North of Ireland FC
Encyclopedia
North of Ireland Football Club is a former Irish rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...

 club that was based in Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...

, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...

. It was the first rugby club formed in what is now Northern Ireland and only two other clubs - Dublin University
Dublin University Football Club
Dublin University Football Club is the rugby union club of the University of Dublin, Trinity College, in Dublin, Ireland.-History:...

 and Wanderers - were formed earlier anywhere else in all Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

 . It was founded in 1868 by members of North of Ireland Cricket Club . NIFC also played in the first recorded rugby game in Ulster
Ulster
Ulster is one of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the north of the island. In ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for administrative and judicial...

 when they played a 20-a-side match against Queen's University RFC
Queen's University RFC
Queen's University Rugby Football Club is the rugby union team of Queen's University Belfast. Founded in 1869, it is the second oldest rugby union club in Northern Ireland . They originally played as Queen's College, Belfast and have won the Ulster Senior Cup a record 21 times...

.

Throughout its history, NIFC was one of the most successful clubs in Ulster rugby, winning eighteen Ulster Senior League titles and eighteen Ulster Senior Cup
Ulster Senior Cup
The Ulster Senior Cup is a knock-out competition for senior rugby union teams in the province of Ulster.It is administered by Ulster Rugby.The most successful club is Queen's University with 22 wins...

 titles. They also played several seasons in the AIB League
AIB League
The Ulster Bank All-Ireland League is the national league system for the 48 senior rugby union clubs in Ireland, covering both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. It is not, however, the highest level of rugby union in Ireland, as teams representing the four provinces of Ireland play...

 before merging with Collegians
Collegians (Belfast)
Collegians is the name of a club for former pupils of Methodist College Belfast. In the 108-year history of the club, it had rugby union, cricket, hockey, basketball and athletics sections...

 in 1999 to form Belfast Harlequins
Belfast Harlequins
Belfast Harlequins is a multi-sports club located off the Malone Road in south Belfast, Northern Ireland. The club name provides the overall umbrella for rugby union, men's and ladies' hockey and squash...

 .

The club left its historic home on the Ormeau Road (one of the earliest international rugby venues in Ireland) after a series of sectarian arson attacks, including the burning of its pavilion. The club, with a mainly Protestant membership, was perceived as being "isolated in a zone of working-class nationalism".

Ireland

The following NIFC players represented Ireland
Ireland national rugby union team
The Ireland national rugby union team represents the island of Ireland in rugby union. The team competes annually in the Six Nations Championship and every four years in the Rugby World Cup, where they reached the quarter-final stage in all but two competitions The Ireland national rugby union...

 at full international level.
  • Stephen Blake-Knox
  • Robert Alexander
  • Norman Brann
  • Ian Davidson
  • Thomas Gisborne Gordon
    Thomas Gisborne Gordon
    Thomas Gisborne Gordon, was a rugby football player who played for North of Ireland F.C. and represented Ireland. He has the distinction of being the only one-handed/armed man ever to play international rugby ....

    , the only one handed player in international rugby.
  • Gordon Hamilton
    Gordon Hamilton (rugby union)
    Gordon Frederic Hamilton is a retired Irish rugby union player. He played as an open-side wing-forward.Hamilton played for N.I.F.C., and Ulster.He had 10 caps for Ireland, from 1991 to 1992, scoring a single try...

     
  • David Hewitt
    David Hewitt (rugby footballer born 1939)
    David Hewitt is a retired Irish rugby union player. Playing at centre, he gained 18 caps for Ireland between 1958 and 1965, in addition to winning six Lions caps in 1959 and 1962. He also represented Queen's University, Instonians, North of Ireland F.C. and Ulster.-References:...

  • Jack Kyle
    Jack Kyle
    John Wilson Kyle OBE , commonly referred to as Jack Kyle or Jackie Kyle, is a former rugby union player who played for Ireland, the British Lions and the Barbarians during the 1940s and 1950s...

  • Mike Gibson
  • A.N. McClinton
  • Harry Neill
  • Dolway Walkington
    Dolway Walkington
    Dolway Bell Walkington was an Irish rugby union player and solicitor. Walkington played club rugby for North of Ireland FC and international rugby for Ireland, winning eight caps...


  • British and Irish Lions

    The following NIFC players also represented the British and Irish Lions
    British and Irish Lions
    The British and Irish Lions is a rugby union team made up of players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales...

     .
    • Tom McGown
      Tom McGown
      Thomas Melville Watson McGown was an Irish international rugby union forward who played club rugby for Cambridge University and North of Ireland FC...

      : 1899
      1899 British Lions tour to Australia
      The 1899 British Isles tour to Australia was the fourth rugby union tour by a British Isles team and the second to Australia; though the first tour in 1888 was a private venture, making the 1899 tour the first official undertaking of Australia...

    • Ian Davidson: 1903
      1903 British Lions tour to South Africa
      The 1903 British Isles tour to South Africa was the fifth tour by a British Isles team and the third to South Africa. It is retrospectively classed as one of the British Lions tours, as the Lions naming convention was not adopted until 1950....

    • A.N. McClinton: 1910
      1910 British Lions tour to South Africa
      The 1910 British Isles tour to South Africa was the eighth tour by a British Isles team and the fourth to South Africa. It is retrospectively classed as one of the British Lions tours, as the Lions naming convention was not adopted until 1950. As well as South Africa, the tour included a game in...

