Countries, Ireland, Sport

Rugby Men of Munster

Now you know those historic moments where everybody says they were there, well add to them the Rugby Men of Munster.

The Irish province who defeated Graeme Mourie’s all-conquering All Blacks team of 1978 which beat England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland.

But not the 15 rugby men of Munster losing 15-0 on a fevered afternoon in Thomond Park, Limerick.

Bry life: Bryan Habana and Joy Neville

All of which propelled that stadium and Munster rugby onto the international conscience.

And which they have built on in the professional era with multiple European competition successes.

Limerick Roar

The rugby pack: At the opening

The Great and Good of rugby were all there for the launch of the six-storey International Rugby Experience.

Including the Sex God himself Johnny Sexton and other Irish greats Paul O’Connell, Rory Best, Keith Wood and Peter Stringer.

And from the women’s game, Joy Neville and Ciara Griffin.

The legendary AB Sean Fitzpatrick (really an Irishman in black), Francois Pienaar, and even greats from the Old Enemy were there…

Martin Johnson, Jeremy Guscott and Matt Dawson.

Tickets are priced at just €10 for children (under 18) and €15 for adults.

Gallery of Ledges

Ross boss: Ross O’Carroll-Kelly

Individuals and families can discover what it takes to Become a Legend.

Others will have been following how cult hero Ross O’Carroll-Kelly has been doing it… although for him this is enemy territory.

Visitors will move through six, awe-inspiring stages inside the state-of-the-art building.

Jock Peggie, Head of Education, Laws and Compliance at World Rugby (must be one of ours) is in charge of the interactive experience.

And being six floors there are 360-degree views of Limerick city centre from the sixth floor Legends Gallery.

As is the way with everything in Limerick, multi-millionaire JP McManus’s largesse has played a big part in the project.

The not-for-profit venture was initially funded via a €30 million investment by the JP McManus Charitable Foundation.

The International Rugby Experience tours, gift store and cafe will be open seven days a week; 9.30am to 6pm, with the last tour starting at 4.30pm.

And remember Munster men and women will tell you Real Ireland is out here.

And you can find out for yourself by flying into nearby Shannon Airport… give it a try.

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