180-734: Connacht Rugby ( Irish : Rugbaí Connachta ) is one of the four professional provincial rugby teams from the island of Ireland. Connacht competes in the United Rugby Championship and the European Rugby Champions Cup . The team represents the IRFU Connacht Branch, which is one of four primary branches of the IRFU , and is responsible for rugby union throughout the geographical Irish province of Connacht . Connacht plays its home games at
360-547: A unique dialect of Irish developed before falling out of use in the early 20th century. With a writing system , Ogham , dating back to at least the 4th century AD, which was gradually replaced by Latin script since the 5th century AD, Irish has one of the oldest vernacular literatures in Western Europe . On the island, the language has three major dialects: Connacht , Munster and Ulster Irish . All three have distinctions in their speech and orthography . There
540-459: A 1-year loan agreement with Sale Sharks which would ultimately allow him to still play for his country despite being registered to a Championship team. Finally on 3 July, it was announced that fan favourite Vereniki Goneva had signed for Harlequins following rumours and speculation on where he would go following Falcons' demotion. He signed along with fellow Fijian international Tevita Cavubati and Newcastle teammate Glen Young . Keen to start
720-473: A 2-year deal with the club. They also announced a 5-year deal with sportswear brand Macron to provide official kits and leisurewear as their official supplier. On 4 May, it was confirmed that Newcastle Falcons would be relegated to the RFU Championship after failing to beat Gloucester away. After this, many prominent players elected to leave the club to further pursue top-flight rugby. Following
900-528: A 23–3 defeat to Newcastle Falcons , before failing to advance through the pool stages in 2006–07 . These seasons, however, saw the beginning of a new dimension to Connacht's player recruitment, whereby the province would bring Irish players back from abroad, to compete for Irish selection. Examples include the transfers of Gavin Duffy from Harlequins , Johnny O'Connor from London Wasps and Frank Murphy from Leicester Tigers . The 2007–08 Celtic League saw
1080-767: A Charity Event in aid of Doddie Weir and the My Name’5 Doddie foundation. ISC incorporated the ‘Doddie’5 Tartan’ into the shoulders of the Charity Jersey along with the Famous Black and White stripes representing the iconic colours worn by Newcastle United . The match was a success with 27,284 spectators present as Newcastle beat Sale 22–17. Falcons confirmed the signing of United States international Greg Peterson in mid-March with Darren Barry , Josh Basham , Gareth Owen and Toby Salmon following shortly after. Tongan international Cooper Vuna later signed
1260-555: A US Company and world-leader in producing and distributing continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) systems for the management of diabetes. The contract, for 12 Years would see the Stadium referred as Dexcom Stadium for all Games and Promotion. At the same time Connacht confirmed the timelines for the redevelopment of the Stadium and building of the Connacht Rugby HPC (High Performance Centre). The official supporters' club for
1440-717: A bargaining chip during government formation in Northern Ireland, prompting protests from organisations and groups such as An Dream Dearg . Irish became an official language of the EU on 1 January 2007, meaning that MEPs with Irish fluency can now speak the language in the European Parliament and at committees, although in the case of the latter they have to give prior notice to a simultaneous interpreter in order to ensure that what they say can be interpreted into other languages. While an official language of
1620-575: A better future for Ireland and all her citizens." The Strategy was produced on 21 December 2010 and will stay in action until 2030; it aims to target language vitality and revitalization of the Irish language. The 30-page document published by the Government of Ireland details the objectives it plans to work towards in an attempt to preserve and promote both the Irish language and the Gaeltacht. It
1800-478: A cultural and social force. Irish speakers often insisted on using the language in law courts (even when they knew English), and Irish was also common in commercial transactions. The language was heavily implicated in the "devotional revolution" which marked the standardisation of Catholic religious practice and was also widely used in a political context. Down to the time of the Great Famine and even afterwards,
1980-553: A degree course in the NUI federal system to pass the subject of Irish in the Leaving Certificate or GCE / GCSE examinations. Exemptions are made from this requirement for students who were born or completed primary education outside of Ireland, and students diagnosed with dyslexia . NUI Galway is required to appoint people who are competent in the Irish language, as long as they are also competent in all other aspects of
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#17327766333112160-846: A developmental side, which plays in the Celtic Cup . Before the creation of the Celtic Cup, the Connacht Eagles competed in the British and Irish Cup . The Connacht Branch of the Irish Rugby Football Union was founded on 8 December 1885, and along with it the provincial team. The branch was formed to compete with the Leinster , Munster and Ulster branches, which were founded in 1879, and whose teams had been formed in 1875. There were six teams represented at
2340-511: A final round group stage match between Toulouse and Cardiff, due positive COVID-19 tests in the Toulouse squad. Following the 2021–22 season, Friend was promoted to Director of Rugby with Senior Coach Peter Wilkins assuming the role of Head Coach. Connacht has historically been designated as being the weakest in the country compared to its fellow provinces. In the 1960s for example, the Irish team
2520-553: A four match winning streak from 15 February to 23 March, earning three try bonus points in the team's longest run of wins in 11 years. Following this run of form though, Connacht failed to win another match in the league, finishing in tenth place and level on points with ninth placed Dragons. Due to Leinster 's victory in the 2012–13 European Challenge Cup , Connacht again participated in the Heineken Cup, where they were drawn into Pool 3 with Saracens , Toulouse and Zebre . In
2700-460: A fully recognised EU language for the first time in the state's history. Before Irish became an official language it was afforded the status of treaty language and only the highest-level documents of the EU were made available in Irish. The Irish language was carried abroad in the modern period by a vast diaspora , chiefly to Great Britain and North America, but also to Australia , New Zealand and Argentina . The first large movements began in
2880-515: A margin of 8 points over two legs, against Welsh team Pontypridd . Off the field, however, the province's future was under threat. The IRFU proposed shutting down Connacht Rugby as a professional team in 2003 to cut costs, in light of the IRFU's annual deficit of €4 million. This was averted when a public protest with 2,000 fans marching on the IRFU headquarters in Dublin, coupled with the possibility of
3060-518: A much smaller base of rugby union players to choose from than the other three provinces. This player base is also affected by the relative popularity of Gaelic Athletic Association sports such as hurling and Gaelic football . However, rugby union in Connacht has expanded, with increased ticket sales, in particular since its first season competing in the Heineken Cup . Through the efforts of
3240-585: A paper suggested that within a generation, non-Gaeltacht habitual users of Irish might typically be members of an urban, middle class, and highly educated minority. Parliamentary legislation is supposed to be available in both Irish and English but is frequently only available in English. This is notwithstanding that Article 25.4 of the Constitution of Ireland requires that an "official translation" of any law in one official language be provided immediately in
3420-575: A pass in Leaving Certificate Irish or English, and receive lessons in Irish during their two years of training. Official documents of the Irish government must be published in both Irish and English or Irish alone (in accordance with the Official Languages Act 2003, enforced by An Coimisinéir Teanga , the Irish language ombudsman). The National University of Ireland requires all students wishing to embark on
3600-529: A play-off involving Bordeaux Bègles and Gloucester for a place in the next season's Champions Cup. Connacht played Gloucester away for the chance to face Bordeaux, and were leading 18–25 in the final minutes of the game when a penalty gave Gloucester a try-scoring opportunity and sent the match to extra time, after which Gloucester emerged 40–32 victors. Having lost the previous season's play-off, Connacht were entered into 2015–16 Challenge Cup where they topped their pool, before being knocked out by Grenoble in
3780-614: A play-off between the fourth-ranked non-South African team from each conference. Dexcom Stadium has been the historical home of Connacht Rugby since the late 1920s. Located on the College Road and within walking distance of the city centre, it is known as a spartan and inhospitable venue for visiting teams. It is particularly notorious for its wet and windy conditions due to its location near the Atlantic coast and Galway's rainy climate. In addition to its use by Connacht, Dexcom Stadium
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#17327766333113960-625: A religious context. An Irish translation of the Old Testament by Leinsterman Muircheartach Ó Cíonga , commissioned by Bishop Bedell , was published after 1685 along with a translation of the New Testament. Otherwise, Anglicisation was seen as synonymous with 'civilising' the native Irish. Currently, modern day Irish speakers in the church are pushing for language revival. It has been estimated that there were around 800,000 monoglot Irish speakers in 1800, which dropped to 320,000 by
