When most people think of Irish sports (at least in the USA), they think of rugby. But Irish sports consists of four main sports: football, rugby, Gaelic football, and hurling. Handball can also be included in this list. There are three Gaelic sports that consist of hurling, Gaelic football, and handball. Gaelic sports are a huge part of Irish sport culture with a lot of history. Rugby and football are considered British sports and are not as widely accepted in Ireland due to their rocky history with Britain.
One sport that I had the opportunity to learn about was Gaelic football. It has aspects of many sports: you have to dribble like basketball, kick the ball and shoot into goals like traditional football, throw or kick the ball into the field goal like American football, and also has some rugby aspects. It's a huge sport in Ireland and has a cool history behind it.
All 32 counties have a Gaelic football team, and the players play for the county they were born into. People also cheer for the county that they are from, not who's winning at the moment. One interesting thing about Gaelic football is that each team and fan base understands that they play for the association, and while the game is competitive, it is a sport that represents the entire country and has a very united feeling to it. The athletes are amateur and have normal day jobs like the rest of us, but their athleticism is incredible. Gaelic football is a very unique sport in not only the game, but the culture. I encourage you all to learn more about this incredible sport and sporting culture.
