Munster

Munster (Irish: an Mhumhain / Cúige Mumhan, pronounced [ə ˈvuːnʲ], [ˌkuːgʲə ˈmuːn]) is one of the provinces of Ireland situated in the south of Ireland. In early 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.

Munster has no official function for local government purposes. For the purposes of the ISO, the province is listed as one of the provincial sub-divisions of the State (ISO 3166-2:IE) and coded as "IE-M". Geographically, Munster covers a total area of 24,675 km² (9,527 sq mi) and has a population of 1,246,088 with the most populated city being Cork. Other significant urban centres in the province include Limerick and Waterford.

History

Munster Rugby

Munster Rugby (Irish: Rugbaí Mumhan) is one of the four professional provincial rugby teams from the island of Ireland. They compete in the Pro12 and the European Rugby Champions Cup. The team represents the IRFU Munster Branch, which is one of four primary branches of the IRFU, and is responsible for rugby union throughout the geographical Irish province of Munster. Their main home ground is Thomond Park, Limerick, though some smaller profile games are played at Musgrave Park, Cork. 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".

History

Foundation and early years

Munster was officially founded in 1879, at the same time as Leinster and Ulster, with Connacht being founded ten years later in 1889. The first Interprovincial matches between Leinster, Ulster and Munster, however, were held in 1875. The founding of the Munster branch of the IRFU was intended to organise and oversee the game within the province, and prevent any club bias by providing neutral selectors for the representative side. In amateur days, the four Irish provinces played against each other in the Irish Interprovincial Championship and also played touring international sides. Leinster, as now, were the most accomplished side.