Sport in Ireland

Sport is one of the great escapes for the Irish and sporting events events draw big crowds. The most popular of sports are Gaelic football and hurling, both of which are considered the country’s national sport. Unlike some of the worlds top sports men and women these sports are only amateur, with only a very few taking money from the game.

Gaelic football or GAA is the most popular sport in Ireland. It is played on a mammoth sized pitch with 2 teams of 15 aiming to score either over or under the H shaped goalposts. The intercounty season culminates in a final at Dublin’s 80,000 seater Croke Park and is the most watched event of the year.

Only marginally less popular is the equally brutal game of hurling . This prehistoric sport is said to be the fastest field team sport in the world. The pitch and goals are the same as in Gaelic football, but is played with a small ball called a sliotar and a hurley, a stick curved outwards at the end. The ball is hit, caught and dribbled on the curve of the stick. The all Ireland hurling championship is the sport’s top event. It is a knockout tournament held every year between the counties, culminating in a September final also held at Croke Park in Dublin.

The most played sport in Ireland is golf , followed by soccer. Ireland has over 300 courses; many highly regarded in the golfing world, and are used in championship events such as the PGA tour and most famously the Ryder Cup with the European team triumphant at the K-Club in County Kildare in 2006.

Rugby Union is very popular in the Republic with international matches always sold out. In Northern Ireland soccer is more popular; however most of the home grown players ply their trade in England.

is a beloved pastime in Ireland, without the snobbery that sometimes surrounds it in England. There are 27 courses here, more per head then anywhere else in the world. Popular courses include Leopardstown in Dublin and Punchestown in County Kildare.

If visiting Ireland whether its Gaelic Football or the Galway Races that attracts you it is always worth checking the listings and catching some sport in Ireland, as it has a unique atmosphere and is a great day out.