    • Norman Brann: 1924
      1924 British Lions tour to South Africa
      The 1924 British Isles tour to South Africa was the tenth tour by a British Isles team and the fifth to South Africa. The tour is retrospectively classed as one of the British Lions tours, as the Lions naming convention was not adopted until 1950...

  • Robert Alexander: 1938
    1938 British Lions tour to South Africa
    The 1938 British Isles tour to South Africa was the fourteenth tour by a British Isles team and the sixth to South Africa. The tour is retrospectively classed as one of the British Lions tours, as the Lions naming convention was not adopted until 1950....

  • Jack Kyle
    Jack Kyle
    John Wilson Kyle OBE , commonly referred to as Jack Kyle or Jackie Kyle, is a former rugby union player who played for Ireland, the British Lions and the Barbarians during the 1940s and 1950s...

    : 1950
    1950 British Lions tour to New Zealand and Australia
    The British and Irish Lions tour to New Zealand and Australia in 1950 was the first post-war tour made by the Lions; there had not been one since 1938....

  • David Hewitt
    David Hewitt (rugby footballer born 1939)
    David Hewitt is a retired Irish rugby union player. Playing at centre, he gained 18 caps for Ireland between 1958 and 1965, in addition to winning six Lions caps in 1959 and 1962. He also represented Queen's University, Instonians, North of Ireland F.C. and Ulster.-References:...

    : 1959
    1959 British Lions tour to Australia and New Zealand
    In 1959 the British Lions rugby union team toured Australia and New Zealand. The Lions won the two test matches against but lost the international series against the All Blacks by three matches to one. They also played two matches in Canada, on the return leg of the journey.Although New Zealand...

    , 1962
    1962 British Lions tour to South Africa
    In 1962 the British Lions rugby union team toured Southern and Eastern Africa. Overall the tourists played twenty-five matches, winning sixteen, losing five and drawing four....

  • Mike Gibson: 1966
    1966 British Lions tour to Australia and New Zealand
    In 1966 the British Lions toured Australia and New Zealand. The Lions won the two test matches against but lost all four internationals against the All Blacks....

    , 1968
    1968 British Lions tour to South Africa
    In 1968 the British Lions toured South Africa. The tour was not success in terms of international results, the Lions losing the test series against South Africa by three matches to nil, with the other match drawn. The Lions won 15 of their 16 non-international matches, losing only to Transvaal...

    , 1971
    1971 British Lions tour to New Zealand
    In 1971 the British Lions toured New Zealand, also playing two matches in Australia. Despite losing the first match to Queensland the tour was a great success, the Lions winning the test series against the All Blacks. They are still the only Lions side to have won a test series in New Zealand...

    , 1974
    1974 British Lions tour to South Africa
    In 1974 the British Lions toured South Africa, with matches in South West Africa and Rhodesia . The tour was a great success, the Lions winning 21 of their 22 matches and drawing the other. After winning the first three test matches, the Lions drew the final test to preserve their unbeaten record...

    , 1977
    1977 British Lions tour to New Zealand
    In 1977 the British Lions rugby union team toured New Zealand. The Lions played 26 matches, including four internationals against the All Blacks. They lost the series against the All Blacks by three matches to one. The team played as the British Isles in their internationals against the All Blacks...


  • Ireland cricket team

    The following NIFC players also represented Ireland at cricket.
    • Robert Alexander
    • Neil Doak
      Neil Doak
      Neil George Doak is an Irish former cricketer and rugby union player.-Cricket:...


    Honours

    • AIB Division Three
      AIB Division Three
      The AIB Division Three is a rugby union league in Ireland.-Past winners:-Current Teams:*Ards*Banbridge*Barnhall*Connemara*Corinthians*County Carlow*Midleton*Naas*Nenagh Ormond*Old Wesley*Portadown*Queen's University*Rainey Old Boys...

      • Winners: 1994-95: 1
    • Ulster Senior League
      • Winners: 1892, 1893, 1894, 1895, 1896, 1897, 1898, 1899, 1901, 1902, 1909, 1921, 1927, 1946, 1955, 1959, 1966, 1992: 18
    • Ulster Senior Cup
      Ulster Senior Cup
      The Ulster Senior Cup is a knock-out competition for senior rugby union teams in the province of Ulster.It is administered by Ulster Rugby.The most successful club is Queen's University with 22 wins...

      • Winners: 1885, 1893, 1894, 1895, 1896, 1897, 1898, 1899, 1901, 1902, 1908, 1920, 1930, 1935, 1939, 1955, 1969, 1973: 18
      • Runners Up : 1887, 1903, 1906, 1909, 1911, 1921, 1927, 1928, 1929, 1971, 1977, 1979, 1984, 1992: 14
    • Ulster Junior Cup
      Ulster Junior Cup
      The Ulster Junior Cup is a rugby union competition for clubs in the Irish province of Ulster that are not considered strong enough to play in the Ulster Senior Cup. It also includes the second teams of the senior clubs...

      • Winners: 1895, 1907, 1908, 1909, 1936, 1954, 1957, 1963, 1985: 9
      • Runners Up : 1896, 1899, 1902, 1924, 1927, 1952, 1962, 1976 : 8
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