4140-501: A result, Newcastle Falcons were declared champions for the season and promoted back into the Premiership on the basis of their playing record having been undefeated and at the top of the table when the league was suspended. The club made a series of salary reductions for players and off-field staff to ensure the survival of the company during an unprecedented time, this included all branches of the club including Newcastle Thunder and
4320-557: A smaller playing population compared to the other provinces. The Connacht Rugby academy under Nigel Carolan consistently produced graduates to represent the senior Connacht Rugby team, with many of these players having also represented Ireland at under-age level. Robbie Henshaw , Dave Heffernan , Denis Buckley , Eoin McKeon , Eoin Griffin , Darragh Leader , Tiernan O'Halloran and Jack Carty are examples of Connacht players native to
4500-526: A spot in the following 2001–02 Heineken Cup to the top two teams, with Connacht finishing in last place. However, the advent of the Celtic League in 2001 saw this guarantee removed. The 2002–03 season saw Connacht finish ahead of Leinster in their Celtic League pool and progress to the knockout rounds ahead of the eastern province, having beaten them away in Donnybrook in the only game between
4680-571: A strike by the Irish Rugby Union Players Association , forced the IRFU to reverse course and maintain the team. Michael Bradley took charge of Connacht in 2003, coming in from the Irish under-age set up to replace Steph Nel. Connacht Rugby's average crowd was 600 supporters and the IRFU allotted a budget which was less than 50% of either of the other three Irish provinces. In Bradley's first Celtic League season , Connacht finished ninth from 12 teams, ahead of only
4860-557: A wide variety of fans. Surveys have been taken from supporters of the team and business owners in Galway city to determine what facilities and services would be expected from a new stadium. A move to a new location would likely mean playing in a municipal stadium in Galway city, though there is a stated preference within the province's leadership to remain at the Dexcom Stadium if possible. In October 2018, plans were announced for
5040-545: A wider meaning, including the Gaelic of Scotland and the Isle of Man , as well as of Ireland. When required by the context, these are distinguished as Gaeilge na hAlban , Gaeilge Mhanann and Gaeilge na hÉireann respectively. In English (including Hiberno-English ), the language is usually referred to as Irish , as well as Gaelic and Irish Gaelic . The term Irish Gaelic may be seen when English speakers discuss
5220-403: A €30 million redevelopment of Dexcom Stadium with an expansion of the capacity to 12,000, state-of-the-art training facilities for Connacht players, new areas for greyhound racing and community facilities. On 9 June 2022 Connacht announced that first phase of redevelopment had commenced with full excavation of the pitch at the Dexcom Stadium underway, to allow a new artificial playing surface for
5400-734: Is a rugby union team that play in Premiership Rugby , England's highest division of rugby union. The club was established in 1877 as the Gosforth Football Club . Around 1882 the club merged with the Northumberland Football Club and briefly assumed their name until 1887. In 1990, the name was changed to Newcastle Gosforth and the club began to play at Kingston Park stadium in Kingston Park, Newcastle upon Tyne . In 1996, following
5580-452: Is also An Caighdeán Oifigiúil , a standardised written form devised by a parliamentary commission in the 1950s. The traditional Irish alphabet , a variant of the Latin alphabet with 18 letters , has been succeeded by the standard Latin alphabet (albeit with 7–8 letters used primarily in loanwords ). Irish has constitutional status as the national and first official language of
Connacht Rugby - Misplaced Pages Continue
5760-580: Is also used for greyhound racing , with the track running between the playing field and the stands. The stadium is owned by The Galway Agricultural & Sports Society Ltd. who lease it to both Connacht Rugby and the Irish Greyhound Board . Due primarily to the issue of ownership, the development of Dexcom Stadium has lagged behind that of the other Irish provinces who, with the backing of the IRFU , have moved ahead with major developments of their home grounds. Following increased support for
5940-511: Is divided into four separate phases with the intention of improving 9 main areas of action including: The general goal for this strategy was to increase the number of daily speakers from 83,000 to 250,000 by the end of its run. By 2022, the number of such speakers had fallen to 71,968. Before the partition of Ireland in 1921, Irish was recognised as a school subject and as "Celtic" in some third level institutions. Between 1921 and 1972, Northern Ireland had devolved government. During those years
6120-587: Is only in Gaeltacht areas that Irish continues to be spoken as a community vernacular to some extent. According to data compiled by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht , Sport and Media , only 1/4 of households in Gaeltacht areas are fluent in Irish. The author of a detailed analysis of the survey, Donncha Ó hÉallaithe of the Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology , described
6300-412: Is still spoken daily to some extent as a first language . These regions are known individually and collectively as the Gaeltacht (plural Gaeltachtaí ). While the fluent Irish speakers of these areas, whose numbers have been estimated at 20–30,000, are a minority of the total number of fluent Irish speakers, they represent a higher concentration of Irish speakers than other parts of the country and it
6480-721: The Fíor-Ghaeltacht (true Gaeltacht ), a term originally officially applied to areas where over 50% of the population spoke Irish. There are Gaeltacht regions in the following counties: Gweedore ( Gaoth Dobhair ), County Donegal, is the largest Gaeltacht parish in Ireland. Irish language summer colleges in the Gaeltacht are attended by tens of thousands of teenagers annually. Students live with Gaeltacht families, attend classes, participate in sports, go to céilithe and are obliged to speak Irish. All aspects of Irish culture and tradition are encouraged. The Act
6660-400: The 2007 Rugby World Cup Final with Mathew Tait starting and Toby Flood appearing from the bench. Mark Wilson played in the 2019 Rugby World Cup Final while at the club. The original Gosforth Football Club was founded in 1877 by a group of Old Boys of Durham School , in whose colours of green and white hoops the club played until the mid-1990s. The name Gosforth came from one of
6840-404: The 2014–15 Challenge Cup and qualified for the quarter-finals, where they were beaten by Gloucester . In the 2014–15 Pro12 , Connacht enjoyed their best season since the competition changed to a round-robin format , winning a record 10 games, including home derbies against provincial rivals Leinster and Munster on their way to finishing seventh. The seventh-place finish saw Connacht entered into
7020-597: The 2016–17 Pro12 . This saw the team entered into a play-off to qualify for the 2017–18 Champions Cup . A six-point loss to Northampton Saints saw Connacht entered into the Challenge Cup . This was Lam's last game in charge. It had been announced in December 2016 that he would leave at the end of the season to take over English side Bristol . The assistant coach of Super Rugby side the Chiefs , Kieran Keane ,
7200-417: The 2018–19 Pro14 , returning the team to the top level of European competition for the following season. The third-place finish also qualified the team for the end-of-season play-offs for the first time since 2016, where they were beaten by Ulster at the quarter-final stage. During the 2021-22 Heineken Champions Cup , Connacht advanced to the knock-out stages for the first time following the cancellation of
7380-572: The Daily Mail interviewed player Luther Burrell highlighting racism in his rugby playing career, specifically mentioning how it had become commonplace in the Newcastle Falcons team. Burrell had been the target of racist remarks between teammates who brushed it off as wikt:" locker room talk " . The club launched an internal investigation following the story breaking with Luther receiving public support for his actions with many fans of
Connacht Rugby - Misplaced Pages Continue
7560-462: The Dexcom Stadium , which currently holds 6,126 spectators and can be expanded to 8,129. Connacht play in a predominantly green jersey , shorts and socks . The Connacht Rugby crest is a modified version of the provincial flag of Connacht and consists of a dimidiated eagle and an arm wielding a sword. With the province containing just over 8% of the total Irish population, Connacht has
7740-590: The Heineken Champions Cup after a 13-year absence. They were drawn to play against Toulon , Montpellier and Edinburgh in Pool 5. On 14 October, Falcons started their European Campaign against Toulon at Stade Felix Mayol . Less than 30 seconds into the game and Toulon were already on the board after Romain Taofifénua charged down the kick off and scored a try, one of the quickest tries scored in
7920-631: The Republic of Ireland , and is also an official language of Northern Ireland and among the official languages of the European Union . The public body Foras na Gaeilge is responsible for the promotion of the language throughout the island. Irish has no regulatory body but An Caighdeán Oifigiúil , the standard written form, is guided by a parliamentary service and new vocabulary by a voluntary committee with university input. In An Caighdeán Oifigiúil ("The Official [Written] Standard ")
8100-634: The 17th century, largely as a result of the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland , which saw many Irish sent to the West Indies . Irish emigration to the United States was well established by the 18th century, and was reinforced in the 1840s by thousands fleeing from the Famine . This flight also affected Britain. Up until that time most emigrants spoke Irish as their first language, though English
