Volume - V Issue - V Season 3 Volume - V Issue - V Season 3 | Page 16

Author 4 Author 6 Author 5 Author 7 “In the dust of defeat as well as the laurels of victory there is a glory to be found if one has done his best.” ― Eric Liddell SPORTS IRISH SPORTS In Ireland, hockey, golf, rowing, cricket, rugby union and Olympic target shooting are organized in an all-island basis, with a single team representing the whole of Ireland in international competitions. Other sports, such as soccer and netball, have separate organizing bodies in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. The many sports played and followed in Ireland also include horse racing, show jumping, greyhound racing, basketball, fishing, handball, motor sport, target shooting and tennis - PAUL STIRLING GAELIC FOOTBALL As well as being known as "football", the sport may be referred to as Gaelic football or Gaelic, if confusion might otherwise arise with soccer. Though it has existed for centuries in Ireland as Caid, Gaelic football was formally arranged into an organized playing code by the Gaelic Athletic Association in the late nineteenth century. It is the most popular sport in Ireland in terms of match attendance – in the senior football championship in the summer, attendance is upwards of 80,000 for the most prestigious fixtures. The game is played at underage, minor ,under 21 and adult levels. Every Gaelic footballer plays for a local club or parish team, and the best are chosen for the inter-county sides. The main national competitions are the inter-county All-Ireland Senior Football Championship and National Football League, also known as the NFL. -, By -O’BRIEN HURLING Hurling is a sport native to Ireland, organized by the Gaelic Athletic Association. In terms of attendance figures, hurling is second only to Gaelic football. Hurling is the fastest field sport in the world . The game has similarities to shinty and hockey . However the ball is rarely played along the ground. Hurling is also played on a large pitch and is considerably faster than hockey. Many aspects of the organization of hurling are similar to football, as both sports are organized by the GAA. Structure are similar. Hurling is wellattended and the most prestigious games fill Croke park to its capacity of well over 82,000. - CONNOR 16