The treatment of sports injuries in the Republic of Ireland, 1950-2010: A History

Sport in History

This paper examines the provision of sports injury treatment in the Republic of Ireland during the period from 1950 until 2010. By the late 1960s, talks on the prevention and treatment of sports injuries were being held sporadically. How initial centres for the specialised treatment of sports injuries were developed in the 1970s is assessed. Sports related physiotherapy and professional treatment became more common by the early 1980s. In 1981, a government-backed investigation into sports injuries began, while the Irish Sports Medicine Association was also founded that year. With an increase in participation in sport, injuries had become more common. The main findings of the Sports Injuries Committee, completed in 1984, are identified and it will be shown that despite their recommendations, issues remained at grassroots level. It was not until 2005 that plans for a major specialised centre for the treatment of sports injuries in Dublin were announced.

Dr Conor Curran is an independent historian who has published extensively on the history of sport and society in Ireland. His new book, Blue Chippers from the Emerald Isle: A history of Irish footballers and scholarships in the USA in the twentieth century, will be published later this year by Peter Lang.

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