Baseball in Ireland
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Baseball Ireland is the governing body of baseball in Ireland.
Although the existence of baseball in Ireland is not widely known, the game has been played there since the early 1990s. What began with a few friends playing pickup games on soccer and rugby fields in Dublin and Greystones, soon grew into a small league.
Ireland played its first game in international competition in 1996 against the Czech Republic, losing by a score of 23-2.
In the years since, baseball has spread throughout Ireland. The game is current played in Dublin, Greystones, Belfast, Cork and Kerry. Youth baseball is also played in Portstewart and Portrush in Northern Ireland.
The Irish National Baseball Team won its first bronze medal at the 2004 European Championships in Germany. In August 2006, the Irish National Baseball Team won the silver medal at the European Championships held in Antwerp, Belgium.
The Emerald Diamond, a documentary film due out in March 2006, will chronicle the history of baseball in Ireland and the Irish National Baseball Team.