The Irish national Australian rules football team ( ga, Foireann peile rialacha na hAstrálie náisiúnta na hÉireann) represent Ireland in Australian rules football and is selected from the best Irish born and raised players primarily from the clubs of the

Australian Rules Football League of Ireland The Australian Rules Football League of Ireland (ARFLI) ( ga, Sraith Peile na hÉireann um Rialacha na hAstráile) is an Australian rules football competition and is the governing body of Australian rules football in Ireland, Australian Football ...

but also playing abroad. The men's team formed in 2001, going through the Atlantic Alliance Cup undefeated in 2001 to become European champions before also taking the 2002 AFL International Cup where it has made the finals ever since including a 2011 championship. In the early 2010s it was a European powerhouse, winning back-to-back AFL Europe championships in 2010 and 2013 and

Euro Cup The UEFA European Football Championship, less formally the European Championship and informally the Euro, is the primary association football tournament organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). The competition is contes ...

championships in 2011 and 2012. In 2022 it was once again crowned AFL Europe champions. It has formed intense international rivalries with

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...

and

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

and European rivalries with Great England and

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

and remains in the top five nations in the sport. The women's team formed in 2011 for its International Cup debut and is equally successful, being crowned European champions in 2019 and 2022 (the most of any women's side) in addition to a record 5

championships. It has made the final in every International Cup with 2 International Cup and a strong rivalry with

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. Ireland's form has been largely unpredictable due to the availability of experienced players in the playing pool from Gaelic games, particularly Gaelic football (due to its strong similarities).

Identity

The team was first nicknamed "Fianna na hÉireann" (Irish for "

Fianna ''Fianna'' ( , ; singular ''Fian''; gd, Fèinne ) were small warrior-hunter bands in Gaelic Ireland during the Iron Age and early Middle Ages. A ''fian'' was made up of freeborn young males, often aristocrats, "who had left fosterage but had ...

of Ireland") after a band of heroic warriors in

Irish mythology Irish mythology is the body of myths native to the island of Ireland. It was originally passed down orally in the prehistoric era, being part of ancient Celtic religion. Many myths were later written down in the early medieval era by Ch ...

. In 2005, it was renamed the "Green Machine" however in 2014 it reverted to "Ireland Warriors" and has retained this nickname since. The team wears a green (one of the

national colours National colours are frequently part of a country's set of national symbols. Many states and nations have formally adopted a set of colours as their official "national colours" while others have ''de facto'' national colours that have become well ...

of Ireland) guernsey with a Celtic strip featuring the

Irish harp The Celtic harp is a triangular frame harp traditional to the Celtic nations of northwest Europe. It is known as in Irish, in Scottish Gaelic, in Breton and in Welsh. In Ireland and Scotland, it was a wire-strung instrument requiring grea ...

symbol. For the 2022 AFL European Championships, both men's and women's teams adopted a darker green, ditching the harp for a more traditional Australian rules guernsey consisting of a white and orange chevron across the chest.

History

The Irish team won the Atlantic Alliance Cup in 2001 to become the Northern Hemisphere champions. In the following year, the team participated in the inaugural

Australian Football International Cup The Australian Football International Cup (also known as the AFL International Cup or simply the IC) is a triennial international Australian rules football sport competition. It is the biggest worldwide tournament in the sport and is open to ...

and finished first, leaving the competition as international champions. The team benefited from the availability of several Gaelic football players. In 2005, Ireland finished fourth. An increasingly competitive

and the United States of America finished ahead of Ireland and the team suffered from injury and the

Gaelic Athletic Association The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA; ga, Cumann Lúthchleas Gael ; CLG) is an Irish international amateur sports, amateur sporting and cultural organisation, focused primarily on promoting indigenous Gaelic games and pastimes, which include t ...

discouraging the use of Gaelic players. The Green Machine's best and fairest player (from the 2005 International Cup) is Mike Finn. Recently the national team played a curtain raiser at the

West Coast Eagles The West Coast Eagles are a professional Australian rules football club based in Perth, Western Australia. The club was founded in 1986 as one of two expansion teams in the Australian Football League (AFL), then known as the Victorian Football L ...

vs Fremantle exhibition match at

the Oval The Oval, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Kia Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, located in the borough of Lambeth, in south London. The Oval has been the home ground of Surrey County Cricket Club since ...

in London where they beat the

British Bulldogs British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

. The Warriors finished fourth again at the

2008 Australian Football International Cup The 2008 Australian Football International Cup was the third time the Australian Football International Cup, an international Australian rules football competition, has been contested. It was scheduled for 2008 (as part of the 150th year cele ...

and the best and fairest player was once again Mike Finn. Three Irish players were selected in the All-International team. The Warriors won the inaugural European Championships in 2010 defeating Denmark in the final 11.2(68) to 8.3(51). Warriors captain Cian Quigley was named Best on Ground in the final. Three Irish players were named on the Team of the Tournament. In 2011 the Warriors won the fourth International Cup beating PNG 8.5 (53) to 5.5 (35). Mike Finn was named Best on Ground in the final. Three Irish players were selected in the All-International team. The Warriors returned to the International Cup in 2014 fielding a strong team.

Test results

International honours

* 2010 European Championships in Australian Football Champions

Irish players selected for All-International Team

References

External links

Official website of the Irish Warriors national team
{{National sports teams of Ireland Australian rules football in Ireland National Australian rules football teams Australian rules football