When the Lions came to Musgrave Park to play Cork Con

The pictures taken by Sportsfile’s Ray McManus on September 28, 1980 prove such an event could exist back in the amateur days

WARM WELCOME: Captain Bill Beaumont leads out his Lions XV at Musgrave Park. Picture: Ray McManus/Sportsfile

British & Irish Lions tours to South Africa have always been tough. Noel Murphy, the 1980 head coach will attest to that.

Yet the thought of Warren Gatland regathering his tourists for a weekend away in Cork in a couple of months for a few beers and an exhibition match at Musgrave Park is anathema to the professional sport rugby has become.