Van Esbeck's rugby history

A gathering of Irish rugby personalities from the past and present assembled in the Long Hall Library of Trinity College yesterday evening to celebrate the publication of former Irish Times rugby correspondent Edmund Van Esbeck's Irish Rugby (1874-1999) A History.

The book was officially launched by the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, who welcomed the publication as a celebration of the many achievements in Irish rugby. "Anyone who loves rugby will love this book," said Ahern. "It gets all the facts and figures while also capturing the passion at the heart of Irish rugby. It shows why we are all optimistic about the future development of the game on the eve of the World Cup."

The president of the IRFU, Bill Lavery, also spoke about the fitting location of the launch at Trinity College, "the very place where the Irish game started up".

The author, who spent 30 years covering rugby for The Irish Times, described the book as "a labour of love". Van Esbeck also wished the Irish team the best of luck in the forthcoming World Cup in the hope they could write "a glorious chapter in the history of Irish rugby".