Gaelic Football

[Jimjim]

For the Irish readers, especially, I'm watching some Gaelic football on television right now. This is pretty much my first time. I just wondered, as the stadium looks packed to the max and it's a big stadium, is this sport more popular than football in Ireland?

Sports peculiar to one country are interesting: American football, Gaelic football, and Aussie Rules football, etc.

[suegha]

I don't know the exact stats, however, being from Ireland, I'd say it is at least as popular as soccer, if not more so. It's a great game and you must really check out 'hurling' another Gaelic games sport. There are both fast moving and exciting with loads of goals and points being scored. The guys who play at the top of the game are so skilled it's unreal.

At school we play Gaelic football, hurling and soccer - oh, and 'handball, like squash but played with the bare hand.

I hope you enjoy it!

Edited August 31, 2007 by suegha

[Jimjim]

Very interesting to see the sports that other countries spend a lot of time watching. Do the gaelic football stars get good salaries? Or is it just their part-time job like the national team football players for places like Andorra?

I guess I'll have to look hurling up on wikipedia as it'll be at least fairly accurate for the basic details.

[sceadugenga]

Australian Rules football is a close relation of Gaelic footy. Australia and Ireland play an international series most years. I'm not sure if it will continue, the "rules" are starting to get a little silly and valuable AFL players on serious dollars are starting to get into trouble in Irish pubs.

[PeaceBlondie]

When my son migrated from Texas to Ireland, he didn't try to play on a Celtic game team. He discovered that few of the locals were good at Aussie Rules football, so that's what he plays. When we were there in June, there was some national tournament going on, perhaps hurling, and it was a major event.

[suegha]

Oh yes they are major events in Ireland. I attended a semi final hurling game that had 80,000 people, all fans mixed, no segregation.

Re jimjim's question on Salary, i don't think they get paid for playing but there are loads of other perks and they are genuine celebs! This could have changed in recent years, I have been away from Ireland for 20 years!

[farangsay]

Unlike Gaelic , which was invented about the same time as Australian footy , written references exist to a game resembling hurling going back 2000 years.

It's a game where I've seen unbelievable skill. To see a guy pick a fast moving ball out of the air with his stick , give it a tap and send it back up the field just amazed me. It can be a bit dangerous too. Had a schoolfriend who lost two front teeth getting in the way of a backswing.

[Gerry290]

In Ireland, ( cause I am from Ireland ) Gaelic Football, or GAA is another name, after the governing body of all Gaelic/Irish sports the Gaelic Athletic Association, as a played sport is much more popular than soccer.

Gaelic players are not paid a penny salary. It is a massive honour to be chosen to play which of the 32 Counties of Ireland you are from, especially if your County wins the All Ireland Final which is played in Croke Park ( Mecca for GAA) each year. This goes for Gaelice Football, Hurling, and Camogie ( which is the female version of Hurling).

The lads who train and get up to County and All Ireland level, all hold day jobs, and also are expected to keep up training and playing matches for their Local GAA Club ( for example the town or village they come from with their county), when they are also training for selection for the County Panel, which the County team is selected from.

GAA be it the football or hurling is a very rough and physical sport, and while it is not allowed by the rules, it would not be rare for the occassional Muay Thai style elbow to be thrown.

Up until recent times, in certain parts of Ireland, or counties with a very strong Gaelic Football tradition, in the Republic, to play soccer or rugby would be a very much frowned upon. and I remember as a kid at school, lads being chased off the football pitch for playing soccer.

In counties like Kerry in the South West of Ireland, who won many All Irelands in Gaelic Football, GAA is almost a reiligon, and to insult the "National Sport" would be taken very serious by the locals... especially in a pub near closing time!

The GAA who own all the stadiums and many of the facilities around Ireland, apparently are very cash rich. Also Senior People in the GAA, especially at National Level would have power, as in direct access to top politicans and things like that... poor old Charlie Haughey RIP,

Up until recently...as in a few years ago...anyone who is or was a member of the RUC ( now disbanded police force in Northern Ireland with a shady record for abuse of power) or British Army were not allowed to play GAA, but a recent election changed this rule. also soccer or rugby was not allowed to be played on their grounds. Interesting fact is before someone cries Sectarnism Religous Bigitory... the Founder of the GAA Douglas Hide, ( and one tine President of Ireland..i think?) was a Protestant! .. such is the confusing nature of Irelands past troubles... Thank God.. them days are over.

