Although there is evidence that baseball was played in Ireland as early as the 1950s, it did not formally begin to develop until the 1990s. Baseball Ireland was formed in 1994 and is the internationally and nationally recognised Governing Body of Baseball in Ireland. Baseball Ireland is responsible for the development and promotion of baseball on the island of Ireland. Adult level Baseball in Ireland began to formally take shape in 1995. Visiting coaches from Major League Baseball International (MLBI) provided the much-needed instruction to adult players, most of who had only played recreational softball but wished a greater competitive and athletic challenge. In 1996, with the assistance of MLBI coaches, Ireland played in its first international competition, the European Championships held in Hull, England. On the international scene in 1998, the Irish National Baseball Team made the quarter final stage in the 1998 European Championships held in Austria and finished eighth in the sixteen-team tournament. Ireland has competed in the European Championship every two years and won the B-Pool Qualifier Gold Medal in 2018.