork (2nd tallest building in ROI at 67m)
• The Elysian, Cork (tallest building in ROI at 80m)
• Cork City Hall
• Turners Cross Stadium
• Pairc Ui Chaoimh
• Pairc Ui Rinn
• Thomond Park Stadium

Irish language[link]

The Irish language, or more specifically Munster Irish is spoken as a first language in Gaeltachtaí (Irish speaking areas);

• in West Kerry (Corca Dhuibhne)
• in South Kerry (Uíbh Ráthach).
• in West Cork (Múscraí)
• in south-west Cork (Oileán Cléire)
• in south-west Waterford (Gaeltacht na Rinne or Gaeltacht na nDeise)

There are 34,593 Irish language speakers, with 9,737 native speakers in the Munster Gaeltacht areas of Cork, Kerry and Waterford and there is also the 12,219 attending the 45 Gaelscoils (Irish language primary schools) and 15 Gaelcholáiste (Irish language secondary schools) across the province. According to the Irish Census 2006 there are 12,637 daily speakers outside the education system in the province.

The number of Gaelscoileanna (Irish language schools) has increased sharply in the last ten years. Children learn Irish and speak Irish in the Gaelscoileanna. Munster has the second highest number of Irish-medium primary schools (46) in Ireland and the highest number of Irish-medium secondary schools (22) of any Irish province.

Third level institutions[link]

• University College Cork 17,000 students
• Cork Institute of Technology 17,000 students
• University of Limerick 13,000 students
• Waterford Institute of Technology 10,000 students
• Limerick Institute of Technology 6,500 students
• Institute of Technology, Tralee 3,500 students
• Mary Immaculate College, Limerick 2,500 students
• Cork College of Commerce
• Central Technical Institute Waterford
• Central Technical Institute Clonmel
• Limerick Senior College
• West Clare VTOS
• Burren College of Art
• Griffith College Cork
• Griffith College Limerick
• Mallow College of Further Education
• Mid West Business Institute
• Shannon College of Hotel Management
• Tipperary Institute
• Garda Síochána College

Munster media[link]

Television[link]

• RTÉ Cork - Cork based television broadcasting studios for RTÉ
• South Coast TV - Cork based television company
• Channel South

Newspapers[link]

• The Irish Examiner - Cork-based national newspaper
• Evening Echo - daily evening paper covering Cork city. Also a daily Limerick edition
• The Avondhu - covers North East Cork, West Waterford, South Limerick and South Tipperary.
• The Munster Express - covers the South East.
• Nationalist & Munster Advertiser

The Limerick Leader (covers the Mid West)

Clare[link]

• Clare Champion
• Clare People
• Clare Courier
• Clare County Express

Cork[link]

• The Imokilly People (East Cork)
• The Carrigdhoun
• The Cork Weekly^[7] Free paper for Metropolitan Cork incorporating the Douglas Weekly
• The Corkman
• Cork Independent
• The Mallow Star
• The Southern Star
• The Vale Star
• The Avondhu
• Evening Echo

Kerry[link]

• The Kerryman
• The Kingdom
• Kerry's Eye

Limerick[link]

• Limerick Leader
• Limerick Post
• Limerick Independent
• The Vale Star (South & East Limerick)
• The Weekly Observer (West Limerick)

Tipperary[link]

• The Guardian, Nenagh
• The Tipperary Star
• The Nationalist, Clonmel and South Tipperaray
• "The Three Counties", Carrick-On-Suir
• "South Tipp Today", South Tipperary

Waterford[link]

• The Waterford News and Star, Waterford City
• The Waterford Today, Waterford City
• The Munster Express, Dungarvan
• The Dungarvan Leader, Dungarvan
• The Dungarvan Observer, Dungarvan

Radio[link]

• Red FM - Cork Youth-driven service
• Clare FM - County Clare
• Tipp FM - County Tipperary
• Radio Kerry - County Kerry
• WLR FM - Waterford City and County
• 96FM and C103 (dual franchise) - General service for Cork
• Limerick East community radio - Limerick East
• Live 95FM - Limerick City and County, covering Thomond (Tuadh Mumhan North Munster)
• West Limerick 102 - Limerick city and County
• Spin SW - province-wide- Based in Limerick city
• Beat 102-103 - Youth-driven service. Counties Carlow, Kilkenny, Waterford, Wexford, South Tipperary and East Limerick covering the Ormond (Urh Mumhan East Munster)
• RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta "Camchuairt" - Tralee, County Kerry covering Desmond (Deas Mumhan South Munster)
• RTÉ lyric fm - 96-99FM - Cornmarket Row, Limerick City. Broadcast Country wide

Sport[link]

The most popular sports in Munster are Gaelic games, soccer, rugby, rowing, and basketball.

