Today the BIG match in the European Six Nations Championship will be England playing Ireland at a venue called Croke Park. And for more reasons then it just being an important International rugby match. This is the home of the Gaelic Athletic Association, and rugby is not normally played there. However Ireland’s rugby ground is being refurbished, so the match will be played at the Park (which holds 82,000).
Here is the history and why this will be an emotion-charged event.
On November 12, 1920, Croke Park was the scene of a massacre, as British police came into the ground and shot indiscriminately into the crowd, killing 13 people. This was a reprisal shooting, for the assassination earlier in the day of 14 British intelligence officers by Irish operatives in the IRA. The date is known as "Bloody Sunday" in Irish history.
A horrible day and history. Hopefully the rugby will be played in a different spirit.
UPDATE: Here’s the result! English bounced out of Croke Park – Rugby News, Results, Fixtures and Features from Planet-Rugby.com
Leave a Reply