8280-483: The 1946–47 season, the provinces played against each other in the annual IRFU Interprovincial Rugby Championship . This was a round-robin tournament which, during the amateur era, consisted of one game against each opponent. In the 1980s, to compensate for Connacht's smaller playing base, the IRFU decreed that any English-born Irish international players must represent Connacht in the Championship. However, towards
8460-634: The 1996–97 season the new name of Newcastle Falcons and new black-and-white colours were adopted, after local businessman Sir John Hall took control and attempted to create a sporting club in Newcastle that would emulate the success of the Barcelona model. The four teams that made up that sporting club were the football team, nicknamed the Magpies , the Newcastle Eagles basketball team,
8640-789: The 1998 Good Friday Agreement , the language gradually received a degree of formal recognition in Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom, and then, in 2003, by the British government's ratification in respect of the language of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages . In the 2006 St Andrews Agreement the British government promised to enact legislation to promote the language and in 2022 it approved legislation to recognise Irish as an official language alongside English. The bill received royal assent on 6 December 2022. The Irish language has often been used as
8820-538: The 2010 season, Bradley was awarded the Celtic League's Chairman's Award in recognition of his seven years of service to the province. Bradley was succeeded as Connacht boss by former Connacht and Ireland fly-half , Eric Elwood . Elwood had served as an assistant to Bradley since 2005 and had also coached the Ireland Under-20s to a grand slam in 2007's Six Nations Under 20s Championship . His first season in charge saw two teams from Italy introduced to
9000-587: The 2017–18 campaign, former England fly-half Toby Flood returned after nine years in Leicester and Toulouse. On 17 January 2018, the Falcons were presented with a winding up petition by HMRC. Falcons ended the 2017–18 season in fourth place in the Premiership Rugby table, their highest placing in 20 years. Falcons played Exeter Chiefs at Sandy Park in the semi-finals, where they lost 36–5.. Rob Vickers , Scott Lawson and Ally Hogg all retired following
9180-582: The 2019–20 season. Irish language Irish ( Standard Irish : Gaeilge ), also known as Irish Gaelic or simply Gaelic ( / ˈ ɡ eɪ l ɪ k / GAY -lik ), is a Celtic language of the Indo-European language family . It is a member of the Goidelic language group of the Insular Celtic sub branch of the family and is indigenous to the island of Ireland . It
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#17327766333119360-400: The 2021 census of Northern Ireland , 43,557 individuals stated they spoke Irish on a daily basis, 26,286 spoke it on a weekly basis, 47,153 spoke it less often than weekly, and 9,758 said they could speak Irish, but never spoke it. From 2006 to 2008, over 22,000 Irish Americans reported speaking Irish as their first language at home, with several times that number claiming "some knowledge" of
9540-411: The 3,000 mark for the first time in the club's history, and average attendance for the 2011–12 season saw a 105% increase over the previous season. Connacht's average attendance in home Pro12 matches climbed to 4,653 in the 2011–12 season, and increased further to 5,154 for the 2012–13 season. The following season saw the Connacht end in the same position as the previous year, as the team finished eighth in
9720-403: The 6th century, used the Latin alphabet and is attested primarily in marginalia to Latin manuscripts. During this time, the Irish language absorbed some Latin words, some via Old Welsh , including ecclesiastical terms : examples are easpag (bishop) from episcopus , and Domhnach (Sunday, from dominica ). By the 10th century, Old Irish had evolved into Middle Irish , which
9900-515: The Act all detailing different aspects of the use of Irish in official documentation and communication. Included in these sections are subjects such as Irish language use in official courts, official publications, and placenames. The Act was recently amended in December 2019 in order to strengthen the already preexisting legislation. All changes made took into account data collected from online surveys and written submissions. The Official Languages Scheme
10080-522: The Celtic League, Aironi and Benetton Treviso , which brought the number of teams back up to twelve. Connacht finished above both of the Italian teams as well as Glasgow Warriors , coming in ninth place. In the Challenge Cup, Connacht were knocked out in the pool stages, finishing second in their group behind the eventual winners of the tournament, Harlequins . During the course of the season,
10260-497: The Champions for at least one team from each country in the league were scrapped, with the intention of having just the top seven teams qualify instead. The addition of two South African teams to the league saw further alterations, as the teams were split into two seven-team conferences. The highest three non-South African teams from each pool took the first six qualification spots, while the seventh team to qualify would be decided by
10440-476: The Championship winning side starred cross-code All Black, Samoa and Rugby League legend Inga Tuigamala , Scotland legends Doddie Weir and Gary Armstrong , England star Tony Underwood , British and Irish Lions stars Alan Tait and John Bentley and youngster Jonny Wilkinson . During the following 1998–99 season Newcastle didn't play in Europe, as English teams did not take part, but the Falcons did go on to
10620-536: The Connacht Branch and the support of the IRFU, the province has experienced growth, increasing its underage and schools participation through initiatives such as the Grassroots to Greenshirts campaign. Connacht enjoyed their most significant success in 2016, when they defeated fellow Irish province Leinster in the 2016 Pro12 Grand Final to win the competition for the first time. The province also has
10800-655: The Connacht Rugby crest is taken from the flag of the Province of Connacht . These arms are said to have been granted to Ruaidrí Ua Conchobair , the reigning King of Connacht, by the Schottenkloster, or Irish monastery, that was founded in the Bavarian city of Regensburg in the 11th century. The current kit consists of a green and black shirt, with green shorts and green socks. The traditional colours of
10980-433: The Connacht province and flag are white, blue and black, with no green present. Though it is potentially related to the use of Connacht's traditional colours of white and blue by Ulster and Leinster's teams respectively, the reasons for its presence on the Connacht Rugby kit are unknown. However the green jersey has been associated with the Connacht senior team since as early as the 1950s. Connacht's second jerseys often use
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#173277663331111160-479: The European Challenge Cup, would receive an automatic berth in the following year's Heineken Cup. This place would then be passed on to another team from that country if the tournament winner was already qualified by domestic performance. As Leinster had qualified through performance in the 2010–11 Celtic League , Connacht claimed the extra berth. Ahead of their first season in European Rugby's premier club competition, Gavin Duffy replaced John Muldoon as captain of
11340-523: The European Shield, saw Connacht finish fourth from six teams in their group, which also contained Toulon and the Northampton Saints . The 1997–98 Challenge Cup proved far more successful for Connacht. The team, still coached by Gatland, finished top of their group; the number of teams in each group having been reduced to four. Connacht won five of their six matches including beating Northampton both at home and away. The win in Northampton and victory over Bordeaux-Bègles in Stade André Moga made Connacht
11520-404: The European Union , only co-decision regulations were available until 2022, due to a five-year derogation, requested by the Irish Government when negotiating the language's new official status. The Irish government had committed itself to train the necessary number of translators and interpreters and to bear the related costs. This derogation ultimately came to an end on 1 January 2022, making Irish
11700-415: The Falcons also retain the original Gosforth East stand complete with green and white seating (Gosforth colours). The pitch at Kingston Park recently went under renovation, replacing the former grass surface with a 3G Synthetic pitch with the aim of reducing the matches lost to the North East weather. In June 2015, the Falcons bought Kingston Park back from Northumbria University, which was a bold statement by
11880-450: The Falcons beat 37–33 against Sale Sharks . In 2004, legendary Wallabies full-back Matt Burke signed for the Falcons. For the Falcons, Burke played alongside former English rival Jonny Wilkinson (his opposite kicker in the 2001 British and Irish Lions tour of Australia). In Wilkinson, Burke, England international Dave Walder and emerging future England number 10 Toby Flood the Falcons had adequate competition for kicking duties over
12060-569: The Falcons to take charge of the England set-up ahead of the 2007 World Cup in a wide-ranging role that encompasses all aspects of the professional representative game in England. John Fletcher succeeded Rob Andrew as director of rugby at Newcastle Falcons with immediate effect. Fletcher, a former England A centre, had been the club's academy boss and he headed up a team of Peter Walton, Steve Black and Bob Morton, with ex-Falcons prop Ian Peel taking over as acting academy manager. The season began with high hopes as All-Black prop Carl Hayman signed for
