![]() The ball is kicked, caught, hand-passed and punched. The funny thing about Irish football is that it is as much if not more about using your hands as your feet. ![]() It’s a game of 15 men against 15 on a grass pitch, a good 20 metres (about 20 yards) longer and about 10 metres (10 yards) wider than a soccer pitch. ![]() In Ireland Gaelic football is most commonly called ‘Gaelic’ or just ‘football’ or ‘gah’ (after the GAA, the Gaelic Athletic Association) and occasionally ‘Caid’ particularly in the south-west of the country. Other traditional Irish sports in Ireland are horse-racing, fishing, handball and of course golf. Soccer in Ireland is played generally to a semi-professional level while rugby has become professional in recent years. Soccer and rugby are also very popular sports. Huge numbers of women also play both sports (the female version of hurling is called camogie). The games are organized by the GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association), without a doubt the strongest community based organization on the island of Ireland. Even more incredible is to see how many times a year, Croke Park, the national stadium attracts a crowd in excess of 60,000 to see either of the two sports. This figure is incredible when you consider that both sports have amateur status. When Irish people go to a sport event, one out of every two are attending a Gaelic football or hurling match. ![]() Traditional Irish sports are dominated by Gaelic football and hurling. ![]()
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