Maybe it’s our tribal instinct but Irish people in general are sport mad. One of my earliest memories was when Ireland made it into the world cup for the first time in Italy in 1990. Football fever swept the country on that special occasion. Our footballers were worshipped as heros. After that memorable campaign rumour has it that our famous football Manager never had to put his hand in his pocket to buy a drink again.
Soccer is not our most popular sport...
GAA or Gaelic Games
There are several indigenous sports which are much more popular than Soccer. These sports are played in every town and village across the country at every age level. It is no exaggeration to say that players and managers are worshipped religiously if they manage to bring home some silverware.
The main sports are Gaelic Football and Hurling. One or the other is more popular in different parts of the country and my county excels at the second hurling, but we have not won the national competition since 1973.
Could this be the year for us?
Gaelic Games
The Irish sports are known as GAA or Gaelic Games. They are summer sports and each town and village has a team. The country is divided into counties drawn from local town players. The county teams compete on a national level once a year for the All Ireland Championship. There is a Hurling and a Gaelic Football championship.
Tribal...
The Irish sports are all amateur and there is little or no trading of players. You play with the parish you were born into. There is little or no switching of tribes.
These sports are inextricably linked with Irish Culture and Heritage, formalising, uniting and forming an expression of Irish Identity during British Rule of Ireland in the late 1800s
The All Ireland Final
Each year the holy grail for players and fans is the national championship, Hurling or Gaelic Football, maybe both. It is getting close to the finals now and there are just 3 teams left to play for the Hurling Championship. This past weekend there were two semi final games, I attended one at GAA headquarters and it was the greatest spectacle of a match I have witnessed in my life. I haven't been in a while but I am hooked again.
Hurling
Hurling is played with a small leather ball and a stick. You play on a field similar to a soccer pitch but slightly larger. Each team consists of 15 players, but what is breath taking about this game is its speed and skill. It is so fast, play keeps changing direction and the level of individual skill and bravery displayed by players make this game a magnificent spectacle.
source gaa.ie
Limerick and Cork
Yesterday in GAA headquarters Croke Park, 71 thousand people travelled to see their tribes battle each other for a place in the final.
The GAA is all about tradition and each game at GAA headquarters is preceded by music from Artane Boys band.
To show how important these sports are the President of Ireland attends big matches and the players line out to shake his hand before the match
Hurling is called the fastest field game in the world, yesterdays match was testament to this. It is often hard to keep up with the action, the ball can go from one end of the field to the next in the blink of an eye.
Even harder to get an action shot :)
The Race is On
The other semi final was on on Saturday but it finished in a draw so we have to wait to see who we will face in the final. The race is on to get tickets for the final. If you are in Dublin on the 19th of August you may notice the city coming to a standstill.
Visiting Ireland
If you are visiting Ireland, I would highly recommend trying to get tickets for one of these matches. It can be impossible to get tickets for the big games late in the summer but early in the summer you should be able to pick up some tickets at a reasonable price. It is a great family day out.
The GAA Museum
If you are visiting the capital during the week you can visit the GAA museum in Croke Park to find out all about the interesting history of these sports and how it is linked to the Irish State and the struggle for independence from British Rule.
Thank you for reading this. I write on Steemit about Blockchain, Cryptocurrency and Travel.