Those not from Ireland have likely never heard of the Gaelic Athletic Association, or GAA. Within Ireland, however, it is by far the most important organization for sports.
GAA is the premier authority on almost all Irish leagues for sports such as Gaelic football, hurling, camogie, and rounders. These sports are among the oldest sports still being played today, yet they rarely leave the confines of the Emerald Isle.
Here’s what you need to know about some of the oldest Irish sports still enjoyed today.
Hurling
Hurling (or Camogie, as the women’s version is called) is the national sport of Ireland and one of the oldest sports in the world, pre-dating written Irish history. Originally played to prepare young warriors for the chaos and physical contact of battle, it is now the most-watched televised sport in Ireland — and perhaps one of the most complicated sports played today.
Described by laymen as a combination of lacrosse, baseball, and an egg-on-a-spoon race, hurling is an intensely physical sport played between two teams of 15 players each. It is called by many, including Danny Cullen, Captain of the Hurling team in County Donegal, Ireland, as the “fastest sport on grass.”
The ball, or sliotar, is slightly larger than a tennis ball, and can move the entire length of the 145-meter pitch in less than three seconds, thanks to “hurleys” or long sticks made of ash-wood with indented ends similar to a large shallow spoon. Players use the spoon ends of their hurleys to hit the sliotar and send it up the field.
A player can also kick the ball, slap it with their palms to another player, or hit it from their hurley into their hand (no more than twice in one possession) to transport the ball. The player can catch a ball passed to them and toss it onto their hurley, but cannot throw a ball to pass.
To score, a player can either hit the ball into a soccer-like goal for three points, or hit it within an H-shaped goalpost just above the goal for one point. If a player violates the rules for passing or possession or fouls an opposing team member, the opposing team is awarded a “puck,” or a possession of the ball from out of bounds, similar to basketball or soccer.
The GAA manages the sport of hurling in Ireland, with 35 teams across six skill-based divisions representing the various counties in Ireland, and three additional teams in England. In the first division, twelve of the best-ranked teams compete in a round-robin style of tournament after being split into two groups of six. The winners within each of the two groups then go on to play each other in the All-Ireland Hurling Championship, which takes place every year in Croke Park, the largest stadium in Ireland.
Gaelic Football
Another exclusively-Irish field sport played by two teams of 15 players is Gaelic Football. Played in its modern form since 1670, the rules are similar to hurling and include the same regulation goals and field sizes. Just like hurling, the players can score either by shooting into the net for three points, or into the goalpost for one point.
Like hurling, it is an old and intensely complicated sport. The game is split into two thirty-minute halves. If a game results in a draw, it must be replayed entirely. But perhaps the most complicated part is moving the ball up and down the field: the ball can be moved by kicking it into one’s own hands, kicking it on the ground, or running with the ball in hand, so long that the player does not travel more than four steps without employing one of the other two options first.
When a player chooses to kick the ball into his hands and then takes another four steps, it is called “soloing,” and is the equivalent of dribbling in soccer or basketball. The player can also solo the ball off the ground, but is not allowed to do this twice in a row. Therefore, dribbling for most players involves alternating between soloing off the foot and on the ground.
To pass the ball, a player can “handpass” a ball by slapping it with an open palm, or “fist” the ball by hitting it with a clenched fist. The player cannot touch the ground with the ball in his hands, use his knees, or throw the ball in any way during play. Opposing players can also use their hands to block passes or shots on goal, as well as to knock the ball out of a player’s hands for a steal.
Further, shoulder-to-shoulder contact is allowed towards the player in possession of the ball. If a player “fouls” by making excessive contact with a player or by breaking the rules of soloing or passing, a free kick is awarded to the opposing team, where the player can either kick from the ground or punt a ball between the goalposts for a point.
Sometimes, if a foul is excessive enough, an offending player can be given a yellow card as a warning. A black card can also be given to kick the offending player out of the game with the allowance for a substitute, or a red card, which kicks a player out of the game with no possibility of substitution.
Rounders
Originally a popular game with schoolchildren in Britain and Ireland, rounders is now played by all ages and has leagues managed by Rounders England Association and the GAA. Rounders is similar to baseball, with a ball and bat and bases that a player must run around, but with a few key differences.
There are nine players on the field on each team, as well as four bases that a player must go around, each with stakes in the middle that a player must touch with their bat. If a player runs around fourth base, they receive one rounder. If they only make it past second or third, it’s half a rounder.
Balls are thrown by the pitcher underhand, in an action called “bowling.” If a ball goes over the batter’s head, below the knee, or bounces on the way to the hitter, it is called a “no ball.” The bowler is allowed two no-balls before half a rounder is awarded to the batter. Once the bowler has the ball and is back upon their original place on the mound, the batter must stop running. If they are more than halfway to the next base, then they may continue to that base. If a ball is hit behind the plate, then the batter must run to first base and stay there while the ball is in the area behind the plate.
A batter is out if the ball is caught, if they fail to stay outside the markers when running, if they drop their bat or if they overtake another batter. Games are usually played over the course of two innings.
These sports, while technically complicated, are cherished as national pastimes, and so learning the rules and playing the game well is enjoyed just as much as Americans enjoy the pastimes of baseball and American football. Watching a game in any of these sports is always a rewarding experience, and you can do so in the U.S. with the GAAGO platform available on Roku, or even through YouTube Play.