12240-477: The Falcons, reportedly as the highest paid Rugby Union player in the world. Unfortunately, the season was the beginning of a downward spiral for the Falcons. On 11 March 2008, Fletcher and Walton left the club, officially by mutual consent, following Black who had left a couple of months earlier. Steve Bates took over as interim director of rugby until summer 2008 when the post was reviewed. Dave Thompson stated at that time that nine years of underachievement were
12420-401: The French club's points. This season also saw veteran forward Michael Swift break the record for number of Connacht appearances. With crowds of more than 8,000 at both the quarter and semi-final stages of the Challenge Cup, and average gates of 2,600 in the Celtic League, Connacht's structures and support had improved drastically from 2003, when the team's survival was in question. At the end of
12600-419: The IRFU in the 1980s when English-born players were mandated to represent Connacht in the Interprovincial Championship. In the amateur era, this saw the likes of Simon Geoghegan , John O'Driscoll and Jim Staples represent Connacht, while since the game has turned professional, the likes of Michael Swift , Mike McCarthy and Kieran Marmion have all reached over 100 caps for the team. Connacht Rugby has in
12780-434: The IRFU. Sligo -born Aengus McMorrow followed in his footsteps to become the first Connacht native player to represent Ireland in 1951. Ballinasloe man Ray McLoughlin was the first Connacht player to captain Ireland, when he led the team in the 1965 Five Nations Championship . McLoughlin also became the first Connacht representative for the Lions when he took part in the 1966 tour to Australia and New Zealand , though he
12960-549: The Irish language policy followed by Irish governments as a "complete and absolute disaster". The Irish Times , referring to his analysis published in the Irish language newspaper Foinse , quoted him as follows: "It is an absolute indictment of successive Irish Governments that at the foundation of the Irish State there were 250,000 fluent Irish speakers living in Irish-speaking or semi Irish-speaking areas, but
13140-610: The Newcastle Cobras (later Riverkings, Jesters, Vipers) ice hockey team and the Newcastle Falcons rugby union team. Newcastle was the first fully "professional" club in the world. In 1995, Hall installed former Wasps captain Rob Andrew as his salaried Director of Rugby and saw the club earn promotion from the national Second Division to the Premiership. The following season, Newcastle became English Premiership champions at their first attempt in 1997–98. Alongside Andrew,
13320-419: The Premiership, expanded and strengthened its squad with the flagship signing of Luther Burrell following a cross-code switch from Warrington Wolves . Home grown talent Gary Graham and Jamie Blamire both signed 3-year contract extensions respectively. Sinoti Sinoti , a fan favourite at the club who was a key asset in the Falcons' previous seasons left the club owing to "Personal Reasons". On 25 June 2022
13500-568: The Pro12. On the European stage, Connacht played in the Heineken Cup again in 2012–13 , because of Leinster's second Heineken Cup win in a row. Connacht won three of their pool matches: two against Italian team Zebre, along with a victory at home to 2009–10 finalists Biarritz . Elwood departed at the end of the season, having announced his intention to leave in October 2012. Elwood's replacement
13680-620: The Republic of Ireland ), new appointees to the Civil Service of the Republic of Ireland , including postal workers , tax collectors , agricultural inspectors, Garda Síochána (police), etc., were required to have some proficiency in Irish. By law, a Garda who was addressed in Irish had to respond in Irish as well. In 1974, in part through the actions of protest organisations like the Language Freedom Movement ,
13860-531: The Scottish sides, but 2003–04 was the most successful season in European competition in the province's history to date. Connacht reached the semi-finals of that year's European Challenge Cup , and came within touching distance of the decider, but a try from the Harlequins centre Will Greenwood , 12 minutes from time in the second leg of their semi-final, denied them a place in the final. Connacht also got to
14040-485: The Tetley's Bitter Cup final against Wasps, which was lost 29–19. In 1999, Rob Andrew retired allowing for 20-year-old international Jonny Wilkinson to assume the fly half role full-time. Andrew would remain as Director of Rugby. Hall sold the Falcons for a 'nominal' sum in 1999 to local businessman Dave Thompson, under whom the Falcons won two Powergen Cups : in 2001 the Falcons beat Harlequins FC 30–27; and in 2004
14220-693: The beginning of the following academic year. For a number of years there has been vigorous debate in political, academic and other circles about the failure of most students in English-medium schools to achieve competence in Irish, even after fourteen years of teaching as one of the three main subjects. The concomitant decline in the number of traditional native speakers has also been a cause of great concern. In 2007, filmmaker Manchán Magan found few Irish speakers in Dublin , and faced incredulity when trying to get by speaking only Irish in Dublin. He
14400-419: The budget, the management team struggled to improve the quality of the playing squad as a whole and they failed to improve in the Celtic League, finishing last again in 2008–09 , this time 13 points from the next team up the table. Bradley announced early in the 2009–10 season that he intended to step down at the end of the year. His final season followed a similar pattern to his first two seasons as coach, with
14580-699: The club ahead of the 2015–16 season. On 16 September 2017 the Falcons played a home game away from Kingston Park and become the second English team to host a game in the United States when they faced Saracens at the Talen Energy Stadium in Philadelphia . On 24 March 2018 Newcastle Falcons hosted " The Big One ", their Premiership fixture against Northampton Saints . It was originally booked to be played at Kingston Park but after an agreement came together with Newcastle United F.C. , it
14760-471: The club and the Rugby Union community condemning the claims stated in the article. The Rugby Football Union announced on 24 July that they would conduct a full independent investigation into the allegations made by Burrell. Newcastle finished the 2021-22 Premiership Rugby season in 12th place, entitling them to play in the 2022-23 European Rugby Challenge Cup . Newcastle Falcons finished bottom of
14940-442: The club's history the team had achieved the highest points total at the pool stages of any team in either European competition. In the quarters, they faced French Top 14 side Bourgoin , beating them 23–20, with a late Miah Nikora drop goal. Connacht advanced to the semi-finals where, on 30 April 2010, they faced a Toulon team featuring the English fly-half Jonny Wilkinson . Toulon won 19–12 in Galway, with Wilkinson kicking 14 of
15120-416: The club. The Falcons' season in the Championship sees the much changed side coached by director of rugby Dean Richards who appointed Will Welch as club captain, while experienced international locks Scott MacLeod and Carlo Del Fava were signed. The Falcons won their first game of the season 37–20 against Bristol and went on to win their second 49–32 against London Scottish . At the halfway point of
15300-419: The coming season. Other works in this first phase of the project will include installing a new LED floodlight system for the pitch. Phase 2 of the redevelopment is soon to enter the procurement phase, leading to the construction of a modern High Performance Centre, with the construction of a new North Stand to follow thereafter. On 19/01/2024, Connacht Rugby announced a Sponsorship agreement with Dexcom Inc .,
15480-496: The coming seasons, despite long-term injuries to Jonny Wilkinson . During the 2004–05 season the Falcons recorded their best ever Heineken Cup performance to date by winning their pool and progressing to a quarter-final tie against Stade Français in the Parc des Princes . In August 2005 Falcons toured Japan pre-season. They beat NEC Green Rockets easily but lost to a fired-up Toyota Verblitz . In August 2006 Rob Andrew left
15660-453: The competition reduced to ten teams, following the exit of Border Reivers , and the season ended with Connacht bottom of the table, having won only five of their 18 matches. They also finished third in their Challenge Cup pool , again being knocked out early. In the 2008–09 season Connacht were able to finish second in their pool and advance to the quarter-finals, but were beaten 42–13 by Northampton Saints . Without any meaningful increase in
15840-463: The competition, this time Sale Sharks . With the Union holding a tight grip on the purse strings Connacht continued to struggle in the Celtic League, finishing in tenth place from 11 in both the 2005–06 and 2006–07 seasons. In these seasons, however their European form could not make up for the domestic performances. Though they reached the quarter-finals of the 2005–06 Challenge Cup , they suffered
16020-460: The confirmation of relegation into the Championship , Simon Hammersley and Chris Harris both evoked relegation release clauses held within their contracts and signed for Sale Sharks and Gloucester Rugby respectively. Wasps picked up Zach Kibirige with Director of Rugby Dai Young saying Kibirige was "simply too good an opportunity to miss". England International Mark Wilson signed
16200-401: The cut in their native province. Tom Clancy , a Connacht international player, stated that players like him had to be "twice as good as the competition to get a chance." At the onset of the professional era, the IRFU designated Connacht as a development team, meaning the team received only half the budget of the other Irish provinces. In 2003, the IRFU discussed the future of Connacht Rugby and
