LANSDOWNE ROAD may have looked so old and decrepit on its closure that it seemed every Ireland rugby match since the beginning of time had been played at the venue, but that isn't quite the reality. International rugby, in fact, has been played at nine venues throughout the country over the past 132 years, with Croke Park set to make that figure a nice round 10.

The Leinster Cricket Grounds in Rathmines has the honour of being Ireland's first ever home venue. England visited in early 1877 on a calamitous afternoon, when Ireland were not only beaten soundly, but thousands of spectators were forced to gate-crash the venue to view proceedings. It was a mess and that's effectively why Lansdowne Road was selected to host Dublin's next international in March 1878.

Although Ireland lost heavily, the Union were delighted with how the game passed and the patch of land in Ballsbridge would go on to host every Irish senior international in Dublin. Until today.

But that, of course, is just Dublin. Belfast, between 1877 and 1954, alternated with the city in hosting Irish internationals, using four separate venues over those 77 years.

The first was the grounds at Ormeau Road, which hosted seven games between 1877 and 1879. The next was Ballynafeigh, not far from present-day Ravenhill, and the Balmoral Showgrounds also took some of the slack between 1900 and 1921. Internationals in the city finally got a regular home when the Ulster Branch purchased Ravenhill in 1923 and the ground has hosted 15 fixtures, the last being a 6-0 victory over Scotland in February of 1954. The Belfast tradition, however, will be resurrected when Ireland face Italy at the ground in a World Cup warmup game this coming August.

They've also had a few internationals way down south. On 19 March 1898, Limerick played host to its first - Wales the visitors - at Ennis Road, not all that far from Thomond Park. Then, in 2002 and 2003, Ireland played Romania and Italy at the famous ground itself, both resulting in facile victories for the home side. And then there's Cork. The Mardyke sports grounds have always been a significant landmark on Leeside and, in 1905, Ireland beat England 17-3 in the first of three internationals to be played on Cork soil.

As we've said, Croke Park becomes the Irish senior rugby team's 10th home venue this afternoon but there's a nice little contrast with Dublin's first international venue in Rathmines.

The kind folk at the Leinster Cricket Club charged the Union £10 for use of their venue back in 1877.

The price the GAA are charging? About Euro1.8million.