{"product_id":"9781844886616-blood-and-thunder","title":"Blood And Thunder","description":"\u003cmeta content=\"text\/html; charset=utf-8\" http-equiv=\"Content-Type\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eRugby and Irish Life: A History\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eLiam O'Callaghan's revelatory \u003ci\u003eBlood and Thunder \u003c\/i\u003eshows that the rise of Irish rugby is inextricable from the tensions, debates and divisions – of politics, religion and class – that have defined modern Irish history.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDespite the political partition of the island, Ireland competes at rugby internationally with an all-island team – and with a bespoke anthem that nobody loves but everyone tolerates. Ireland has become a leading rugby nation despite its tiny population and the fact that the sport is only the fourth most popular team game on the island by participation.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn \u003ci\u003eBlood and Thunder\u003c\/i\u003e, O’Callaghan traces the dramatic evolution whereby a rugby nation that was deeply attached to amateurism has made such a dramatic success of professionalism. From the sequence of events that led Ireland's private Catholic secondary schools to embrace rugby, to the controversies and crises that have shaken Irish rugby – including the Northern Troubles, the Belfast rape trial, and the rising toll of head injuries – \u003ci\u003eBlood and Thunder \u003c\/i\u003etells the rich and fascinating story of Irish rugby.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eBlood and Thunder\u003c\/i\u003e is more than a social and political history of Irish rugby. It is also a shadow-history of modern Ireland, rooted in brilliant original research and packed with terrific stories.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e---\u003cbr\u003e'Excellent' \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eSunday Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e‘Rigorously researched and incisively written … \u003ci\u003eBlood and Thunder\u003c\/i\u003e should be on every team bus.’ \u003cb\u003eJohn O’Donnell, \u003ci\u003eIrish Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'The whole book is a delight.’ \u003cb\u003eCiaran Murphy\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e‘Excellent … O'Callaghan willingly challenges any hyperbole about the sport's appeal here just as he keenly seeks to identify and explain some of the wonders of that reach’ \u003cb\u003eKieran Shannon, \u003ci\u003eIrish Examiner\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'I really enjoyed it.’ \u003cb\u003eKen Early\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e‘O’Callaghan’s history of Irish rugby is a superb excavation of the place of that sport in Irish life.’ \u003cb\u003ePaul Rouse,\u003ci\u003e Irish Examiner\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'Entertaining and informative' \u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eMichael Taylor, TLS\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Rarewaves","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":41636562239585,"sku":"9781844886616","price":21.08,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0092\/7504\/8033\/files\/orig_32344546.jpg?v=1737186741","url":"https:\/\/www.rarewaves.com\/products\/9781844886616-blood-and-thunder","provider":"Rarewaves.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}