OTD E0110 — 18 Feb 1882: Ireland 0, England 13 — Thirteen Goals, One Beginning, and the Birth Pains of a New Football Nation

18 Feb 1882: Ireland’s first-ever international ends in a 13–0 hammering by England in Belfast — still England’s biggest win. But this isn’t just a freak scoreline: it’s a snapshot of football before leagues, before modern preparation, and before international parity — when organization was the advantage. We trace the organizers who built Irish football, the match at Bloomfield, the strange early-law quirks, and the long arc from “first day at school” to eventual Irish breakthroughs.Ideas: [email protected]