Beamish won his first international cap in 1925, at the age of 19, representing Ireland in that year's
Home Nations Championship in a six all draw with
England. At the time he was representing Coleraine at club level. Beamish was then selected for the remaining games of the tournament, a home loss to Scotland and an impressive 19–3 win over
Wales. During the 1927–28 season, and now playing club rugby for Leicester, Beamish was approached to play for invitational touring team the
Barbarians. In 1928, nearly three years after his last international game, Beamish was recalled to the Ireland team. From the first game of the
1928 Five Nations Championship until the end of the
1933 tournament Beamish was rarely out of the squad. In 1930 Beamish was selected for the British Isles team on their
tour of Australia and New Zealand. He played in all five Tests and 17 of the regional matches, scoring two
tries, one each against Otago and a joint Marlborough/Nelson Bay team. George Beamish is also credited with getting the green of Ireland represented in the kit currently worn by the
British & Irish Lions. On the 1930 tour to New Zealand, of which he was a member, the tourists wore what was by then the standard blue jerseys. These themselves caused some controversy because the New Zealand side, by then already synonymous with the appellation "All Blacks", had an all black kit that clashed with the Lions' blue. After much reluctance and debate, but having to defer to the rugby custom of accommodating guests, New Zealand agreed to change for the Tests and the All Blacks became the All Whites for the first time. Also on that tour, a delegation led by George Beamish expressed their displeasure at the fact that whilst the blue of Scotland, white of England and red of Wales were represented in the strip there was no green for Ireland. A green flash was added to the socks, which from 1938 became a green turnover and that has remained a feature of the strip ever since. ==References==