16380-596: The death knell for Steve Bates' tenure as interim DoR. However, on Tuesday 20 May 2008 Steve Bates was confirmed as Newcastle's Director of Rugby on a full-time basis. At the end of the season, fly-half Toby Flood left for Leicester Tigers and full-back Mathew Tait signed for Sale Sharks , as the struggling Falcons failed to hold onto young English international talent. England Saxons scrum-half Lee Dickson would also depart for Northampton Saints , where he would go on to earn full international honours. Legendary Australia full back Matt Burke retired due to injury at
16560-468: The desire of the club to compete upon return to the top flight. Samoa wing Sinoti Sinoti and Argentina centre Gonzalo Tiesi were later added to the squad. Despite a difficult season, which saw a number of retirements through injury, including Carlo Del Fava , the Falcons secured their place in the Aviva Premiership for 2014–15. The Falcons made a statement ahead of the 2014–15 season with
16740-504: The end of the Bates era. Following the loss of England talent Flood, Tait and Wilkinson in previous seasons, the last remaining England international at the club, Jamie Noon , departed for CA Brive . The front line was also notably weakened when club captain Hayman left the Falcons once his lucrative contract expired, to join former teammate Wilkinson at RC Toulonnais . Towards the end of
16920-666: The end of the amateur era in the 1990s, this edict was reversed with the Championship also contested by the Irish Exiles team, consisting of Irish-qualified players in Britain and France. Connacht won the tournament on three occasions, in 1956, 1957 and 1965, although on each occasion the title was shared. On 26 August 1995 the International Rugby Board declared rugby union an "open" game, removing all restrictions on payments or benefits to those connected with
17100-404: The end of the campaign. In November 2008 Chairman Dave Thompson put an end to speculation of a takeover of the club after rejecting three bids. He held talks with a number of different consortia and reportedly turned down one offer of a full take over as the bidding consortium wanted to relocate the club to Darlington . Furthermore, he said the speculation had led to instability in the club which
17280-399: The end of the campaign. The huge outflow of talent from 2008 onwards, and lack of suitable reinforcements, would come to bear during this campaign. Samoa international centre Jamie Helleur was a rare quality signing. The 2011–12 season saw Newcastle Falcons relegated from the Premiership. The Falcons started the season badly but rallied midway through as Gary Gold took over. After changing
17460-474: The end of the famine, and under 17,000 by 1911. Irish is recognised by the Constitution of Ireland as the national and first official language of Republic of Ireland (English being the other official language). Despite this, almost all government business and legislative debate is conducted in English. In 1938, the founder of Conradh na Gaeilge (Gaelic League), Douglas Hyde , was inaugurated as
17640-488: The end of the season after upholding exceptional careers over a decade. Scott Wilson , aged 24 at the time, was forced to retire due to a neck injury he sustained in the semi-final against Exeter. A benefit dinner was held in early 2019 to raise funds for Wilson's chosen charity. Newcastle keen to follow on from the success of last season expanded their squad with key players such as Logovi'i Mulipola , John Hardie , Nemani Nagusa and George McGuigan . Falcons returned to
17820-560: The first President of Ireland . The record of his delivering his inaugural Declaration of Office in Roscommon Irish is one of only a few recordings of that dialect. In the 2016 census, 10.5% of respondents stated that they spoke Irish, either daily or weekly, while over 70,000 people (4.2%) speak it as a habitual daily means of communication. From the foundation of the Irish Free State in 1922 (see History of
18000-587: The first professional Irish team to beat an English team in England and a French team in France respectively. In the quarter-final they played SU Agen away in the Stade Armandie , but lost 40–27. Gatland left his position as Connacht coach at the end of the season, taking over as Ireland coach. Another New Zealander, Glenn Ross, took over from Gatland. In his two seasons, Connacht failed to make it out of
18180-521: The following season's Heineken Cup. Connacht finished six points behind Ulster in the final standings that year, missing out again. It wasn't until 2016 that Connacht finished in a higher league position than any of their provincial rivals again. Despite this Connacht did achieve Heineken Cup qualification from the 2011–12 season to the 2013–14 season . Ironically this was thanks to Leinster, who won three consecutive European tournaments. Leinster's successes meant that they were automatically qualified for
18360-478: The following year, leaving an open Irish qualification berth which was filled by Connacht. With the Heineken Cup being replaced by the 20-team European Rugby Champions Cup in the 2014–15 season, the Pro12 table gained a greater influence on qualification. Under the previous format, the competition provided a minimum of ten teams, with Scotland and Italy providing two teams each, and Ireland and Wales both providing three. The new system saw one place being reserved for
18540-526: The full international and British Lions teams. These include Arthur Smith , Ray McLoughlin , Malcolm Young , Roger Uttley , Peter Dixon , Duncan Madsen , Dave Robinson, Richard Breakey , Jim Pollock and Colin White . In 1990 the club name was changed to Newcastle Gosforth and they moved to Kingston Park. Gosforth Rugby Football Club continued as an amateur side working in partnership with Northumbria University and currently play at Broadway West. For
18720-517: The game. this was done due to a committee conclusion having an open game was the only way to end the hypocrisy of shamateurism , and keep control of the sport. The threat to amateur rugby union mostly prevalent in the Southern hemisphere, particularly in Australia, where Super League was threatening to entice players to rugby league with large salaries. In Ireland, the four provincial teams were
18900-588: The gap left by Hayman. On the pitch in Alan Tait's first season the Falcons reached the Anglo-Welsh Cup final, losing to Gloucester 34–7. Despite this relative success the Falcons finished their worst ever Premiership season with just 23 points (four wins), only escaping relegation thanks to the inferior points difference of Leeds Carnegie . England Saxons pair, scrum-half Micky Young and prop Kieran Brookes , would both depart for Leicester Tigers at
19080-503: The highest finishing Pro12 team from each of its four participating countries and three other qualifiers based solely on league position, for a total of seven teams. The other teams were entered in the new second-tier competition, the European Rugby Challenge Cup . This meant Connacht were no longer required to finish ahead of another Irish province or rely on an Irish victory in a European tournament to qualify for
19260-570: The highest level of amateur rugby in the country, the All-Ireland League . In the early years of European competition, Connacht were automatically entered in the European Challenge Cup each year. The IRFU were allocated three places in the more prestigious Heineken Cup , and with these going to the other provinces Connacht were left with no avenue of qualification. The Interprovincial Championship in 2000 guaranteed
19440-498: The history of the competition. In the fourth quarter of the game, three of Toulon's players were sin-binned and they were forced to make a decision after being awarded a penalty within kicking distance. However, instead of going for the posts they elected for a five-metre line-out which failed to result in a try. The final score came to 25–26 as Falcons become the second team in a European competition to beat Toulon at home, an accolade that only Saracens had achieved before. Mark Wilson
19620-663: The language family, is derived from the Old Irish term. Endonyms of the language in the various modern Irish dialects include: Gaeilge [ˈɡeːlʲɟə] in Galway, Gaeilg / Gaeilic / Gaeilig [ˈɡeːlʲəc] in Mayo and Ulster , Gaelainn / Gaoluinn [ˈɡeːl̪ˠən̠ʲ] in West/Cork, Kerry Munster , as well as Gaedhealaing in mid and East Kerry/Cork and Waterford Munster to reflect local pronunciation. Gaeilge also has
19800-410: The language was in use by all classes, Irish being an urban as well as a rural language. This linguistic dynamism was reflected in the efforts of certain public intellectuals to counter the decline of the language. At the end of the 19th century, they launched the Gaelic revival in an attempt to encourage the learning and use of Irish, although few adult learners mastered the language. The vehicle of
19980-425: The language. For most of recorded Irish history , Irish was the dominant language of the Irish people , who took it with them to other regions , such as Scotland and the Isle of Man , where Middle Irish gave rise to Scottish Gaelic and Manx . It was also, for a period, spoken widely across Canada , with an estimated 200,000–250,000 daily Canadian speakers of Irish in 1890. On the island of Newfoundland ,
20160-415: The loss of a number of key players, such as Seán Cronin and Ian Keatley , were announced, with the players signing to Connacht's provincial rivals for the start of the following season. In 2011–12 Connacht made their first-ever Heineken Cup appearance, due to Leinster winning the 2011 Heineken Cup Final . By competition rules, introduced in the 2010–11 season, the winners of both the Heineken Cup, and
20340-462: The meeting in Dublin that founded the Connacht Branch. These were Ballinasloe, Castlebar, Galway Town, Galway Grammar School, Queen's College Galway and Ranelagh School Athlone. Galway Grammar and Ranelagh have both closed since, while Galwegians was formed out of Galway Town in 1922. Ballinasloe merged with Athlone to form Buccaneers in 1994, but has since been reestablished as an independent club. Castlebar and Queen's College (now NUI Galway ) are
