Ireland men's national water polo team
Ireland is an international men's water polo team representing the island of Ireland. The Irish Water Polo Association (IWPA) was founded in 1964 and is affiliated to Swim Ireland.[1]
| FINA code | IRL |
|---|---|
| Association | Swim Ireland |
| Confederation | LEN (Europe) |
| Head coach | Goran Sablic |
| Team manager | Eamon Caulfield |
| Captain | Aden Conlan |
| Most caps | Patrick Brown |
| Home venue | National Aquatic Centre |
| Olympic Games | |
| Appearances | 2 (first in 1924) |
| Best result | 9th place (1924) |
| Media | |
| Website | https://www.irelandwaterpolo.ie |
History edit
The rules of water polo were originally developed by William Wilson in the mid-nineteenth century. The game was originally played in rivers and lakes in England and Scotland.[citation needed] Between 1890 and 1900, the game developed in Europe using British rules, but a different game was being played in the United States.
During the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the four Home Nations — England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales — contested regular internationals against each other. Ireland were often outclassed, losing every match against England from 1895 to 1910.[2] However, Noel Purcell won a gold medal on the Great Britain team at the 1920 Olympic water polo tournament.
In 1922, the Irish Free State seceded from the United Kingdom and the Olympic Council of Ireland joined the International Olympic Committee. Purcell captained Ireland at the 1924 Olympics.[3] Ireland had a bye in the first round when Austria pulled out.[4] In the second round, they lost 4–2 against Czechoslovakia.[5] At the 1924 Tailteann Games, Ireland beat a team representing England.[6] In the 1928 Olympic tournament, Ireland lost its only match 11–1 to Belgium.[7] The expense of travel to Los Angeles ruled out participating in the 1932 tournament, and Ireland boycotted the 1936 Games in a dispute over Northern Ireland.[8]
Ireland has not competed in the Olympics since 1928, and has never qualified for the World Championships.[9] Although Home International matches continued into the 1960s, the transition to higher-specification indoor swimming pools was long delayed in Ireland. The outdoor sea baths at Clontarf and Blackrock fell into disuse. The IWPA was established in 1964 and the first pool to meet FINA regulations for length, breadth, and depth opened in 2002.
Recent results edit
2007 European 'B' Championships edit
Qualifying Group 'C', in Kotor, Montenegro:[10]
- 16 March: lost 2–25 v. Montenegro[fn 1]
- 17 March: won 10–9 v. Switzerland
- 18 March: won 10–8 v. Austria
Finals, in Manchester:[11]
- Group B:
- 8 July : lost 5–33 v. France
- 9 July : lost 3–19 v. Ukraine
- 10 July : lost 5–20 v. Great Britain
- 11 July : lost 9–15 v. Israel
- 12 July : lost 5–16 v. Poland
- Classification playoff:
- 13 July : lost 6–13 v. Malta
Note:
- ^ Montenegro, having secured independence from Serbia, had only just joined LEN and so started at the bottom of the rankings. Having won the 2007 B final, they beat Serbia in the final of the 2008 A Championship.
Since 2008 edit
In February 2009, Ireland played a five-nation tournament in Denmark, losing all four matches.[1]
In October 2019, Ireland competed in the 2019 FINA Water Polo Challengers' Cup, finishing 2nd in their group winning three out of the four games. Ireland lost the bronze-medal match to Indonesia 14-9 and therefore finishing fourth.[12]
Team edit
Current squad edit
| No. | Name | Current Club |
|---|---|---|
| #1 | Eoin Doyle (GK) | Sandycove SC |
| #2 | Barry Murphy | Sandycove SC |
| #3 | Eoin Bridgeman | St. Vincent's WPC |
| #4 | Christopher Devlin | Cathal Brugha |
| #5 | Matthew Hynes | St. Vincent's WPC |
| #6 | Adam Caulfield | Corrib WPC |
| #7 | Ciaran Walshe | Corrib WPC |
| #8 | Stiofan McMahon | Cathal Brugha |
| #9 | Max Connolly | Sandycove SC |
| #10 | Adrian Hanna | Cathal Brugha |
| #11 | Aiden Mullaney | Drogheda WPC |
| #12 | Cillian Colvin | St. Vincent’s WPC |
| #13 | Shane Gaffney O’Brien (GK) | St. Vincent’s WPC |
| #14 | Fergal Kirby | Sandycove SC |
Results summary edit
- 2007: 12th ('B' Championships)[14]
- 2019 — 4th
References edit
- ^ a b International Senior Men 2008-05-09 at the Wayback Machine Irish Water Polo Association Website
- ^ "Swimming". Evening Post. Vol. LXXX, no. 92. Wellington, New Zealand. 15 October 1910. p. 14. Retrieved 26 February 2010.
- ^ Games of the VIII Olympiad: Official Report p.489
- ^ Games of the VIII Olympiad: Official Report p.490
- ^ Games of the VIII Olympiad: Official Report p.492
- ^ Associated Press (13 August 1924). "Tailteann Games". New York Times. p. 11 Sports. Retrieved 26 February 2010.
- ^ Games of the IX Olympiad: Official Report pp.806,808
- ^ Krüger, Arnd; William J. Murray (2003). The Nazi Olympics: sport, politics and appeasement in the 1930s. University of Illinois Press. p. 230. ISBN 0-252-02815-5.
- ^ a b "HistoFINA – Water polo medalists and statistics" (PDF). fina.org. FINA. September 2019. pp. 4, 14, 25, 40, 48, 55. (PDF) from the original on 1 August 2021. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
- ^ European 'B' Water Polo Championships 2007: qualifying 2007-03-20 at the Wayback Machine LEN
- ^ European 'B' Water Polo Championships 2007 2009-10-04 at the Wayback Machine LEN
- ^ "Competition Results | FINA Official". FINA - Fédération Internationale De Natation. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
- ^ "National Teams Announcement – Ireland Water Polo". irelandwaterpolo.ie. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
- ^ Manchester 2007 - European B Water Polo Championships - Final Ranking[permanent dead link] LEN
External links edit
- Irish Water Polo Association Website