Football, rugby and traditional Gaelic activities are the most popular sports in Ireland, but handball has considerably improved on the ‘green island’ for some years. It all started with the build-up of a men’s national team, which took part at several IHF/EHF Trophies.
Thanks to support from several IHF development programmes the Irish handball family is constantly growing. Major support was provided through an IHF Olympic Solidarity programme, conducted by Francisco Espar, a Spanish IHF lecturer of the Commission of Coaching and Methods. This project ran from 19 May 2012 to March 2013. In close cooperation Espar and Toni Gerona (local lecturer and Irish men’s national team coach)  coached the senior national team and especially dealt with a youth programme for several age categories.
One part of the IHF Olympic Solidarity Development Project was a “Green Giants campaign” to attract talented athletes from other sports to Irish handball, similar to the British Giants project, that had a major part in building up the British national team which participated in the 2012 Olympic Games.
Francisco Espar visited Ireland twice to implement the structures and cooperate with Toni Gerona in all fields of activities, especially in the development of the younger-age teams. And due to the youngsters’ progress Ireland’s U16 side participated in the Partille Cup in Gothenburg (Sweden), the world’s biggest youth tournament.
In the final part of the programme in March 2013 35 younger-age players (U13) were part of the so-called Academy days at Dublin. The practice was around basic skills and games to introduce individual defence and attack tactics. 12 players aged under 16 learned more individual skills and principles.