This book, the first examination of the political nature of sport and leisure in Northern Ireland, is the product of a number of years of experience and research into sport, leisure and socio-political relations in the province. It fulfils three overlapping functions: it’s a book about the political sociology of sport in Northern Ireland; it’s an addition to the literature of political sociology of Northern Ireland in general; finally it’s an important contribution to the growing body of knowledge about sport and politics in general. The study is centred on an explanation of the relationship between the state of Northern Ireland and the forces which determine the shape and substance of its distinctive civil societies: sectarianism, ethnicity, nationalism and social class.