Hurling[link]

Munster is famous for its tradition of hurling. The town of Thurles in County Tipperary is the birthplace of modern GAA. Three of the four most successful teams in the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship are from Munster; Cork GAA, Tipperary GAA and Limerick GAA. Clare GAA and Waterford GAA are also among the most prominent teams in the sport. The final of the Munster Senior Hurling Championship is one of the most important days in the Irish GAA calendar.

Gaelic football[link]

Traditionally, the dominant teams in Munster football are Kerry GAA and Cork GAA, although Tipperary GAA and Limerick GAA have also won All-Ireland Senior Football Championships. Kerry in particular are famous as the most successful team in the history of football.

Rugby Union[link]

Rugby is a popular game in the cities of Limerick and Cork. Munster is an Irish Rugby Football Union representative side which competes in the RaboDirect Pro12, winning in 2003,2009 and 2011 and in the Heineken Cup, winning in 2006 and 2008. The Munster side is the only Irish side to have defeated the New Zealand All Blacks.

Football[link]

Association football is also a popular game in Munster. Three Munster clubs play in the Airtricity League of Ireland; Cork City F.C., Waterford United, and Limerick FC as well as Tralee Dynamos F.C. and Cobh Ramblers F.C. In the A Championship.

[edit] Munster sports stadia ^[8]

In order of capacity

• Tipperary GAA Thurles Semple Stadium 55,000
• Limerick GAA Limerick Gaelic Grounds 50,000
• Cork GAA Cork Pairc Ui Chaoimh 45,000
• Kerry GAA Killarney Fitzgerald Stadium 38,000
• Clare GAA Ennis Cusack Park 28 000
• Munster Rugby Limerick Thomond Park Stadium 26 500
• Cork GAA Cork Pairc Ui Rinn 18,000
• Waterford GAA Waterford Walsh Park 17 000
• Kerry GAA Tralee Austin Stack Park 15 000
• Waterford GAA Fraher Field 15 000
• Cork City F.C. & Munster FA Turners Cross Stadium 7,450
• Waterford United Waterford Regional Sports Centre 6,000
• Limerick FC Limerick Jackman Park 231
• Munster Rugby Cork Musgrave Park 8,300

References[link]

1. ^ In 1841, before the Great Famine, there were just under three million people living in the province, but the population dropped devastatingly low due to mass emigration in the 1840s and continued emigration up until the 1980s.
2. ^ The ruins of the Iron Age mountaintop fortress Caherconree, preserving the name of Cú Roí, can also be found in their lands.
3. ^ "2006 Prelim Census Report". http://www.cso.ie/census/documents/2006PreliminaryReport.pdf. 
4. ^ "County incomes and regional GDP". http://www.cso.ie/releasespublications/documents/economy/current/regincome.pdf. 
5. ^ Colm Keena (13 November 2004). "Fexco posts €9.4m profit on improved turnover". The Irish Times. http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/finance/2004/1113/1099561054994.html. Retrieved 2008-03-28. 
6. ^ "Roche Ireland pharmaceuticals & healthcare Clarecastle Co Clare Ireland". http://www.roche.ie/. 
7. ^ http://www.corkweekly.ie
8. ^ "Munster stadia". http://www.worldstadiums.com/europe/countries/ireland.shtml. 

