Northern Ireland

Ireland Rugby team take a break from training to visit tourist hotspot in west Belfast

The Ireland rugby team at the International Wall in west Belfast yesterday
The Ireland rugby team at the International Wall in west Belfast yesterday The Ireland rugby team at the International Wall in west Belfast yesterday

THE Ireland Rugby team took a break from training yesterday to visit a tourist hotspot in west Belfast.

The team, including captain Rory Best, Dan Leavy, Johnny Sexton, Rob Kearney and James Ryan, were spotted near the international wall on the Falls Road where they appeared to be part of a black taxi tour.

Dressed in their official training kit, motorists were forced to do a double-take as the team of famous faces gathered at the road side as a tour guide talked the team through the various murals currently featured on the wall.

A photo of the visit was uploaded to Twitter by Visit West Belfast, which posted: "IrishRugby Team spotted at the International Wall of Murals on the Falls Road this afternoon. We hope you enjoyed your visit."

The team, who are in the midst of a Six Nations tournament, took a break from training to make the visit and are due to take part in an open session in Belfast today.

The players are the latest in a long line to visit the international wall.

In October, football fans were sent into a frenzy when Manchester United legend Eric Cantona was spotted sightseeing around Belfast. As part of his trip, the French man visited some of the murals.

In 2015, Lord of the Rings star Sean Bean, who was filming in Belfast, toured the city taking in the peace walls. During the tour, university lecturer Prof Bill Rolston showed the Sheffield-born star the popular wall.