20520-520: The mid-18th century, English was becoming a language of the Catholic middle class, the Catholic Church and public intellectuals, especially in the east of the country. Increasingly, as the value of English became apparent, parents sanctioned the prohibition of Irish in schools. Increasing interest in emigrating to the United States and Canada was also a driver, as fluency in English allowed
20700-804: The name of the language is Gaeilge , from the South Connacht form, spelled Gaedhilge prior the spelling reform of 1948, which was originally the genitive of Gaedhealg , the form used in Classical Gaelic . The modern spelling results from the deletion of the silent ⟨dh⟩ in Gaedhilge . Older spellings include Gaoidhealg [ˈɡeːʝəlˠəɡ] in Classical Gaelic and Goídelc [ˈɡoiðʲelɡ] in Old Irish . Goidelic , used to refer to
20880-469: The new immigrants to get jobs in areas other than farming. An estimated one quarter to one third of US immigrants during the Great Famine were Irish speakers. Irish was not marginal to Ireland's modernisation in the 19th century, as is often assumed. In the first half of the century there were still around three million people for whom Irish was the primary language, and their numbers alone made them
21060-508: The new season in the right direction, Falcons bolstered their Premiership side against every team they faced in the competition winning every match both home and away, their largest win being 41-0 against Bedford Blues on 14 March 2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom , the RFU officially cancelled the season on 20 March 2020, after initially postponing all rugby in England. As
21240-655: The number now is between 20,000 and 30,000." In the 1920s, when the Irish Free State was founded, Irish was still a vernacular in some western coastal areas. In the 1930s, areas where more than 25% of the population spoke Irish were classified as Gaeltacht . Today, the strongest Gaeltacht areas, numerically and socially, are those of South Connemara , the west of the Dingle Peninsula , and northwest Donegal, where many residents still use Irish as their primary language. These areas are often referred to as
21420-565: The only teams to go professional, while their constituent clubs remained amateur. The 1995–96 season saw the first ever Heineken Cup , a new tournament set up for European clubs. The Irish were allocated three places in the competition, with these places going to Leinster, Munster and Ulster. The following season saw the launch of a secondary European competition, the European Challenge Cup . Connacht were coached that season by former All Black Warren Gatland , who had previously coached Galwegians . The inaugural Challenge Cup , then also known as
21600-446: The only two founding clubs to have remained active without interruption since the branch was founded. The province is currently made up of 25 senior clubs. Cape Town -born Henry Anderson was the first Connacht player to receive an Ireland cap, making his debut against England on 14 February 1903. Anderson later went on to be one of the founders of Galwegians, and became the first Connacht branch representative to serve as president of
21780-503: The other official language, if not already passed in both official languages. In November 2016, RTÉ reported that over 2.3 million people worldwide were learning Irish through the Duolingo app. Irish president Michael D. Higgins officially honoured several volunteer translators for developing the Irish edition, and said the push for Irish language rights remains an "unfinished project". There are rural areas of Ireland where Irish
21960-410: The past lost players it recruited and helped to develop to provincial rivals and foreign teams. For example, Connacht lost four important first team players to provincial rivals in 2011. The team's out-half, Ian Keatley moved to Munster , while hooker Seán Cronin , tighthead prop Jamie Hagan and winger Fionn Carr all transferred to Leinster . After the loss of another first team player to Leinster
22140-557: The political party holding power in the Stormont Parliament , the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), was hostile to the language. The context of this hostility was the use of the language by nationalists. In broadcasting, there was an exclusion on the reporting of minority cultural issues, and Irish was excluded from radio and television for almost the first fifty years of the previous devolved government. After
22320-483: The pool stages of the Challenge Cup, and Ross resigned at the end of the 1999–2000 season. He was replaced by South African coach Steph Nel. Nel's initial two seasons also saw Connacht knocked out of the Challenge Cup during the group stages. 2001 saw the formation of a new competition called the Celtic League , which was created to serve as a championship for Irish, Scottish and Welsh clubs. Connacht made it to
22500-587: The previous season Chairman Dave Thompson had to seek investment for the club due to increasing debts following the Nationalisation of Northern Rock , the club's main sponsor. After months of speculation, it was announced that local businessman Semore Kurdi had purchased a 40% stake in the club in September 2010, easing the club's financial difficulties. Scotland number 8 Ally Hogg was signed, while Scotland and Lions prop Euan Murray also arrived to plug
22680-451: The previous season's Players' Player of the Year, was named as Muldoon's replacement in the captaincy. In Europe, Connacht again qualified for the Challenge Cup knockout stage and were again beaten in the quarter-finals, this time by Sale Sharks . However, Friend's first season in charge saw a large improvement in league performance, with Connacht climbing to third place in their conference in
22860-487: The previous season's introduction of Italian teams to the competition. In the first season of the new 'Pro12' , Connacht built on the previous year's performance. They finished the season eighth out of twelve teams. Entry into the Heineken Cup led to a significant increase in the club's popularity. In summer 2011, the Connacht Clan supporters club was formed. In September 2011, Connacht season ticket sales went over
23040-407: The professional era with the record-holder for points scored, Ian Keatley , and leading try-scorer Matt Healy both being from Dublin , while Munster-native players like Seán Cronin and Ultan Dillane have earned Ireland caps while playing for the team. Connacht has also tended to give opportunities to foreign-born players who qualify for Ireland through heritage. This relationship was codified by
23220-472: The prospect of the team being shut down as part of a cost-saving program. In response, thousands of supporters marched to show their support of the provincial team and this idea was subsequently rejected. In May 2014, the IRFU announced that it would be providing Connacht with an increase in funding of over €1 million, nominally to improve strength and conditioning coaching and facilities. Although Connacht are no longer as far behind in funding, they do still have
23400-405: The province in the wake of improved results, particularly the 2015–16 title-winning season, the Connacht Branch stated their intention to undertake either a large scale redevelopment of Dexcom Stadium or a move to an alternative stadium. The ultimate stated aim for the province is a stadium with a capacity of at least 10,000 spectators, that has full covering on all stands and the ability to cater for
23580-554: The province is the " Connacht Clan ". A voluntary organisation, it was established in 2011 and is club run by a member-elected committee. The committee is made up entirely of supporters, with the exception of one representative from the Connacht Branch, who acts as a liaison to the supporters. The side's mascot "Eddie the Eagle" is used to promote the team to younger fans, appearing at schools and attending promotional events aimed at families. The dimidiated eagle and sword arm featured in
23760-494: The province to have progressed to the senior team through the academy. In spite of the increased production line of native talent, Connacht continues to rely on its traditional policy of bringing in players from outside its jurisdiction that have failed to progress to their senior provincial team to help make up its playing numbers. Examples of this from the amateur era include Robbie McGrath and Victor Costello , both of whom went on to represent Ireland. This trend has continued in
23940-408: The province's traditional colours however. The 2019–20 European kit was primarily navy. The current official Connacht team and support staff kit supplier is Australian manufacturer BLK sport , who announced a comprehensive four-year agreement to supply the full range of apparel for all of Connacht Rugby's representative teams and support staff in 2013. BLK continues to be the team's kit supplier as of
24120-410: The quarter-finals in the inaugural season , where they were beaten by Scotland's Glasgow Warriors , by a final score of 29–34. In the 2002–03 season the team again reached the quarters. This time, however, they were beaten by a much greater margin, losing to Irish rivals Munster by a score of 33–3. Meanwhile, in the 2002–03 European Challenge Cup , they reached the quarter-finals, being knocked out by
24300-551: The quarter-finals. In the 2015–16 Pro12 however, Connacht broke a number of records on their way to a second-place finish in the regular season. This put the team through to the end-of-year play-offs for the first time where they faced Glasgow Warriors in a semi-final in Galway, winning 16–11. On 28 May 2016, a 20–10 win against Leinster in the Pro12 final gave Connacht their first ever major trophy. The upset win drew comparisons with Premier League side Leicester City 's triumph in
24480-506: The reason for the departure of John Fletcher and Peter Walton. Having said this, Bates guided the Falcons to a record-equalling run of seven consecutive Premiership defeats by April 2008 with home games against Leicester Tigers and London Wasps plus a season-concluding away trip to Worcester Warriors yet to come. Defeat in the European Challenge Cup semi-final against Worcester Warriors on 25 April 2008 may well have sounded