External links[link]

•  Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Munster (Ireland)". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. 
• Gaeltacht Comprehensive Language Study 2007
• Gaelscoil stats

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Munster

See also[link]

• Provinces of Ireland
• Desmond Rebellions
• Éamon de Valera
• Munster Gaelic Athletic Association
• Munster Rugby
• Munster Senior Club Football Championship
• Metropolitan areas in Ireland
• List of Irish-language media
• New Munster Province

v t e Counties of Ireland The counties are listed per province Connacht Galway Leitrim Mayo Roscommon Sligo Munster Clare Cork Kerry Limerick Tipperary (North Tipperary · South Tipperary) Waterford Leinster Carlow Dublin (Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown · Fingal · South Dublin) Kildare Kilkenny Laois Longford Louth Meath Offaly Westmeath Wexford Wicklow Ulster Antrim† Armagh† Cavan Donegal Down† Fermanagh† Londonderry† Monaghan Tyrone† Italics denote non-administrative counties. Brackets denote non-traditional counties. †denotes non-administrative counties of Northern Ireland

File:Munster rugby badge.png
Nickname(s)	The Red Army
Founded	1879
Location	Munster, Ireland
Ground(s)	Thomond Park (Capacity: 26,500) Musgrave Park (Capacity: 8,300)
Coach(es)	Rob Penney (Director of Rugby)[1] Anthony Foley (Assistant & Forwards) Simon Mannix(Backs)[2] Paul McCarthy (Scrum) Shaun Payne (Manager) Mick Galwey (Squad Advisor)[3] Bryce Cavanagh (Head of Strength and Conditioning)[4] Anthony Coole (Medical & Physio) Ian Costello (Skills) Tom Comyns, Aidan O'Connell(Asst Strength & Conditioners)
Captain(s)	Paul O'Connell
Most appearances	Peter Stringer (223)
Top scorer	Ronan O'Gara (2,409)
Most tries	Anthony Horgan (41)
League(s)	Pro 12
2011–12	3rd
1st kit 2nd kit
Official website
www.munsterrugby.ie

Munster Rugby, usually referred to simply as Munster, is one of the four professional provincial rugby teams from Ireland. They compete in the RaboDirect Pro12 and the Heineken Cup. The team represents the IRFU Munster Branch, which is one of four primary branches of the IRFU and is responsible for rugby union in the Irish province of Munster.^[5] Their main home ground is Thomond Park, Limerick, though some smaller profile games are played at Musgrave Park, Cork. Munster currently play in a red and blue home strip, while the away strip is white striped horizontally with the colours of the six counties of Munster. The Munster Rugby logo consists of three crowns and a stag. The team motto is "To the brave and faithful, nothing is impossible"; it is derived from the motto of the MacCarthy clan – "Forti et Fideli nihil difficile".

Munster is known for its passionate support and games involving Munster hold several Heineken Cup records for highest attendances in every stage of the finals, as well as the highest ever attendance for a rugby game in both Spain and Switzerland. In 2008, Director of Coaching Declan Kidney left to take up the head coach job with Ireland, and Munster ensured continuity by promoting Australian Tony McGahan to the position from within the coaching setup.

It was announced on 22 February 2012 that McGahan would be leaving Munster at the end of the 2011-12 season^[6][7][8], to take up a role of coaching co-ordinator on Australia's management team.^[9]Rob Penney, coach of Canterbury and New Zealand U20, was chosen to succeed McGahan, being unveiled as the next Munster coach on 2 May 2012.^[10]

As of the end of the 2010/11 season, Munster are third in the ERC European Rankings with 29 points, behind Toulouse (2nd, 31 points), and Leinster (1st, 31 points).

Heineken Cup, Challenge Cup and Celtic League[link]

Munster finally reached the Heineken Cup quarter-finals in 1998/99, after three years of not being able to get out of the group stages.

Munster's first appearance in the competition's final was in the season 1999/2000, where they lost by one point to Northampton at Twickenham. Nevertheless, that season was most memorable with a fantastic win over Toulouse 25–31 in Bordeaux.

Their good form and bad luck continued in the following year (2000/01) with a semi-final defeat to Stade Français, again by one point, where a try by John O'Neill [1] was disallowed by the referee, as he deemed the ball out over the dead ball line.

