Five Most Popular Sports of Ireland

Ireland’s society places a high value on sport. Gaelic games (including Gaelic football, hurling and camogie), association football, horse racing, show jumping, greyhound racing, basketball, fishing, handball, motorsport, boxing, tennis, hockey, golf, rowing, cricket and rugby union are just a few of the numerous sports played and followed in Ireland.

In this article, we will take a look at the top five most popular sports of Ireland that are adored by sports enthusiasts.

1. Gaelic Football

If confusion with association football might otherwise occur, the sport may be referred to as Gaelic or Gaelic. Gaelic football was first formally organised into a playing code by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) in the late nineteenth century, despite the fact that it had flourished in Ireland for generations under the name Caid. In Ireland, it is the most well-liked sport. The NFL and preseason games kick off a season of Gaelic football. The Tournament starts in the early summer. Teams who lose must perform well in the “qualifiers” in order to join the four Provincial Champions in the All-Ireland quarter-finals. Each of the four provinces holds its own competition.

2. Hurling

The Gaelic Athletic Association is the organization behind the sport of hurling, which has been played in Ireland for many centuries. Hurling is the second most popular sport in terms of attendance, behind Gaelic football. The quickest field sport in the world is hurling. The sport is comparable to hockey and hockey. Nonetheless, playing the ball (or sliotar) along the ground is uncommon. The hurling field is a sizable grassy area. Given that both football and hurling are managed by the GAA, there are many organizational similarities between the two games. The club/county/province system is akin to amateurism. In terms of high-level competition, gaelic football has a bigger presence, although in some countries where both sports are played, hurling occasionally takes precedence and in other regions of the nation, it is the dominating sport.

3. Camogie

While a smaller sliotar is used, hand-passing into the goal is an option, and participants are required to wear skorts, camogie is a sport that is only played by women. County Meath hosted the first camogie match in 1904. It is a form of the exclusively male sport of hurling and is controlled by the Dublin-based Camogie Association, often known as An Cumann Camógaochta. A record 33,154 spectators attended the annual All Ireland Camogie Championship, with typical attendance in recent years hovering between 15,000 and 20,000. The final is live-broadcast, with up to 300,000 viewers tuning in.

4. Gaelic Handball

Akin to squash or racquetball, Gaelic handball, or simply “handball,” is played or struck using the hand or fist rather than a racquet, unlike the comparable sport of American handball. It has nothing to do with the Olympic sport of handball, which is more popularly known as Olympic handball in Ireland but has a small fan base there. There are four primary varieties of handball played in Ireland. They are the classic 60×30 Softball and Hardball (large alley), the 40×20 (small court), and the one-wall handball. A number of balls are used when playing handball. Several competitions require competitors to wear gloves and eye protection. The GAA Handball, a division of the GAA, is in charge of overseeing and promoting the sport.

5. Rounders

Baseball-like rounders are governed by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) in Ireland. The game is played in innings, during which teams take turns playing fielders and hitters. The batting team scores points (“rounders”) by completing a round around the field through four bases. Two teams compete in the bat-and-ball game known as rounders. Rounders is a team sport that includes hitting a small, hard, leather-covered ball with a bat with a rounded end made of wood, plastic, or metal. Running around the four bases on the field allows the players to score.

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