Ireland

The Republic of Ireland is a country in Northern Europe, bordering on Great Britain. Dublin is the capital and largest city.

History of hockey in Ireland
The first official game in Ireland took place in 1983, between the Dublin Stags and the Liverpool Leopards, with the Stags winning by a score of 3-2.

The Irish Ice Hockey Association is the governing body of ice hockey in the country, and Ireland joined the IIHF on September 26, 1996.

There is currently no full-size ice rink in Ireland, as the Dundalk Ice Dome closed in May 2010. There is however a small ice rink in Dublin, Castleknock on Ice.

The Irish Ice Hockey League was first played in the 2007-08 season, and was contested for three seasons between 2007 and 2010. Prior to the formation of the league, a national championship was contested in some years.

The men's national team made its international debut in 2004, playing in the Division III World Championships held in Reykjavik, Iceland. They have played in the World Championships every year since their first appearance. They won the Division III World Championship in both 2007 and 2010, and played in the Division II World Championship in 2008 and 2011.

The women's national team first appeared on the international scene in 2011, playing in the Women's World Championship Division V tournament held in Sofia, Bulgaria. They went 0-4 in the tournament, finishing in last place, and were outscored 43-0.

The junior national team participated in the 2002 World Junior Championship Division III Qualification tournament held in Luxembourg City from April 26-28, 2001. They lost 10-0 to Luxembourg and 20-1 to Iceland.