Its a great sport! the players are warriors and for them its a game of love and passion!

G

[Bisto]

Australian Rules football is a close relation of Gaelic footy. Australia and Ireland play an international series most years. I'm not sure if it will continue, the "rules" are starting to get a little silly and valuable AFL players on serious dollars are starting to get into trouble in Irish pubs.

RUGBY???******

Here are the facts

Home Page

The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) is an amateur sporting organisation founded by Michael Cusack and Maurice Davin to preserve and cultivate the national games. When it was founded in 1884, it had Davin as it's first president. Dr. T. W. Croke, (Archbishop of Cashel) became the first patron of the Association, and Croke Park in Dublin (the Association Headquarters) is named in his honour.

The Association was nationalist in outlook and members were banned from playing non-Gaelic games. The Association also banned members of British Crown Forces from membership, and this is a source of great controversy in modern-day Ireland. Foreign games are also banned from GAA stadiums. The GAA is the largest sporting organisation in Ireland, boasting 2,800 clubs comprising of 182,000 footballers and 97,000 hurlers. Membership of the GAA exceeds 800,000 at home and abroad ensuring its role as a powerful national movement with an important social and cultural influence in Irish life.

Gaelic football

Gaelic football is played by approximately 250,000 men and women, making it the most popular sport in Ireland. The first record of Gaelic football is in the Statutes of Galway (1527) which allowed the playing of football but banned hurling. The earliest reported match took place at Slane, Co. Meath in 1712 when Meath played their neighbours, Louth.

Capacity crowds attend the All-Ireland Football Final at Croke Park every September (the third Sunday of September). The winners of the Senior Final receive the Sam Maguire Cup. Since the first All-Ireland Senior football final in 1887, Kerry have been the most successful team, winning 30 times. Only Kerry (twice) and Wexford have won in four successive years. In the past four years, an Ulster team (Down, Donegal, Derry, Down) has won the Sam Maguire Cup, the first time a province has retained the championship for more than two consecutive years.

Facts

* The highest attendance ever recorded at an All-Ireland Senior Football Final was 90,556 at the 1961 Down vs Offaly final. Following the introduction of seating to the Cusack stand in 1966, the largest crowd recorded since has been reduced to 73,588. When the current development to Croke Park is finished the capacity will be 79,500.

* The highest number of appearances in the All-Ireland Senior Football final is 10. This has been achieved by Paudie O'Shea, Pat Spillane and Denis 'Ogie' Moran. They were winners on no less than eight occasions.

* The highest individual score in the modern 70-minute game was recorded by Jimmy Keaveney (Dublin) in the 1977 Final against Armagh where he scored two goals and six points (12 points), and by Mike Sheehy (Kerry) in the 1979 Final against Dublin where he also recorded 2-6.

Hurling

Hurling is the oldest of Irish sports and dates from pre-Christian times. No standardised rules existed until the GAA was formed in 1884. It is the third most popular sport in Ireland (soccer is 2nd) and is played by approximately 100,000 Irish people. The women's equivalent of hurling is called camogie and is played according to the same basic rules, but with a smaller pitch and smaller sticks. There are 50,000 camogie players in Ireland.

Hurling is one of the fastest field games in the world, and is played with an ash stick between 30 and 37 inches in length, with a broad end. The stick is used to hit and carry the sliotar which is a small ball weighing about 4oz.

Since the first Senior Hurling Final in 1887, Cork have won the most times with 27 victories. The provinces of Leinster and Munster dominate the modern game - out of all of Connaught and Ulster, only Galway have managed to win the Hurling championship.

Facts

* Highest individual score in a Senior Hurling Final: Nicky English of Tipperary scored 18 points (2-12) in the 1989 final against Antrim.

* Most appearances in a Senior Hurling Final: Christy Ring of Cork (1941-1954) and John Doyle of Tipperary (1949-1965) each appeared in 10 finals, winning 8 of them.

* Most All-Ireland Winners medals: Noel Skehan of Kilkenny won 9 medals between 1963 and 1983.

* Largest attendance at a Senior Hurling Final: When Cork beat Wexford in 1954, they did so in front of 84,856 fans.

[sceadugenga]

Australian Rules football is a close relation of Gaelic footy. Australia and Ireland play an international series most years. I'm not sure if it will continue, the "rules" are starting to get a little silly and valuable AFL players on serious dollars are starting to get into trouble in Irish pubs.

