Sports



Hi! Welcome to our page about sports we play in Ireland.

We're a sports mad nation and are really proud of our national sports.

There are five of them: Gaelic Football, Rounders, Handball, Hurling and Camogie. Every child in the country can play at least one of these ganes and we really focus on them in school.

There are clubs in every parish in the land, North and South. The rivalry between clubs that are only a few miles from each other is something that has to be seen to be believed!!!

There are so many competitions at every level from kids to the County Teams that finding time for all the fixtures is a real headache!!!

One sad element to the recent economic downturn in Ireland is the fact that so many of our young people have had to emigrate to find work that some rural teams cannot field a full team as so many have left the country to find employment abroad.

On the bright side, nowadays, there are many gaelic Football clubs throughout the world where the Irish abroad get together to continue the traditions the people grew up with at home.

All the sports we play are played by both men and women.They play in separate leagues. There are no mixed teams yet!!!

Watch the Powerpoint above to get an idea of our fastest sport, the sport of Hurling. Unique in the WORLD, hurling is played in most counties in Ireland but not all. We will put LOTS more about our sports in the weeks to come!!! Check out the link below...

[|The official website of gaelic games]

Hurling

Hurling is quite a hard game with fifteen players. You use a hurley which is like a bat but has a flat surface. We use a very hard ball made of leather,called a sliotar. Its pronounced slit or. There’s a goal and two bars going straight up the two sides of the goal. If you hit the sliotar over the goal bar and between the two high bars, it’s one point. If you hit it into the goal, its three points. A Hurling match goes on for seventy minutes and the half time is thirty five minutes. You have to be very brave and strong to play as a Goalkeeper or anywhere else! Rules This is a Hurling Helmet.
 * You can’t pick up the sliotar with your hand you must use the hurley.
 * You can only hold the sliotar in your hand for four steps, then balance it on your hurley.
 * No dirty play: no hitting others with the hurley.
 * This is a hurley and a sliotar.

This a Kilkenny Jersey. They are the best Hurling team in Ireland. This is a Tipperary Jersey they are the second best Hurling team in Ireland.

This is the Liam McCarthy cup this is the Hurling all Ireland trophy. The all Ireland Hurling is held every year in September nearly every County in Ireland play Hurling for this cup.

This is a hurling match in action. We play for our local club in Ashbourne. We love it!!!. Check out [|www.gaa.ie] for lots more on gaelic games!!