In 2001/02 Munster lost the last match of their pool at Castres, but qualified as best runners-up. Munster beat Stade Français 16–14 in Paris. The only try of the game coming from Anthony Horgan. It was then on to Béziers to meet Castres for the semi-final. Munster were triumphant and went to the final at Millennium Stadium to meet the reigning champions, Leicester. Munster lost a tight game remembered as 'the hand of Back' final as a Leicester flanker used his hand illegally in a scrum when Munster had a last-chance attack. Munster also reached the final of the Celtic League this season, but lost to Leinster, 24–20 at Lansdowne Road, Dublin.

In 2002–03, they reached the quarter-finals after a win against Gloucester, later issued on VHS under the title "The Miracle Match". In this game, Munster needed to win by a margin of at least 27 points and score a minimum of four tries to earn a quarter-final berth. They won 33–6 with four tries in a game that has become part of Munster rugby folklore. They again faced Leicester, this time at the Tigers' home of Welford Road, and defeated the reigning champions to progress to the semi-finals. They faced Toulouse in the semi-finals and lost out on a place in the final after losing by a single point in France. In this season, Munster won the Celtic League for the first time by beating Neath, 37–17 at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff.

In 2003–04 it was more of the same. After an assured performance in the Pool stage they defeated Stade Français at Thomond Park to set up a semi-final date with English champions Wasps. This was considered one of the best Heineken Cup matches of all time. Although leading by 10 points in the second half, having already lost Ronan O'Gara to injury early on, they succumbed to 2 Wasps tries in injury time resulting in a Wasps v Toulouse final. Munster finished in a disappointing seventh position in the 2003/04 season of the Celtic League.

In 2004–05, after a shaky performance in the Pool stage, they qualified as 5th seeds and played Biarritz away. The match was played at Real Sociedad's ground, the Anoeta Stadium, in San Sebastián in Spain — the first Heineken Cup game ever played in Spain. Biarritz won 19–10 to avenge a 38–29 defeat at the same stage in 2001. Munster secured an impressive position of second in the 2004/05 season of the Celtic League.

Inside the Millennium Stadium for the 2006 final where over 65,000 Munster fans were present

In 2005–06, Munster qualified to the final of the Heineken Cup, having overcome rivals Leinster 30–6 in the semi final at Lansdowne Road. The final was held at the Millennium Stadium against Biarritz. Munster won 23–19 to become European champions for the first time. Munster finished one place lower than the previous season in the Celtic League, finishing third overall.

2006–07 was a disappointing season for Munster, losing their previously unbeaten European record at Thomond Park, by going down to the Leicester Tigers in the group stages. They later lost the quarter final to the Llanelli Scarlets. Munster's performance in the Celtic League was equally disappointing, finishing sixth overall.

In 2008, Munster signed Doug Howlett, the all-time leading try scorer for New Zealand. That season's Heineken Cup saw Munster finish top in their group, and they went on to reach the final for the second time in three years beating Saracens in the semi final. The final, again held at the Millennium Stadium, saw Munster defeat Toulouse 16–13 to claim their second Heineken Cup title in 3 years. Munster finished third in the Celtic League for the 2007–08 season.

In the 2008–09 season, Munster once again topped their group in the Heineken Cup and reached the semi-final, but lost to arch-rivals Leinster by 25–6, attended by a world record crowd of over 82,200. On 30 April 2009 Munster clinched the Celtic League for the second time in their history after closest challengers the Ospreys beat the Newport Gwent Dragons but failed to claim a bonus point, this handed the title to Munster who could not be overtaken at the top of the table.^[11]

The 2009–10 season saw Munster finish top of their Heineken Cup pool once again. Victories over Northampton Saints, French Top 14 champions USA Perpignan and Italian side Treviso saw Munster qualify for the Heineken Cup Quarter Finals for a record 12th consecutive year. The match took place in Thomond Park where Munster played Northampton Saints for the third time that season running out winners 33–19 and by four tries to one. They lost 18–7 in the semi-finals to Biarritz at the Anoeta. Munster came 4th in the Celtic League, but because this season saw the introduction of a play off system for the top four teams, Munster met and lost 16–6 to Leinster in the play-off semi final .

