Federation of Irish Cyclists
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| Sport | Cycle racing |
|---|---|
| Abbreviation | CI |
| Founded | 1987 |
| Affiliation | UCI |
| Regional affiliation | UEC |
| Official website | |
| www |
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Cycling Ireland (Irish: Rothaíocht Éireann) or CI is the national governing body of the sport of cycling in the island of Ireland. CI is a member of the UCI and the UEC. There are four provincial associations: Cycling Connacht, Cycling Leinster, Cycling Munster and Cycling Ulster.
The governance of Cycling in Ireland has been profoundly affected by the country's turbulent history, particularly in the post partition era.
In 1878, cycling in Ireland was administered by the Irish Cycling Association (ICA). In 1884 the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) was formed to preserve native pastimes, and cycling began to feature at GAA meetings. The ICA was composed mainly of unionists and moderate nationalists from urban areas, whereas the GAA cyclists were mostly from rural areas and tended to hold strong nationalist views. Conflict arose between the two rival groups.
Ireland was partitioned in 1921 and the Irish Free State was established in 1922. The National Athletic and Cycling Association of Ireland (NACA or NACAI) was formed to administer cycling and athletics, retaining strong links with the GAA. The new body suffered disputes between its central council representatives from Northern Ireland and those from the south.
In 1937, administration of cycling was given to the National Cycling Association (NCA), also an all-Ireland organisation like the GAA. In 1947 the world governing sport of cycling, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), decreed that the NCA should confine its area of jurisdiction to the 26 counties of what was to shortly become (in April 1949) the Republic of Ireland. The NCA refused and as a result was expelled from the UCI. Within Northern Ireland, cyclists were divided between the two bodies largely according to their social and political affiliations.
In 1949, several Irish cycling clubs broke away from the NCA and formed a cycling governing body that would restrict its area of jurisdiction to the Republic, Cumann Rothaiochta na hÉireann (CRÉ). In the same year, a breakaway group in Northern Ireland, the Northern Ireland Cycling Federation, successfully applied for official recognition to the UCI and also formed an association with the British Cycling Federation.
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