RUGBY???******

Here are the facts

Home Page

The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) is an amateur sporting organisation founded by Michael Cusack and Maurice Davin to preserve and cultivate the national games. When it was founded in 1884, it had Davin as it's first president. Dr. T. W. Croke, (Archbishop of Cashel) became the first patron of the Association, and Croke Park in Dublin (the Association Headquarters) is named in his honour.

The Association was nationalist in outlook and members were banned from playing non-Gaelic games. The Association also banned members of British Crown Forces from membership, and this is a source of great controversy in modern-day Ireland. Foreign games are also banned from GAA stadiums. The GAA is the largest sporting organisation in Ireland, boasting 2,800 clubs comprising of 182,000 footballers and 97,000 hurlers. Membership of the GAA exceeds 800,000 at home and abroad ensuring its role as a powerful national movement with an important social and cultural influence in Irish life.

Gaelic football

Gaelic football is played by approximately 250,000 men and women, making it the most popular sport in Ireland. The first record of Gaelic football is in the Statutes of Galway (1527) which allowed the playing of football but banned hurling. The earliest reported match took place at Slane, Co. Meath in 1712 when Meath played their neighbours, Louth.

Capacity crowds attend the All-Ireland Football Final at Croke Park every September (the third Sunday of September). The winners of the Senior Final receive the Sam Maguire Cup. Since the first All-Ireland Senior football final in 1887, Kerry have been the most successful team, winning 30 times. Only Kerry (twice) and Wexford have won in four successive years. In the past four years, an Ulster team (Down, Donegal, Derry, Down) has won the Sam Maguire Cup, the first time a province has retained the championship for more than two consecutive years.

Facts

* The highest attendance ever recorded at an All-Ireland Senior Football Final was 90,556 at the 1961 Down vs Offaly final. Following the introduction of seating to the Cusack stand in 1966, the largest crowd recorded since has been reduced to 73,588. When the current development to Croke Park is finished the capacity will be 79,500.

* The highest number of appearances in the All-Ireland Senior Football final is 10. This has been achieved by Paudie O'Shea, Pat Spillane and Denis 'Ogie' Moran. They were winners on no less than eight occasions.

* The highest individual score in the modern 70-minute game was recorded by Jimmy Keaveney (Dublin) in the 1977 Final against Armagh where he scored two goals and six points (12 points), and by Mike Sheehy (Kerry) in the 1979 Final against Dublin where he also recorded 2-6.

Hurling

Hurling is the oldest of Irish sports and dates from pre-Christian times. No standardised rules existed until the GAA was formed in 1884. It is the third most popular sport in Ireland (soccer is 2nd) and is played by approximately 100,000 Irish people. The women's equivalent of hurling is called camogie and is played according to the same basic rules, but with a smaller pitch and smaller sticks. There are 50,000 camogie players in Ireland.

Hurling is one of the fastest field games in the world, and is played with an ash stick between 30 and 37 inches in length, with a broad end. The stick is used to hit and carry the sliotar which is a small ball weighing about 4oz.

Since the first Senior Hurling Final in 1887, Cork have won the most times with 27 victories. The provinces of Leinster and Munster dominate the modern game - out of all of Connaught and Ulster, only Galway have managed to win the Hurling championship.

Facts

* Highest individual score in a Senior Hurling Final: Nicky English of Tipperary scored 18 points (2-12) in the 1989 final against Antrim.

* Most appearances in a Senior Hurling Final: Christy Ring of Cork (1941-1954) and John Doyle of Tipperary (1949-1965) each appeared in 10 finals, winning 8 of them.

* Most All-Ireland Winners medals: Noel Skehan of Kilkenny won 9 medals between 1963 and 1983.

* Largest attendance at a Senior Hurling Final: When Cork beat Wexford in 1954, they did so in front of 84,856 fans.

Don't swear at me with that nasty 5 letter R word Bisto.

Hear are some more facts.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_rules_football

International Rules Football

Since 1967 there have been many matches between Australian and Irish teams, under various sets of hybrid, compromise rules known as International rules football. In 1984, the first official representative matches of International Rules were played, and these were played annually each October between the AFL and the Gaelic Athletic Association between 1998 and 2006 as part of the official International Rules Series which have attracted large crowds and media interest in both Ireland and Australia.

[chavy]

In Ireland, ( cause I am from Ireland ) Gaelic Football, or GAA is another name, after the governing body of all Gaelic/Irish sports the Gaelic Athletic Association, as a played sport is much more popular than soccer.

