Ireland contributed 14 players to the 37-man Lions squad and as Gerry Thornley writes in The Irish Times - it's something that the Irish should be immensely proud of.
"SIMPLY AN astonishing day in the history of Irish rugby in what continues to be a dream season. As expected, Paul O’Connell was yesterday unveiled as the eighth post-war Irish captain of the Lions, and the 11th of 27 Lions tour skippers overall, but furthermore, he will lead a 37-man squad containing an unprecedented 14 Irishmen.
In equalling the record of one club, Leicester, Munster fans will no doubt quickly have deduced that their contingent compares more than favourably to the Tigers’ haul of four years ago in Clive Woodward’s 45-man squad, and yesterday their province equalled England’s tally of eight.
Included amongst their numbers is the 21-year-old Keith Earls, which crowns something of a stunning rookie season as, effectively, the tour’s bolter, and Alan Quinlan – not so much a bolter as a thunderbolt. Fittingly therefore, they and the rest of them will be led by their talisman O’Connell, the first Limerick man to captain the Lions.”
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