We love sport in Northern Ireland. If there’s a ball nearby, we’ll kick it, pass it or hit it with a bat, hurl, stick, cue, club or racquet. We love everything four-wheeled and anything two-wheeled. We love bouts in the ring, pucks on the ice, and run-ins on the flat and over jumps. And if something needs throwing, lifting, sailing or running after, we’ll give it our best shot.
While you’re here, you might just catch a game or race going on. Or maybe you’ll come here because it’s on. So, here are just some of the best.
Motor along to one of these events
We are serious petrol heads here in Northern Ireland. We love our motor sport, be it on two wheels or four, on the track or our own picturesque roads. We’ve given the sport some of the world’s top bike riders like the Dunlop dynasty. Rally drivers like the Hall of Famer Paddy Hopkirk are still inspiring generations of drivers to this day. Plus, we’ve produced more than our fair share of F1 drivers like John Watson, Martin Donnelly and Eddie Irvine.
Growing in stature year on year, the Tandragee 100 around the Armagh town’s roads is regarded by many as one of Irish road bike racing’s most prestigious and thrilling national events. The Northwest 200 is also one of the premier bike racing events in the calendar. It is held on a street circuit known as the Triangle between Portstewart, Coleraine and Portrush. The hugely popular Armoy Road Races have been providing high quality road bike racing every summer since 2009.
The Northern Ireland Rally Championship series revs up with the traditional season-opener at County Down’s Kirkistown Circuit in February. This is followed by a series of races throughout spring and summer across Northern Ireland. So you might catch the Derry-Londonderry or Tour of the Sperrins rounds, or the Tyrone Stages around Cookstown.
Football and hurling in Championship season
While the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) hurling and football seasons start in early spring, the Championship in summer is when things ramp up a gear. Each county is awash with colour as inter-county rivalries, county pride and banter come to the fore. You should definitely try to catch a game at any of the major GAA stadiums around - not to be missed for sheer excitement, thrill and raw county pride.
Ruck and maul – it’s rugby Ulster style
Ulster Rugby are one of the four professional teams on the island of Ireland. The team competes in the Pro 14 and European Champions Cup competitions - and in fact were the inaugural winners of the latter tournament in 1999.
Northern Ireland has produced some of the world’s most illustrious players like Lions legend Willie John McBride, rugby Hall of Famers Jack Kyle and Mike Gibson. Many Ireland rugby captains have hailed from this part of the world too including McBride, Gibson, Kyle as well as Rory Best, Simon Easterby and David Humphreys to name but a few. You can catch them playing at Kingspan Stadium (also known as Ravenhill) in Belfast. Definitely worth a visit especially on ‘European nights’ when the cream of Europe come to their fortress.
From George Best to the world - soccer
For soccer (or football, as it’s known), Northern Ireland has a vibrant club and international scene. In George Best, it produced one of the world greats but also players who graced the game with top England clubs, like Danny Blanchflower, Jackie Carey, Pat Jennings, Norman Whiteside, Neil Lennon, Sammy McIlroy and Gerry Armstrong.
The international team plays its home fixtures at The National Stadium in Belfast and if you’re looking to catch a local game you can pay a visit to one of the many Northern Ireland Football League grounds dotted across the country.
Take some giant thrills and spills in your stride
Few trips to Belfast are complete without a visit to watch the Belfast Giants compete in the Elite Ice Hockey League. One of the fastest games in the world is on your doorstep here in the SSE Arena and a noisy, thrilling night out is guaranteed. The SSE Arena is in fact the only competitive ice hockey rink on the island of Ireland making it all the more unmissable!
The Belfast City Marathon in May is for anyone who takes their running seriously and you should book a chance to run this race and build your visit around it. Starting in historic Stormont, it takes in some of the most spectacular views and iconic locations of the city and surrounding areas. Whether you’re competing in the men's, ladies, relay, fun run or wheelchair events – or there to cheer on – put this one on your bucket list. There are a whole range of half marathons, 10Ks and other road races across Northern Ireland to suit every runner out there!
Cycle routes fit for the pros
In May 2014, Northern Ireland turned ‘pink’ with enthusiasm when the prestigious Giro d’Italia cycle race started in Belfast.
The second biggest cycling race in the world, saw riders tackle challenging courses of steep slopes and tricky gradients, while navigating Northern Ireland’s beautiful landscape, quaint villages and rugged coastline.
The massively successful visit has left a lasting impact on cyclists in Northern Ireland and further afield as many now come to test their ability along the same spectacular route since.
In terms of local competition, the Giant’s Causeway Coast Sportive offers cyclists a choice of 4 routes through an incredible landscape steeped in myth and legend along the spectacular Causeway Coast and through the Glens of Antrim.
There is also Lap The Lough, an annual cycle event around Lough Neagh, the largest lake in Ireland and the UK. Here cyclists can be captivated by tranquil, unspoilt scenery as they cycle counter counter-clockwise around the lake’s beautiful shoreline.
If competition isn’t quite what you’re looking for and you want to take things at your own pace, there are dozens of beautiful cycling routes to enjoy across Northern Ireland, for every level.
Sail away in Derry-Londonderry
The Foyle Maritime Festival is a 9-day maritime extravaganza featuring a range of live performances, visiting ships and boats, water activities and food trails plus the bi-annual Clipper Round the World Yacht Race.
Sport is in our blood, as you can see, and the passions run strong here too, as you will experience if you build any of these and other countless sporting events into your holiday – or even build your holiday around them.