Gaelic players are not paid a penny salary. It is a massive honour to be chosen to play which of the 32 Counties of Ireland you are from, especially if your County wins the All Ireland Final which is played in Croke Park ( Mecca for GAA) each year. This goes for Gaelice Football, Hurling, and Camogie ( which is the female version of Hurling).

The lads who train and get up to County and All Ireland level, all hold day jobs, and also are expected to keep up training and playing matches for their Local GAA Club ( for example the town or village they come from with their county), when they are also training for selection for the County Panel, which the County team is selected from.

GAA be it the football or hurling is a very rough and physical sport, and while it is not allowed by the rules, it would not be rare for the occassional Muay Thai style elbow to be thrown.

Up until recent times, in certain parts of Ireland, or counties with a very strong Gaelic Football tradition, in the Republic, to play soccer or rugby would be a very much frowned upon. and I remember as a kid at school, lads being chased off the football pitch for playing soccer.

In counties like Kerry in the South West of Ireland, who won many All Irelands in Gaelic Football, GAA is almost a reiligon, and to insult the "National Sport" would be taken very serious by the locals... especially in a pub near closing time!

The GAA who own all the stadiums and many of the facilities around Ireland, apparently are very cash rich. Also Senior People in the GAA, especially at National Level would have power, as in direct access to top politicans and things like that... poor old Charlie Haughey RIP,

Up until recently...as in a few years ago...anyone who is or was a member of the RUC ( now disbanded police force in Northern Ireland with a shady record for abuse of power) or British Army were not allowed to play GAA, but a recent election changed this rule. also soccer or rugby was not allowed to be played on their grounds. Interesting fact is before someone cries Sectarnism Religous Bigitory... the Founder of the GAA Douglas Hide, ( and one tine President of Ireland..i think?) was a Protestant! .. such is the confusing nature of Irelands past troubles... Thank God.. them days are over.

Its a great sport! the players are warriors and for them its a game of love and passion!

G

Players from other sports should take a leaf out of these lads books when representing their country at their chosen sport. Wouldn't it be great not to have cash incentives to win a game?

[Gerry290]

Players from other sports should take a leaf out of these lads books when representing their country at their chosen sport. Wouldn't it be great not to have cash incentives to win a game?

Yes it sure would! I took me a long long time to figure out why alot of muay thai bouts a see in the stadium, go so slow for the first 2 or 3 rounds. Then someone whispered in my ear.... "betting, odds, gambling".

In a good way...there is a great amount of Irish style and mean in positive way "stubborn " about GAA.

Them boys bull on at the game, and if anyone suggested anything other than pure passion, warrior attitude, aggression on the field, and admiration for other team after, and 100% heart and soul into GAA... they would probably get a good sneaky GAA style elbow in the head, when one is looking!

Its very funny, back in Ireland in a certain village across the border a few KM in North of Ireland, ( I come from not too far away originally), army helicopters at one time used to land on the GAA pitch, and later as too dangerous hovered meters over the GAA pitch during local Gaelic Football matches... and the GAA Players totally ignored the big Wessex copters and the likes, and played on heart and soul into the match and around the copters, as if they did not exist! or so I have been told!...

[ThaiGAA]

Lads

we have a Gaelic football team in Bangkok - The Bangkok ThaiGAAs. Formed earlier this year and we took part in the Asian Gaelic Games in S'pore back in June. We're off to KL on tour w'end 16th Nov. Always looking for new players - all levels and ages, no experience required. Training Tuesday nights near Sukhumvit 105. Failing that we're usually to be found in the Dubliner ! Check out the link for more info and contact details

www.thaigaa.com

The Annual Asian Gaelic Games is also becoming a major sporting event and this year over 40 teams from all over Asia and the mid-east took part in both men's and womens 7-a-sides. See www.asiancountyboard.com

The games will be coming to Bangkok in the next year or two !

[Gerry290]

Up Nudie Hughes! Up Monaghan! Come Nudie do us proud! Jaysus...That was a long time ago! Has Monaghan graced Croke Park since? Us lads from Blayney, turned coat & pretend we are from Crossmaglen, as Cross Rangers are one of our own (sort of! ahem!)...! Up Cross!

Got to love GAA... I love that famous quote from Clare Hurling Manager a few years back...

"The GAA does not want Clare to win the Hurling All Ireland"

What would GAA our National Sports be without a good dose of stubborn thick as bottled pig <deleted> ignorance! I Love it!