{"product_id":"blood-and-thunder","title":"O’Callaghan Liam: Blood And Thunder [2025] paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eLiam O'Callaghan's revelatory \u003ci\u003eBlood and Thunder \u003c\/i\u003eshows that the rise of Irish rugby is inextricable from the tensions, debates and divisions - of politics, religion and class - that have defined modern Irish history.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDespite the political partition of the island, Ireland competes at rugby internationally with an all-island team - and with a bespoke anthem that nobody loves but everyone tolerates. Ireland has become a leading rugby nation despite its tiny population and the fact that the sport is only the fourth most popular team game on the island by participation.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn \u003ci\u003eBlood and Thunder\u003c\/i\u003e, O'Callaghan traces the dramatic evolution whereby a rugby nation that was deeply attached to amateurism has made such a dramatic success of professionalism. From the sequence of events that led Ireland's private Catholic secondary schools to embrace rugby, to the controversies and crises that have shaken Irish rugby - including the Northern Troubles, the Belfast rape trial, and the rising toll of head injuries - \u003ci\u003eBlood and Thunder \u003c\/i\u003etells the rich and fascinating story of Irish rugby.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eBlood and Thunder\u003c\/i\u003e is more than a social and political history of Irish rugby. It is also a shadow-history of modern Ireland, rooted in brilliant original research and packed with terrific stories.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"O’Callaghan, Liam","offers":[{"title":"New","offer_id":50554520994131,"sku":"9780241999769","price":12.99,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0616\/4001\/6057\/files\/liam-o-callaghan-o-callaghan-liam-blood-and-thunder-2025-paperback-9780241999769-1146087871.jpg?v=1741648767","url":"https:\/\/theirishbookshop.live\/products\/blood-and-thunder","provider":"Chapters Bookstore","version":"1.0","type":"link"}