The 2010–11 season saw Munster drawn in Pool 3 of the Heineken Cup alongside Ospreys, London Irish and RC Toulon. Munster lost 23–17 away to London Irish, before defeating RC Toulon 45–18 at Thomond Park. Munster defeated Ospreys 22–16, but lost the reverse fixture at Liberty Stadium 19–15. In round 5 Munster went to Toulon, losing 32-16. As a result, Munster failed to qualify for the quarter finals of the Heineken Cup for the first time in 13 years. Munster won their final pool game, at home to London Irish, 28-14, and qualified for the Amlin Challenge Cup quarter finals. Munster defeated Leinster 24-23 on 2 April 2011 in the Celtic League, ending a run of 5 straight defeats. Munster defeated Brive 37-42 in their Amlin Challenge Cup quarter final to qualify for the semi-final against Harlequins on 30 April. Munster lost the semi-final in Thomond Park 20-12.^[12]

Munster finished first in the 2010–11 Celtic League. They beat Ospreys 18-11 in their semi-final to set up a Grand Final with Leinster, which Munster won 19-9, securing a third Celtic League title.^[13][14]

Munster were drawn in Pool One for the 2011–12 Heineken Cup, alongside Northampton Saints, Scarlets and Castres Olympique. They beat Northampton 23-21 in the first pool game at Thomond Park, after an 83rd minute drop-goal from Ronan O'Gara.^[15] In their second pool game, Munster beat Castres 24-27, with O'Gara again scoring an overtime drop-goal to secure victory.^[16] Munster won their third pool game, away to Scarlets, 14-17.^[17] In the return fixture a week later, Munster won 19-13.^[18] A 26-10 win over Castres on 14 January 2012 ensured that Munster qualified for the quarter-finals of the 2011-12 Heineken Cup.^[19] Munster ended their 2011-12 Heineken Cup Pool 1 games with a 36-51 victory against Northampton Saints, securing the top seed in the quarter-finals and winning 6 out of 6 pool matches for the first time.^[20]Munster lost the quarter-final against Ulster 16-22, losing just their second match at home in the Heineken Cup.^[21]Munster finished third in the 2011-12 RaboDirect Pro12 season, and played Ospreys away in the play-off semi-finals, losing 45-10.^[22]

Current Standings[link]

Pro 12 League Table watch · edit · discuss
	Club	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	Points For	Points Against	Points Difference	Tries For	Tries Against	Try Bonus	Losing Bonus	Points
1	Leinster (F)	22	18	1	3	568	326	+242	48	28	5	2	81
2	Ospreys (C)	22	16	1	5	491	337	+154	44	22	2	3	71
3	Munster (SF)	22	14	1	7	489	367	+122	45	27	5	4	67
4	Glasgow Warriors (SF)	22	13	4	5	445	321	+124	34	23	2	3	65
5	Scarlets	22	12	2	8	446	373	+73	43	30	5	5	62
6	Ulster	22	12	0	10	474	424	+50	53	41	5	3	56
7	Cardiff Blues	22	10	0	12	446	460	−14	43	45	5	5	50
8	Connacht	22	7	1	14	321	433	−112	27	36	0	7	37
9	Newport Gwent Dragons	22	7	1	14	370	474	−104	27	41	1	5	36
10	Benetton Treviso	22	7	0	15	419	558	−139	41	57	3	5	36
11	Edinburgh	22	6	1	15	454	588	−134	42	65	2	4	32
12	Aironi	22	4	0	18	289	551	−262	22	54	1	5	22
If teams are level at any stage, tiebreakers are applied in the following order: number of matches won; the difference between points for and points against; the number of tries scored; the most points scored; the difference between tries for and tries against; the fewest number of red cards received; the fewest number of yellow cards received.
Green background (rows 1 to 4) are play-off places. Qualification for the Heineken Cup is based on each country's allocation, i.e. three highest-ranked Irish teams, three highest-ranked Welsh teams, both Italian teams and both Scottish teams. Because Leinster won the 2012 Heineken Cup Final, Ireland earned an extra Heineken Cup place, which will go to Connacht. Updated 5 May 2012. Source: RaboDirect PRO12 Notes:

Against Touring Sides[link]

Munster has a great tradition of competitiveness and impassioned displays against touring sides. The first touring side to play Munster were the famous "Original" All Blacks led by Dave Gallagher, who lined out against Munster in the Markets Field, Limerick in November 1905. Munster were defeated that day 33–0. Throughout the years Munster were to record a number of near-misses and last minute defeats to the Springboks, Wallabies and the All Blacks. The first tangible result against a touring side was to come in 1958 when the Wallabies were held to a 3–3 draw in Thomond Park.

