Rugby League Ireland Season?s start.

St. Patrick?s day is the ideal date to kick off the new 2004 season with a dinner to be held at the hotel where Rugby League was formed on the 29 of August 1895.

21 clubs meet that fateful day to resign from the rugby union at the George hotel, St. George?s square, Huddersfield and allow payment for money lost by being absent for work on Saturdays when playing.

By the 7 September the first-ever fixtures were played by: Bradford -Wakefield; Leigh-Leeds; Tyldesley-Manningham; Batley-Hull; Stockport-Brighouse; Warrington-Hunslet; Liversedge-Halifax; Runcorn-Widnes; St Helens-Rochdale; Broughton-Wigan.

The reaction of the rugby union was to forbid its clubs from playing matches with the clubs in the new Northern Union. An act of perfidy they kept up against professionals and amateurs until 1995 when politics and economics forced them to retract.

Saturday 20 march sees RLI team up with pressure group 1895 International to stage a fundraising dinner for the 2004 Wolfhounds. Tickets cost ?35 each, or ?400 for a table of 12, and guests can also benefit from a special rate of ?50 for a double room at the George hotel based on two sharing.