National Identity, Rugby Union and Notions of Ireland and the ‘Irish’

Abstract

This paper seeks to examine issues of identity and national habitus from an Eliasian perspective. In doing so, it casts critically light on the making of Irish identity in the post-Second World War period. Specific reference is given to one case study, namely the sport of rugby union. This sport does appear to have been significantly connected to the national habitus of Ireland during the post-war period (especially since the 1960s) and creates a highly visible, ‘glocal’, arena for the testing of ‘Irish’ and ‘British/English’ identity. This case study highlights how contested notions of Irish identity are, and how, in this post-war period, a less deferential and more assertive Irish habitus was and is evident relative to their former colonial masters, the English. In that sense, instead of exhibiting a sense of group disgrace, the Irish now claim a widening field of identification and a more confident group charisma.