- published: 10 Jan 2016
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Ulster Rugby, usually referred to simply as Ulster, 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 Ulster Branch, which is one of the four primary branches of the IRFU and is responsible for rugby union in the Irish province of Ulster, comprising six counties in Northern Ireland and three in the Republic of Ireland. Ulster play their home games at Ravenhill in Belfast, which has a capacity of 12,300. In 2004, Ulster re-located their training base to Newforge Country Club in South Belfast.
Ulster turned professional along with the teams representing the other Irish provinces in 1995 and has competed in the Celtic League since it was founded in 2001, having previously competed in the annual interprovincial championship. Ulster won the Heineken Cup in 1999 and won the Celtic League in 2006.
Ulster have many youth teams and also the 'Phoenix Ulster Academy' which helps to develop talented young rugby players. The teams which Ulster field each season in various competitions are as follows: Ulster Youth (U18s), Ulster Schools (U18s), Ulster U19s, Ulster U20s, Ulster Ravens and of course the full Ulster XV.
Ulster (Irish: Ulaidh or Cúige Uladh, Ulster Scots: Ulstèr or Ulster) is one of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the north of the island. In ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" Irish: rí ruirech. 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.
Ulster is composed of nine counties. Six of these (almost 57% of the land area) make up Northern Ireland: Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Londonderry and Tyrone. The three remaining counties (about 43% of the land area) are in the Republic of Ireland: Cavan, Donegal and Monaghan.
The name Ulster derives from the Irish Cúige Uladh (IPA: [ˈkuːɟ ˈʌlˠu, ˈʌlˠi]) meaning "The fifth of Uladh", a reference to the five regions into which ancient Ireland was divided. In the English language, the first part of the name ("Ul")refers to the Ulaidh tribes inhabiting this northernmost region. The latter part of the name ("ster") derives either from the Irish tír or the Old Norse staðr, both of which translate as "land" or "territory".