A Load O Balls

Noo, A'll no pretend onie great luv o, ir unnerstaunin o rugby fitba, ir cricket but, as A hae bin warkin at ma femmlie tree A wus surprised tae fin oot A'm (far oot) related tae a quare lot o (Ulster-Scotch) Irish internationals. Sae far, A hae tha follaein:

• fae Limavady - Sir Samuel Thompson Irwin C.B.E.,M.Ch.,F.R.C.S.,M.P.(1877-1961)
  9 keps fae 1900-1903
  President of Irish Rugby Union 1935-6
  surgeon at the Royal Victoria Hospital
  
  
• (Samuel's sin) John Walker Sinclair Irwin M.B.,F.R.C.S. (1913-2004)
  5 keps as a beck row forrit 1937-39
  scored tha winnin try at Twickenham in Feb 19 an 39
  President o Irish Rugby Union 1969-70
  surgeon at the Royal Victoria Hospital
  
  
• Justin Bishop (1974- ) great-nephew o Sinclair Irwin -
  25 keps at wing - 1997-2003, echt tries
  
  
• Dr John (Jackie) Wilson Kyle O.B.E. (1926-)
  46 keps at fly-hauf, 1946-1958, 7 tries
  In 2002 he wus caa'd tha "Greatest Ever Irish Rugby Player" by tha Irish Rugby Fitba Union.
  Efter a solo try agin France at Ravenhill in 1953, yin o tha newspaper men daen a parody o Tha Scarlet Pimpernel, wi tha lines:
  
  They seek him here, they seek him there
  Those Frenchies seek him everywhere.
  That paragon of pace and guile,
  That demned elusive Jackie Kyle.
  
  
• fae Newton - Dr James Alexander MacDonald M.D, M.Ch., L.L.D. (1853-1928)
  13 keps as a front row forrit fae 1874-1884
  grandsin o John McDonald that knit tha quilt fur the Marquis o Londonderry (last poast)
  Forbye tha rugby, he played yin international association fitba match agin Englan an, alang wi thie o his brithers played a wheen o matches fur tha Irish international lacrosse team.
  He wus a wean-walloper at Methody afore gaun tae Queen's medical schuil. A heared he wus a doctor oan yin o tha big liners an, efter he'd saved tha life o a weel-aff boadie oan his boat, tha craiter gien him eneuch siller tae buy a wee practice in Somerset, whaur he leeved oot tha rest o his days. Ye'd thenk that wud dae but, forbye aa tha abune, he wus President o tha Cooncil o tha British Medical Association fae 1910-1920.
  
  
  A'm near sure tha neist twa boadies is related tae me onie A hinnae jist tied doon tha exact connection.
  
  
• fae Commer - James MacDonald M.B.E. (1906-1969)
  Cricket - left haun batsman, slow left airm, 29 keps fae 1926-1939
  President o tha Irish Cricket Union in 1954, an national selector fae 1946 tae 1960.
  Hockey - 25 keps
  Headmaster o Regent Hoose schuil
  
  
• (his brither) Thomas John MacDonald (1908-1998)
  Cricket - openin batsman, 17 keps

Tha yin thang A kin say fur definite is A hinnae inherited onie skeel at onie kine o sport - tha onie thang A can ketch is tha coul!