First victory over a touring side[link]

Munster was the first Irish Provincial side to defeat a major touring team when they defeated Australia 11–8 in Musgrave Park, Cork on 25 January 1967. Munster were captained that day by Tom Kiernan.

Against the All Blacks[link]

Munster first played the All Blacks in 1905, losing 33–0 on the occasion. They have played each other many times since then. Munster drew with New Zealand 3–3 in 1973 and then in 1978 became the only Irish side to have beaten the All Blacks. The 12–0 victory occurred on Tuesday 31 October 1978 at Thomond Park, in front of a crowd of 12,000, though many times that number still claim to have been present, such was the occasion.^[23] Christy Cantillon scored a try with Tony Ward converting. Ward also added a dropped goal in each half. The game remains the only time an All Blacks team lost to any Irish side, and now forms part of Munster rugby mythology. A stage play named Alone it Stands (by John Breen), and a book named Stand Up and Fight: When Munster Beat the All Blacks by Alan English were both based on the events. Both have been commercially successful. Alone it Stands has had several sell-out runs in Ireland and abroad. "Stand Up and Fight" was a bestseller in 2005.^[24] The All Blacks returned to Thomond Park in November 2008 — to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the previous match, and to celebrate the opening of the new stadium. After 76 minutes of the match Munster were winning 16–13, but a late try by Joe Rokocoko meant the All Blacks won 18–16.^[25]

Against Australia[link]

Like the All Blacks, Munster have played Australia many times. They first met in 1947, where Australia won 6–5. Munster claimed their first victory over the Wallabies in 1967, when they won 11–8. In 1992, Australia, reigning world champions, having won the 1991 Rugby World Cup, visited Munster as part of a European Tour. Munster won 22–19 in a rough encounter in Cork. Ten years later, London newspaper The Daily Telegraph recounted part of the legend in a feature on Munster prop Peter Clohessy: "The then Wallabies coach, Bob Dwyer, who was not a man who readily accepted that opposition sides could legitimately score more points than his team, immediately branded the Munster Number 3 a 'disgrace'. It had been a typically rugged, robust and memorable Munster triumph, with leather and fists flying on both sides. Clohessy who wouldn't generally be known for misconduct was no more guilty than the next man but world champions are not supposed to lose against a hastily assembled Irish provincial XV. There had to be a reason, an excuse, and Dwyer rounded on Clohessy". History repeated itself in 2010 when Munster defeated the Wallabies by 15–6 with their Australian fly-half, Paul Warwick, kicking all fifteen points (three penalties and 2 drop goals). The match was played in ferocious weather, with Munster playing into a gale force wind and driving rain in the first half. Indeed, the conditions made the half time score of 6–6 all the more significant, as Australia could neither cope with the weather nor the Munster pressure in the second half.

Results against touring international teams[link]

Date	Country	Location	Score	Result
1947	Australia	Mardkye	5–6	Lost
1954	New Zealand	Mardyke	3–6	Lost
1958	Australia	Thomond Park	3–3	Draw
1960	South Africa	Musgrave Park	3–9	Lost
1963	New Zealand	Thomond Park	3–6	Lost
1967	Australia	Musgrave Park	11–8	Won
1970	South Africa	Thomond Park	9–25	Lost
1973	New Zealand	Musgrave Park	3–3	Drew
1974	New Zealand	Thomond Park	4–14	Lost
1976	Australia	Musgrave Park	13–15	Lost
1978	New Zealand	Thomond Park	12–0	Won
1981	Australia	Musgrave Park	15–6	Won
1984	Australia	Thomond Park	19–31	Lost
1989	New Zealand	Musgrave Park	9–31	Lost
1990	USSR	Clonmel	15-19	Lost
1992	Australia	Musgrave Park	22–19	Won
1996	Samoa	Musgrave Park	25-35	Lost
1996	Australia	Thomond Park	19–55	Lost
1998	Morocco	Thomond Park	49–17	Won
2008	New Zealand	Thomond Park	16–18	Lost
2010	Australia	Thomond Park	15–6	Won