24660-492: The relationship between the three Goidelic languages (Irish, Scottish Gaelic and Manx). Gaelic is a collective term for the Goidelic languages, and when the context is clear it may be used without qualification to refer to each language individually. When the context is specific but unclear, the term may be qualified, as Irish Gaelic, Scottish Gaelic or Manx Gaelic. Historically the name "Erse" ( / ɜːr s / URS )
24840-432: The requirement for entrance to the public service was changed to proficiency in just one official language. Nevertheless, Irish remains a required subject of study in all schools in the Republic of Ireland that receive public money (see Education in the Republic of Ireland ). Teachers in primary schools must also pass a compulsory examination called Scrúdú Cáilíochta sa Ghaeilge . As of 2005, Garda Síochána recruits need
25020-647: The revival was the Gaelic League ( Conradh na Gaeilge ), and particular emphasis was placed on the folk tradition, which in Irish is particularly rich. Efforts were also made to develop journalism and a modern literature. Although it has been noted that the Catholic Church played a role in the decline of the Irish language before the Gaelic Revival, the Protestant Church of Ireland also made only minor efforts to encourage use of Irish in
25200-432: The same season. Connacht's Pro12 victory saw them qualify for the 2016–17 Champions Cup . They finished in third place in their pool, level on points with Toulouse in second to narrowly miss out on qualifying for the knockout stage of the competition for the first time. A serious injury crisis, which saw 21 players unavailable at the same time, contributed to the team sliding down the league table and they finished eighth in
25380-791: The season in 11th place, with a points total of 34. Ahead of the 2015–16 campaign, England international prop Kieran Brookes and England under-20 lock Dominic Barrow departed for Northampton Saints and Leicester Tigers respectively. Fly halves Rory Clegg and Phil Godman , wing Noah Cato , flanker Andy Saull , scrum halves Mike Blair and Warren Fury along with centre Jamie Helleur were among those released. A host of 2015 Rugby World Cup stars were signed in Tonga flanker and captain Nili Latu , Tonga scrum half Sonatane Takulua , Italy wing Giovanbattista Venditti and Scotland prop Jon Welsh . The return of former star scrum half Micky Young
25560-487: The season the Falcons were maintaining their unbeaten run, including a 24–13 score against a touring Tongan national side during the first international game to be held at Kingston Park since 1990. Former England Saxons wing Noah Cato signed from Northampton Saints to assist in the promotion push. The Falcons confirmed their place in the Championship play off semi-final with a bonus point win at home to Cornish Pirates on 22 February 2013 and their position as league leaders
25740-414: The semi-final of the Celtic Cup. Despite this, Connacht fell further in the Celtic League the following season. The team finished one place from the bottom in 2004–05 , in what was now an 11 team competition. Still, the team continued their European form in the 2004–05 European Challenge Cup , reaching the semi-finals a second season. Once again, they were knocked out over two legs by the eventual winners of
25920-437: The set up at Kingston Park, the club nearly escaped relegation, but London Wasps held on to secure their Premiership status by a point. Despite finishing with a higher points total than the year before (32) it was not enough to keep them up. The Falcons still had a small hope that London Welsh may be refused Premiership status, however Welsh were promoted after an appeal. Many players, including Euan Murray , subsequently left
26100-452: The sides. Despite having finished ahead of their rivals in the table, progressed further than them in the competition and beaten them in the head-to-head game, the IRFU persisted with its policy and Leinster were entered in the 2003–04 Heineken Cup as the top Irish seeds. The 2004–05 season saw a change to this policy, as the union began to use the Celtic League table as its sole criteria for determining which Irish teams would be entered into
26280-413: The signing of 2010–11 Premiership top try scorer and three time Premiership winner Alesana Tuilagi . One of Alesana's six rugby playing brothers, Andy Tuilagi also signed for the Falcons. Another notable signing was Italy lock Joshua Furno , while Samoa lock Kane Thompson was another new addition. Rotherham Titans duo, Juan Pablo Socino and Ruki Tipuna also joined the club. The Falcons finished
26460-460: The sole bright spot. After a disappointing season the pressure mounted on Steve Bates and on 4 May 2010, the club announced that Bates' contract had been terminated and he was being replaced by first team coach Alan Tait . The decision came after Newcastle went on an unbeaten run to quash any doubts of relegation largely due to an inspirational Carl Hayman . But a crushing home European Challenge Cup Quarter Final defeat by Cardiff Blues signalled
26640-413: The start of professionalism the club briefly adopted the name Newcastle Rugby Club before adopting its current name. Newcastle has won 5 major titles. They won the Premiership in 1998 and four domestic cups in 1976 , 1977 , 2001 and 2004 . Newcastle was the only English club of Jonny Wilkinson , where he played from 1997 to 2009, and as well as Wilkinson in 2003 Newcastle saw three players in
26820-530: The suburbs of Newcastle upon Tyne . In 1955, the club moved to a new ground at North Road which was to be its home until 1990. During that time and particularly in the late 1970s Gosforth enjoyed tremendous success both on and off the field winning the John Player Cup in seasons 1975–76 and 1976–77. Gosforth supplied innumerable players to all counties over the years, to the North of England sides and to
27000-465: The table in the 2022-23 season , 10 points behind Gloucester. Newcastle Falcons finished bottom of the table in the 2023-24 season , without winning a single match. On 18 October 2024, Newcastle Falcons ended their 25-match losing streak in the 2024–25 Premiership Rugby season with a victory over Exeter Chiefs , with this being their first league victory since March 2023. Newcastle Falcons play at Kingston Park which holds 10,250. Kingston Park
27180-517: The team again finishing last in the League , though the gap was narrower than the previous year. As in Bradley's earlier seasons, however, Connacht were able to leave their poor form in the league behind when it came to playing in the Challenge Cup . They topped their pool comfortably, winning all six games with two try bonus points, and proceeded to the quarter-finals as top seeds. For the first time in
27360-472: The team's charity branch, Newcastle Falcons Foundation. It was also at this time that Johnny Williams announced he would be moving to Scarlets at the official conclusion of the season with Dominic Waldouck joining Gloucester Rugby as their Defence Coach. Nick Easter also joined Falcons' coaching squad shortly after. After a wait of 8 months, Rugby Union restarted across England with teams cautiously returning to some level of normality. Newcastle, back in
27540-541: The team. Connacht lost their first five matches in the pool stages, claiming losing bonuses in both of their games with Gloucester . In the final game of their pool, however, they managed an upset, beating Harlequins 9–8 in the Sportsground, which prevented the Premiership club from topping the group, and knocked them down into the Challenge Cup . On the domestic front, the Celtic League had been renamed, given
27720-529: The third round of pool games Connacht produced one of the biggest shocks in the history of the Heineken Cup when they defeated Toulouse in the Stade Ernest-Wallon . Despite two wins against Zebre, this wasn't enough to qualify from the pool, with the team again finishing third. The following season brought a restructuring of games at European level, which meant Connacht returned to the second-tier competition. Connacht finished second in their pool in
27900-423: The top tier of European rugby. The 2015–16 season marked a major breakthrough for Connacht, as a second-place finish in the Pro12 table followed by victory in the grand final saw the team qualify for the top tier of European competition on their own steam for the first time. The Pro14 underwent further changes to its European qualification process ahead of the 2017–18 season. In May 2017, the guaranteed places in
28080-726: The vacancy to which they are appointed. This requirement is laid down by the University College Galway Act, 1929 (Section 3). In 2016, the university faced controversy when it announced the planned appointment of a president who did not speak Irish. Misneach staged protests against this decision. The following year the university announced that Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh , a fluent Irish speaker, would be its 13th president. He assumed office in January 2018; in June 2024, he announced he would be stepping down as president at
28260-594: The work of such writers as Geoffrey Keating , is said to date from the 17th century, and was the medium of popular literature from that time on. From the 18th century on, the language lost ground in the east of the country. The reasons behind this shift were complex but came down to a number of factors: The change was characterised by diglossia (two languages being used by the same community in different social and economic situations) and transitional bilingualism (monoglot Irish-speaking grandparents with bilingual children and monoglot English-speaking grandchildren). By
28440-465: Was 1,873,997, representing 40% of respondents, but of these, 472,887 said they never spoke it and a further 551,993 said they only spoke it within the education system. Linguistic analyses of Irish speakers are therefore based primarily on the number of daily users in Ireland outside the education system, which in 2022 was 20,261 in the Gaeltacht and 51,707 outside it, totalling 71,968. In response to
