The Ireland national rugby union team represents the island of Ireland (both Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland) in rugby union. The team competes annually in the Six Nations Championship (which they have won eleven times outright and shared eight times) and every four years in the Rugby World Cup, where they reached the quarter-final stage in all but two competitions (1999 and 2007). Ireland is also one of the four unions that make up the British and Irish Lions – players eligible to play for Ireland are also eligible for the Lions. Eight former Ireland players have earned induction into the International Rugby Hall of Fame, with five of them also having earned induction into the IRB Hall of Fame.

Outside centre Brian O'Driscoll, the current captain and Ireland's current all-time leader in tries, is considered one of the best rugby players in the world and led Ireland to only their second Grand Slam in March 2009. He was also captain of the Lions on their 2005 tour of New Zealand, although his on-field captaincy was cut short by a controversial injury in the Lions' first Test. O'Driscoll was succeeded as Lions captain for their 2009 tour of South Africa by his current teammate, lock Paul O'Connell. Keith Wood, O'Driscoll's predecessor as Ireland captain before retiring in 2003, was the inaugural IRB International Player of the Year in 2001.

Coordinates: 53°20′N 08°00′W / 53.333°N 8°W / 53.333; -8

Ireland (pronounced [ˈaɪrlənd] ( listen); Irish: Éire [ˈeːɾʲə] ( listen); Ulster Scots: Airlann or Airlan) is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth. To its east is the larger island of Great Britain, from which it is separated by the Irish Sea.

Politically, Ireland is divided between the Republic of Ireland, which covers just under five-sixths of the island, and Northern Ireland, a part of the United Kingdom, which covers the remainder and is located in the northeast of the island. The population of Ireland is approximately 6.4 million. Just under 4.6 million live in the Republic of Ireland and just under 1.8 million live in Northern Ireland.

Relatively low-lying mountains surrounding a central plain epitomise Ireland's geography with several navigable rivers extending inland. The island has lush vegetation, a product of its mild but changeable oceanic climate, which avoids extremes in temperature. Thick woodlands covered the island until the 17th century. Today, it is one of the most deforested areas in Europe. There are twenty-six extant mammal species native to Ireland.

Cian Healy born 7 October 1987 in Clontarf, Dublin, Ireland, is an Irish rugby union footballer. He plays for Leinster and for the Ireland national team. He is registered to Clontarf RFC who play in AIB League Division 1. He is also a DJ, calling himself DJ Church, performing at both Oxegen 2010 and Oxegen 2011 in the Electric Ballroom with his band partner DJ Gordo.

He was educated in Belvedere College SJ, Dublin and won a Leinster Senior Cup medal in 2005.

On 23 May 2009, Healy was part of the Leinster team that won the 2009 Heineken Cup in a 19–16 win against Leicester Tigers and also part of the 2011 Heineken Cup Final winning team who beat Northampton Saints 33-22.

Healy was called into the Ireland A side that was defeated by England Saxons on 1 February 2008. On 21 June 2009, he was part of the Ireland 'A' team that won the 2009 Churchill Cup against England Saxons by 49–22 in the final in Colorado.

He was called up to the Ireland squad for the 2008 Six Nations Championship.

In November 2009, he made his international debut in the test against Australia at Croke Park, and was praised afterwards by coach Declan Kidney for his performance. Healy also played against South Africa. He made his Six Nations Championship debut against Italy in Croke Park. Healy also started in Ireland's games against France, England and Wales.

The People of the Year Awards is an annual show in Ireland. Organised by the Rehab Group, it is televised by Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ) and hosted by Gráinne Seoige.

The Awards provide a unique opportunity for the Irish public to honour outstanding contributions made by individuals and organisations to life in Ireland.

The 2011 edition took place on Saturday 11 September.

Richard Hugh "Richie" McCaw (born 31 December 1980 in Oamaru, North Otago) is a New Zealand rugby union player, and is the current test captain. He plays in the openside flanker position for the New Zealand, Crusaders and Canterbury rugby teams. McCaw is considered one of the best openside flankers of all time, with his ability to anticipate play and adaptability to the referee's rulings two of his key attributes. He was raised in rural North Otago, before moving to Dunedin in 1994 to board at Otago Boys' High School. In 1999 he moved to Christchurch to study at Lincoln University and was selected in the national under-19 rugby union team. The following year he played for the Under 21s and Canterbury in the National Provincial Championship, before debuting in 2001 for the Crusaders in Super Rugby.

McCaw was selected for the 2001 New Zealand National Rugby Team's end-of-year tour, despite having played only a total of eight minutes of Super 14 rugby. His debut for the All Blacks was against Ireland, where he put in a man-of-the-match performance and was selected as New Zealand's first choice open-side flanker for the 2003 World Cup. McCaw became a regular selection in the New Zealand national rugby team, only missing a few games due to reoccurring concussions. In 2006 he was named captain of the All Blacks. He led the All Blacks at the 2007 World Cup and his captaincy came under criticism after they were knocked out in the quarter-final. He continued to captain the All Blacks and lead the team to victory in the 2011 Rugby World Cup.