Colours and logo[link]

The 'three crowns' emblem used by Munster alludes to the three constituent historic kingdoms of Munster; Thomond in the north, Desmond in the south, and Ormonde in the east. A revamped logo was introduced for the 2003–04 season which included the addition of a stag with the three crowns.^[26] The crest was designed to maintain the three crowns, and the new red stag symbolizes strength and competitiveness.^[26] The decision for change was a product of two years of planning of research and design.^[26] Elements of navy were also introduced into mainly red Munster jersey. The current kit consists of a red shirt with navy blue trimming, white shorts and red socks. The kit is made by Adidas, who replaced Canterbury of New Zealand, in a deal covering kit supply for three seasons. The name of Munster's current title sponsors, Toyota appears on their shirt. The club motto appears on the inside-collar of the 2011/12 jersey. The counties of Munster are also listed at intervals on the jersey.

Home grounds[link]

Munster have two main stadia where they play their home matches – Thomond Park in Limerick and Musgrave Park in Cork. Thomond Park is the bigger of the two, with a capacity of around 27,000, while Musgrave holds 8,300. As well as Munster, Shannon RFC and UL Bohemian RFC play at the grounds of Thomond Park. Thomond Park is famous for its atmosphere and unique history^[27] – its noise during play and complete silence when a player (home and away) is kicking at goal. It is also famous for Munster's intimidating record that it held for over a decade – having never been beaten at home during the Heineken Cup.^[28] However the record was broken during the 2006–07 season when they were defeated by the Leicester Tigers.^[28] Munster train in the University of Limerick. Munster are currently training at the excellent facilities at the Cork Institute of Technology, Cork.

Thomond Park went through a major renovation in 1999, and in 2006, Munster announced plans to upgrade it. In autumn 2008 the new 27,000 capacity stadium was opened. Two sweeping arches are one of the defining features of the stadium as well as the concourse outside of the new East Stand.^[29] The new stadium design was well received and won the Public Choice Award for 2009 from the Irish Architecture Foundation.^[30] A long discussion and consultation on the new name concluded with the decision that the name would remain Thomond Park.^[31]

Supporters[link]

Thousands of fans watch the 2006 Heineken Cup Final in Limerick

The strength of Munster's support was demonstrated during Munster's 2006 and 2008 Heineken Cup final wins. News reports detailed the lengths some fans were willing to go to secure tickets to the game. Some Munster fans travelled to Biarritz to buy up the French allocation of tickets.^[32] On the day of the game the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff was filled with a capacity crowd of 74,500. Of those numbers it is estimated that in excess of 55–65,000 were Munster fans^[33] with the remainder being neutrals and Biarritz supporters. The Millennium Stadium was intended to be a neutral venue but commentators on the day remarked that it could hardly be counted as such. In North America there is an official supporters club called Munster Rugby USA.^[34]

Munster have played in the most-attended semi-final match of the Heineken Cup, the 2009 Semi-final v Leinster, Croke Park, Dublin – 82,208 (also the then largest crowd ever to attend any club rugby match until that record was broken in the Saracens - Harlequins league game in 2012)^[35]

Munster's appearance in the 2002 final against Leicester Tigers at the Millennium Stadium, which drew 74,600, was the record attendance for a Heineken Cup Final^[36] until the 2007 final between Leicester and London Wasps at the newly expanded Twickenham, although it is estimated that as many as 10,000 Munster fans attended this game, having bought tickets before Munster were knocked out of the competition. Munster's 2005 quarter-final against Biarritz Olympique in Estadio Anoeta, played as it was across the border in San Sebastián, with an attendance of 32,000 also set the record for the biggest rugby match ever played in Spain.^[37] Their October 2006 Celtic League game against Leinster at Lansdowne Road beat the record for that competition with an attendance of 27,252.^[38] This record lasted just two months however with the Leinster and Ulster match on 31 December 2006 filling Lansdowne Road (over 48,000 in attendance) for the last match at the stadium before redevelopment.^[39]

On 2 October 2010, Munster played Leinster in the 5th round of the Celtic League at the Aviva Stadium, this set a new crowd attendance record for a Celtic League game at 50,645.^[40]

Munster fans are known for their silence when a kick is being taken, but also for their noise. Fans repeatedly chant "MUNSTER" or sing "The Fields of Athenry" (an Irish famine song from Galway, Connacht) and "Stand Up and Fight" (from the Broadway musical Carmen Jones.) They famously sang The Black Velvet Band to the Ospreys' Irish winger Tommy Bowe during their 2009 Heineken Cup quarter final encounter.^[41] Tommy Bowe sang this song at the official reception for the 2009 Grand Slam winning Ireland rugby team.