28620-478: Was also a coup for the Falcons, alongside one time All Black cap, fly half Mike Delany and former England lock Mouritz Botha . Following seven years in Bath , England prop Dave Wilson returned to the Falcons. Classy France international centre Maxime Mermoz also joined mid-season. Winger Vereniki Goneva had most metres in the Premiership with 1,615 while Mark Wilson received his first England caps. Ahead of
28800-531: Was also sometimes used in Scots and then in English to refer to Irish; as well as Scottish Gaelic. Written Irish is first attested in Ogham inscriptions from the 4th century AD, a stage of the language known as Primitive Irish . These writings have been found throughout Ireland and the west coast of Great Britain. Primitive Irish underwent a change into Old Irish through the 5th century. Old Irish, dating from
28980-409: Was announced after " The Big One " game that 30,174 people attended the game as Falcons beat Northampton Saints 25–22. It was the first Premiership Rugby match to be played at St James' Park , and the success of the initiative led to Newcastle Falcons doing the same in the 2018–2019 season. During the years known as Gosforth the club played in green and white hoops, colours that are still retained by
29160-633: Was announced in Eddie Jones ' Autumn Internationals Squad following players being injured at the time. He started against England's 12–11 win over South Africa and won Quilter Internationals player of the series. He became a regular starter for England in the 2019 Six Nations along with Gary Graham making his debut for Scotland . Following the success of the previous "The Big One" , Falcons announced on 4 December that their match against northern rivals Sale Sharks would be played at Newcastle United 's St. James' Park . The match would be held as
29340-512: Was announced in 2012, this time Irish international lock Mike McCarthy , the Connacht chief executive Tom Sears accused Leinster of trying to "poach" Connacht players, arguing it was not in the best interests of Irish rugby. The province also has a lower representation in top-level club competition in Ireland than its rivals, due to its lower playing population. Of the 25 senior clubs currently operating in Connacht, only Ballina , Buccaneers , Galway Corinthians , Galwegians and Sligo compete in
29520-515: Was announced in January 2013, with the New Zealand born former Samoa international Pat Lam appointed to coach the team. Lam's first competitive game in charge was in the 2013–14 Pro12 , a 25–16 home win over Zebre but following this game, Connacht suffered a number of league defeats in a row. On 21 December 2013, they overcame Newport Gwent Dragons 14–11 at home to break their league losing streak stretching back to September. The team went on
29700-558: Was compounded by the departure of future British and Irish Lions star Geoff Parling who continued the outflow of talent, leaving for Leicester Tigers . Another trio who would go on to achieve England honours in Phil Dowson , Dave Wilson and Tom May also left for Northampton Saints , Bath Rugby and RC Toulonnais respectively. The Falcons failed to replace the character and quality which had departed, with imports Gcobani Bobo and Filipo Levi flattering to deceive, Gopperth
29880-527: Was confirmed early the following month. At the conclusion of the season, the Falcons defeated the Bedford Blues 49–33 on aggregate in the final to win promotion back to the Premiership for the 2013–14 season. Prior to the beginning of the Falcons' return to the Aviva Premiership , star fly-half Jimmy Gopperth departed for Leinster Rugby . To replace Gopperth, former Falcon Rory Clegg
30060-668: Was enacted 1 July 2019 and is an 18-page document that adheres to the guidelines of the Official Languages Act 2003 . The purpose of the Scheme is to provide services through the mediums of Irish and/or English. According to the Department of the Taoiseach, it is meant to "develop a sustainable economy and a successful society, to pursue Ireland's interests abroad, to implement the Government's Programme and to build
30240-453: Was establishing itself as the primary language. Irish speakers had first arrived in Australia in the late 18th century as convicts and soldiers, and many Irish-speaking settlers followed, particularly in the 1860s. New Zealand also received some of this influx. Argentina was the only non-English-speaking country to receive large numbers of Irish emigrants, and there were few Irish speakers among them. Newcastle Falcons Newcastle Falcons
30420-619: Was let go one year into a three-year deal. The end of the 2017–18 season also saw the departure of long-serving player and captain John Muldoon who had made 327 appearances in his record-breaking career with the province. Keane was replaced for the following season by Australian coach Andy Friend , who had previously been head coach of the Australian sevens team . His appointment was announced as his replacement in May 2018. Jarrad Butler ,
30600-449: Was moved to St James' Park , Newcastle United's home ground. The goal was to promote rugby union in North East England while also being the Falcons' biggest home crowd to date. The bar was set at 20,000 attendees which would beat their previous record of 11,595 set in 1999 when a match was held at Gateshead International Stadium . For the match, Falcons wore a unique black and white striped shirt similar to that worn by Newcastle United . It
30780-495: Was named as Pat Lam's replacement in February 2017, to take over ahead the start of the 2017–18 season. However, Keane's commitments with the Chiefs in Super Rugby kept him from linking up with Connacht fully until the end of that July. The league underwent further restructuring, with the addition of two South African teams and the division of the competition into two conferences. After a disappointing first season, in which Connacht finished second from bottom in their conference, Keane
30960-403: Was passed 14 July 2003 with the main purpose of improving the number and quality of public services delivered in Irish by the government and other public bodies. Compliance with the Act is monitored by the An Coimisinéir Teanga (Irish Language Commissioner) which was established in 2004 and any complaints or concerns pertaining to the Act are brought to them. There are 35 sections included in
31140-403: Was picked by a committee of five, generally consisting of two representatives each from Leinster and Ulster , and one from Munster . Connacht were represented on this council by a sub-selector, without the power to vote on the final squad. Most of Connacht's international players during this era were either Irish-qualified imports from England or players who joined the side after failing to make
31320-482: Was playing his club rugby for Gosforth in England at the time. Ciaran Fitzgerald became the first Connacht man to captain the Lions when he was chosen by Jim Telfer to lead the 1983 tour to New Zealand . During the amateur era Irish players primarily played for their respective clubs, with provincial games effectively treated as Irish trial matches. The provincial teams were also used to provide competitive club opposition for touring international sides. Beginning in
31500-568: Was signed by Dean Richards for the second time, with Richards having previously signed Clegg for Harlequins when Clegg was just 19. Four years later, the return of Clegg, alongside the returning Kieran Brookes from Leicester Tigers , provided evidence that talent was coming back to the Falcons. The signings of former Scotland and Lions scrum-half Mike Blair from CA Brive , Saracens flanker Andy Saull , Scotland hooker Scott Lawson from London Irish , former Scotland fly half Phil Godman and one time France prop Franck Montanella showed
31680-527: Was spoken throughout Ireland, Isle of Man and parts of Scotland . It is the language of a large corpus of literature, including the Ulster Cycle . From the 12th century, Middle Irish began to evolve into modern Irish in Ireland, into Scottish Gaelic in Scotland, and into the Manx language in the Isle of Man . Early Modern Irish , dating from the 13th century, was the basis of the literary language of both Ireland and Gaelic-speaking Scotland. Modern Irish, sometimes called Late Modern Irish, as attested in
31860-499: Was the majority of the population's first language until the 19th century, when English gradually became dominant, particularly in the last decades of the century, in what is sometimes characterised as a result of linguistic imperialism . Today, Irish is still commonly spoken as a first language in Ireland's Gaeltacht regions, in which 2% of Ireland's population lived in 2022. The total number of people (aged 3 and over) in Ireland who declared they could speak Irish in April 2022
32040-425: Was the second smallest stadium in the Premiership Rugby with the club's average attendance currently sitting at approximately 10,000, a 42.5% increase from the 2016–17 season and a 96.8% increase from the 2013–14 season. The stadium has three modern stands; the open air North standing Terrace, the enclosed South Stand Terrace – where the loudest fans traditionally stand and sing, and the all-seated West Stand. However,
32220-442: Was unable to accomplish some everyday tasks, as portrayed in his documentary No Béarla . There is, however, a growing body of Irish speakers in urban areas, particularly in Dublin. Many have been educated in schools in which Irish is the language of instruction. Such schools are known as Gaelscoileanna at primary level. These Irish-medium schools report some better outcomes for students than English-medium schools. In 2009,
32400-456: Was unsettling players and fans alike. On the pitch the Falcons reached another European Challenge Cup quarter-final going down to Saracens away from home and finished 10th in the Premiership. This season marked the end of an era as legendary fly-half Jonny Wilkinson left the club for RC Toulonnais . England under-20s fly-half Rory Clegg also left for Harlequins as Jimmy Gopperth was signed as replacement fly-half. The loss of Wilkinson
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