Sport and the media in Ireland: an introduction

Abstract

The symbiotic relationship that has existed since the mid-19th century between sport and the media – from the popular press, through newsreels and radio, to television, and beyond – is so well established as hardly to require comment. However, the very familiarity of this long and successful marriage should not blind us to its abiding, and abidingly remarkable, affective power, both for individuals and for communities, real and ‘imagined’, of all kinds. We may thus legitimately pause to reflect on the key role played by the media in establishing the local, national, and international significance of what are inherently ephemeral and objectively trivial corporeal practices.