Munster Rugby is unusual in the aspect that it has given two words to the rugby lexicon. Famously, the Limerick club of Garryowen introduced the "Garryowen kick", a high up and under which puts defending players under pressure. Also, the term "Mullocker", used to describe an unrefined forward, has its origins amongst the dockers who worked on a casual basis for the Limerick docking firm, Mullock & Sons.

Munster A[link]

Munster A is the team that represents Munster in the British & Irish Cup and in the All Ireland Inter-provincial Championship.^[42] Pre-professionalism and a formal Celtic league structure, the main Munster team competed in the AIPC. Since the advent of professionalism the provinces have fielded lesser teams in order to concentrate on the Celtic League. The team is composed of Senior Munster squad players requiring gametime, Academy players and AIL players called up from their club.^[43]

Having been beaten finalists in the 2009-10 British and Irish Cup, losing 23-14 to Cornish Pirates^[44], Munster A secured success in the British and Irish Cup on 27 April 2012, beating Cross Keys 31-12 in the final of the 2011-12 tournament at Musgrave Park, Cork.^[45]

Honours[link]

• Heineken Cup
  • Winners: 2005–06, 2007–08: 2
  • Runners Up: 1999-2000, 2001–02: 2
• Celtic League/Magners League/Pro12:
  • Winners: 2002–03, 2008–09, 2010–11: 3
  • Runners Up: 2001–02, 2004–05: 2
• Celtic Cup:
  • Winners: 2004–05:^[46] 1
• Irish Inter-Provincial Championship:
  • Winners: 22
• Setanta Challenge Cup:
  • Winners: 2007^[47], 2008:^[48] 2

Munster A

• British and Irish Cup
  • Winners: 2011-12: 1
  • Runners Up: 2009–10: 1

Season records[link]

Celtic League[link]

Heineken Cup[link]

Squads[link]

Senior Playing Squad 2012–13[link]

Note: Flags indicate national union as has been defined under IRB eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-IRB nationality.

Player Position Union Sean Henry Hooker Ireland Mike Sherry Hooker Ireland Damien Varley Hooker Ireland Stephen Archer Prop Ireland BJ Botha Prop South Africa Alan Cotter Prop Ireland Marcus Horan Prop Ireland David Kilcoyne Prop Ireland Wian du Preez Prop South Africa John Ryan Prop Ireland Dave Foley Lock Ireland Ian Nagle Lock Ireland Donncha O'Callaghan Lock Ireland Paul O'Connell (c) Lock Ireland Donnacha Ryan Lock Ireland Sean Dougall Flanker Ireland Billy Holland Flanker Ireland Dave O'Callaghan Flanker Ireland Tommy O'Donnell Flanker Ireland Peter O’Mahony Flanker Ireland Niall Ronan Flanker Ireland Patrick Butler Number 8 Ireland James Coughlan Number 8 Ireland

Player Position Union Conor Murray Scrum-half Ireland Cathal Sheridan Scrum-half Ireland Peter Stringer Scrum-half Ireland Duncan Williams Scrum-half Ireland JJ Hanrahan Fly-half Ireland Ian Keatley Fly-half Ireland Ronan O'Gara Fly-half Ireland Danny Barnes Centre Ireland Ivan Dineen Centre Ireland James Downey Centre Ireland Casey Laulala Centre New Zealand Keith Earls Wing Ireland Doug Howlett Wing New Zealand Johne Murphy Wing Ireland Luke O'Dea Wing Ireland Simon Zebo Wing Ireland Scott Deasy Fullback Ireland Denis Hurley Fullback Ireland Felix Jones Fullback Ireland Sean Scanlon Fullback Ireland Troy Smith Fullback Ireland