Soccer first Rugby 2nd if you include tag rugby. OZy what do you think? If you included tag rugby yes 100% 2nd if not then maybe one of the other minority sports would be 2nd, Hurling is more popular in Dublin among the young lads in GAA clubs so i would say hurling if not now will be soon 2nd.

rocket will you stop making a fool of urself.hurling is greatest game in the world but its not widely played.now stop digging.go for a walk.its lovely and sunny out there..

Even the man of breeding who admires Rocketfingers virility is steering clear of this one.

The one thing it wasn't was an educated guess.

* doesn't

Anyone who thinks, for example, that more people participate in Athletics (just one example) in this country, than rugby, does deserve to be engaged with in 'intelligent' debate

40,000 participated in the flora mini marathon on monday and that is only one athletic event. I dont think Rugby could compete with those numbers?

The contrast between Kelly and Ozymandius is both stark and revealing.

Rocketfingers stated Rugby was second in participation terms in Ireland,I said it wasn't in the top ten,Kelly disagreed but placed it fourth,Ozymandius sneered posted a smilie but was afraid to offer an opinion.

Kelly then reasonably argued that Fishing to him was a pastime rather than a sport,Ozymandius just it was pathetic.

His latest contribution " intelligent debate " is typical by intelligent debate he means his point of view but this is quickly debunked by The Gotchees contribution.

Ozymandius was however flushed out and finally came up with something concrete,the fact that he comes up with an absolute bogus figure is typical of this elitist wannabe.

Can you put the report for the less computer literate

You are being unfair to Kelly as he clearly states his list is one of his spectating preference.

I agree with him about hurling as well as it is to me the best sport in the world.

Glad to see I have joined Rocketfingers "clueless " brigade .  Just cant figure out the logic in that assertion other than he must have been imbibing .  But it is a sort of an imprimatur .

I gave Ozymandius a chance to reply but in fairness to him he was probably out with binoculars checking the Three Fat Women of Antibes.

Even the broken down figures are clearly wrong,allow for the fact that sports always exaggerate their participants but the figures quoted by Ozymandius are wrong in every department.

Sorry Borneo, for not replying within what you deem a appropriate time schedule.  Some of us have commitments above and beyond daytime television and shuffling to the Post Office to pick up the pension.

The figures you have given are plainly wrong I was just giving you a chance to check them out.

Even if we were to agree those bogus figures you would still fall well behind athletics the comparison you brought up.

The IRFU  claim 95,000 players and 205 clubs so the nicest way to put it is there is a discrepancy .

The figures are boosted by saying a school like Roscrea play Rugby therefore all those pupils are rugby players likewise all members of rugby clubs are not players.

Rugby players have a short career whereas golfers,cricketers and even athletes have long careers.

Not into figures as provided by various agencies myself , distrust anything coming from "government sources "  as they are prepared by civil servants with "agenda" .

Rainfall figures are a good example of the validity of that view .  For years we were fed 40 inches of rain per year , Kerry , Mayo and Donegal reached 55 betimes . 3 years ago we suffered huge  day long deluge , government subsequently "confirmed" we had 2 inches of rain , I had a horizontally seated bucket empty before the deluge , after the deluge , and with continuing rain it was overflowing . It was a 14 inch tall bucket , completely cylindrical , sheer vertical sides . No one in the various bodies I contacted has ever been able to explain that one .

The only figures I believe inherently are the golfing ones , simply because I know the golfing scene , and there are 427 golf courses approx in Ireland .  Nobody overstates their membership as they pay the GUI a levy based on membership , and no golf club treasurer I have ever known ( quite a few) would ever overstate membership . And most of the members are adult .

Reference GAA clubs and membership , when I was heavily involved for 10 years in my local club in an administrative capacity including 3 years as secretary , the most onerous and most important job , we had about 100  paying members  , mostly players .  We had no ground , we were Division one , and on one of the teams I managed in that time my players  historically and subsequently garnered 10 All Ireland medals between them . The same club now has superb ground facilities / pavilion , mostly funded locally and from GAA central funds , plus a few quid lottery grant .  Division 3 , about 1000 members ( good percentage female I am told by my extended family member who is the chairman ) , no one near county senior standard ( yet) despite the numbers game . I joke with committe members and those involved regarding the free "baby sitting " they perform for the community , the more sanguine among them sort of agree , the kids disappear largely when they discover other pursuits attractive to teenagers . And our neighbouring club also boasts those sort of membership numbers .

Dont know any soccer club with those sort of numbers , one of the extended family teenagers plays for our most financially viable local soccer club , development squad etc , trips to Spain et al . He also is in county GAA development squad  , recently the soccer club had to postpone a fixture because 7 of their 11 first picks were involved GAA wise , times change ! Once upon a time a friend of ours was front page headline because he transferred ( for a doubling of his salary) to that club from Belfast Celtic . Belfast Celtic were as tight as the proverbial ducks . They took the view that the players were priveleged to put on the hooped jersy .  Didn't pay bills though in those days .

Only valid "playing " membership should be based on "adult" playing membership  , all sports .  That lets out most of the soccer figures I suspect , if they are not good enough by age 15 to be going for trials in England or Scotland they finish up God knows where .  Thats the way it is up here in the North anyway , where soccer effectively "started" in Ireland . Dont know any soccer club set up with 10/15 teams playing each weekend , does any one ? And up here they nearly all play on council funded sports facilities , so where is the "club spirit " , you need a meeting place / social contact facility .

Thats where the GAA and the rugby clubs have a huge advantage , like the golf clubs  , social contact post match , largely absent in soccer circles this part of the world , partly for historical reasons . That said its not entirely the fault of local ( Irish ) soccer that the current situation prevails , it is a reflection of the top heavy concentration on the English premiership and its influence which partly bedevils Irish soccer . Money a big factor too . I have no doubt there are a huge number of soccer people involved worthily at all levels in Ireland , but they are largely hostage to our bigger neighbour for a variety of reasons over which they have no control , and the fans with surplus money tend to support "away" from home .

Ozy making bits of Wildman and Kelly on here, great viewing

One of the factors in the perception of who plays what or is interested in what sport , is the part that the media plays .  Having lived south of the border for two years , I formed a very definite opinion of RTE's shortcomings as a "national "broadcaster . In those days the soccerites ran RTE reference sport , all other sports were considered minority sports , even though they were not .

Not sure where they sit nowadays , RTE is seldom on here given the variety elswhere .

All rugby players in Ireand are registered with official photo ID cards, each has a unique number. 

Non playing club members are therefore not counted, barring those recently retired whose registration has not lapsed.  There is no dual counting between schools and clubs due to the unique number.  I am not sure if rugby playing schools blanket register every pupil or just those who choose play rugby, I assume the latter, as registration is quite a timely process.

Rugbys sudden rise has a lot to do with this country not treating the likes of Munster and Leinster as club teams in a club competition but representing the downtrodden and the nation as a whole, so basically they don't wear the red and blue jersey but the green.

ZEBOOOOOOOOOOO,!!!