Team Ireland

Team Ireland was a stock car racing team that competed in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series between 1991 and 1992. Owned by Irishman Martin Birrane, the team posted a best finish of thirteenth with driver Bobby Hillin, Jr.

Winston Cup Series

Car No. 31 history

Team Ireland made its debut in the 1991 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season, competing in four races with the No. 53 Chevrolet; the team intended to field IndyCar star John Paul, Jr. in its cars, but after Paul proved to have a hard time adjusting to the heavy NASCAR cars, he was replaced after two races by Bobby Hillin, Jr., who joined the team for a planned 15-race schedule in 1992. Changing to the No. 31 and using cars and engines supplied by Richard Childress Racing, the team competed in ten races during the 1992 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season, posting a best finish of 13th in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, before being forced to close due to a lack of sponsorship; the team was unable to pay a fine levied by NASCAR for the use of illegal cylinder heads in the Mello Yello 500 in October, and team owner Birrane chose to leave the sport.

Team Ireland Roller Derby

Team Ireland Roller Derby represents Ireland in women's international roller derby, in events such as the Roller Derby World Cup. Affectionately known as the "Green Machine", the team was first formed to compete at the 2011 Roller Derby World Cup, and finished the tournament in tenth place.

The Irish team warmed up for the 2011 World Cup with a number of bouts against English leagues, starting with the Sheffield Steel Rollergirls.

At the World Cup, Ireland lost to Team Finland in round 1; then easily beat Team Brazil in the consolation stage, but lost to Team Germany to finish tenth.

The team's head coach, Violent Bob, from Dublin Roller Girls, stated afterwards that the team were "probably among the underdogs" at the World Cup, but were "pretty proud of how we got on". He highlighted in particular the team's group stage 64–119 loss to Team England as a competitive performance.

Team roster

2011 team roster

Team Ireland named its initial roster in September 2011, following try-outs. Most of the skaters were from Ireland's two leagues with bouting experience, the Dublin Roller Girls and Cork City Firebirds. (league affiliations listed as of at the time of the announcement)

Ireland

Ireland (ⁱ/ˈaɪərlənd/; Irish: Éire [ˈeːɾʲə]; Ulster-Scots: Airlann [ˈɑːrlən]) is an island in the North Atlantic. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the second-largest island of the British Isles, the third-largest in Europe, and the twentieth-largest on Earth.

Politically, Ireland is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially named Ireland), which covers five-sixths of the island, and Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom, and located in the northeast of the island. In 2011 the population of Ireland was about 6.4 million, ranking it the second-most populous island in Europe after Great Britain. Just under 4.6 million live in the Republic of Ireland and just over 1.8 million live in Northern Ireland.

The island's geography comprises relatively low-lying mountains surrounding a central plain, with several navigable rivers extending inland. The island has lush vegetation, a product of its mild but changeable climate which avoids extremes in temperature. Thick woodlands covered the island until the Middle Ages. As of 2013, the amount of land that is wooded in Ireland is about 11% of the total, compared with a European average of 35%. There are 26 extant mammal species native to Ireland. The Irish climate is very moderated and classified as oceanic. As a result, winters are milder than expected for such a northerly area. However, summers are cooler than those in Continental Europe. Rainfall and cloud cover are abundant.

Ireland (disambiguation)

Ireland usually refers to:

Ireland may also refer to:

Former political arrangements of Ireland

Ireland, Bedfordshire

Coordinates: 52°03′36″N 0°20′54″W / 52.06002°N 0.34836°W / 52.06002; -0.34836

Ireland is a hamlet in the civil parish of Southill, Bedfordshire, England.

External links

Media related to Ireland, Bedfordshire at Wikimedia Commons