Sport, Divided Societies and Social Capital in Ireland

It appears that there are few more appropriate examples of the use of sport for the purposes of developing social capital than that of the case of Ireland. With a total population of 7 million, the island, situated on the western seaboard of Europe, is divided between the Republic of Ireland, an independent nation-state, and Northern Ireland, which despite having a devolved assembly, remains constitutionally tied to Britain. In the latter case, despite over a decade of relative peace, there remains a society broadly divided along ethno-sectarian lines. During the latter part of the 20th century, from 1969 to 1998, Northern Ireland was the site of a conflict between Irish republican paramilitary groupings, mainly the Irish Republican Army (IRA), and British state forces over the country’s constitutional future. Some 2,087 civilians died as a result of the conflict, 910 members of the security forces (including the police and army) and 395 republican paramilitaries also lost their lives during a black period in the country’s short history. Deep wounds remain to this day and reflect the fact that the majority Protestant and Unionist population in Northern Ireland has a set of political and cultural beliefs which are essentially British whilst the minority Catholic and Nationalist community retain a constitutional and cultural position which sees it align more closely with the rest of Ireland. Of course none of these communities are absolute monoliths and, on both sides, a fair degree of moderation is on display