The Irish in Britain, including those of Irish descent, make up a significant part of the UK population. Here, you will find news, entertainment, events, sports and features from the local Irish Post newspaper.

By Tom Fitzpatrick

Good news for Munster rugby fans in Britain — the Heineken Cup quarter-final is fast approaching and the mighty Reds are bidding to bring the cup back to Thomond Park for the second time.

Thousands of Munster fans are expected to make the trip from Ireland to Britain for the eagerly-awaited clash between two of Europe’s rugby giants.

But the chances of getting a ticket for the game could be slim for the vast majority of fans.

The Munster Branch of the IRFU announced that the 3,000 tickets allocated to Munster Rugby will not be going on sale to the general public.

Instead, supporters clubs and rugby clubs will be allocated the tickets for the game at Gloucester’s Kingsholm Stadium on April 5.

A spokesperson for Munster Rugby said that, as ever, tickets will be very difficult to come by.

He said: “We’ve no idea when tickets will be released.

“We have to wait for Gloucester to do what they have to do and get back to us.

“It’s their quarter-final so we’ll have to see how their sales go but tickets will be like gold dust.

“People will try and go over to get a ticket on the day from touts or around the area but our tickets will be going to clubs as they usually do.”

But things could get even worse for the Munster fans looking to travel over for the mouth-watering clash with Gloucester.

Even soaking up the atmosphere from a local pub will cost the men from the south of Ireland a pretty penny.

With flights fast selling out airlines have decided to cash in on the fans desperate to see their team march on to the semis.

As ever the cheapest flights are the earliest ones when the hangover in victory or defeat is just kicking in on the Sunday morning.

Aer Lingus are offering flights from Cork to Birmingham for about €460 while flights to London Heathrow will cost in the region of €205.

A Shannon to Birmingham return flight with Ryanair will set Munster fans back nearly €320.

And if you want to bring a bag it will cost a further €26.

The cheapest Ryanair flights from Shannon to Bristol are currently being snapped up at approximately €200 per person with Saturday flights already sold-out.

Aer Arann are also cashing in on the lucrative weekend, charging ?418 for a return flight to Birmingham from Waterford.

But with an away semi-final awaiting the winners against Saracens or Ospreys and a final in Cardiff these are exciting, if expensive, times for Munster fans everywhere.