Though the games played by the Gaelic Athletic Association may not be played at the Olympics not every sport that has deep cultural roots is. And nothing is embedded deeper in the national sporting fabric of Ireland or the pride of Irish athletes more than the G.A.A. Let us take a look at how the Gaelic Athletic Association shaped the Irish pastimes of hurling (men’s only), Gaelic football (men’s only), camogie (women’s only), and Gaelic handball, and what the future holds for the organization and its sports.

Nothing has shaped more of the culture of Irish athletics than the Gaelic Athletic Association. Founded in November 1883, the Gaelic Athletic Association sought a way to preserve the proud traditions of classic Irish sports and was wildly successful in establishing and cementing a national athletic identity with Ireland. Through the organization, their national athletic identity was cemented, keeping their games their own. Even through times of religious and national strife, the Gaelic Athletic Association remained as the foundation and pillar of Irish amateur athletics.

HURLING & CAMOGIE

Seen as one of the toughest sports to play in the world, hurling is considered to be one of the most physically demanding sports that the world has to offer and has often been called “a bastion of humility.” With only a plastic protective helmet worn, there is no protection to speak of, and no padding used in play. When playing with a hurley (wooden stick) and a sliotar (ball), it is clear to see that it is the toughest of the tough that survive the sport. There are two ways to score: over the goal post for one point and under the goal post for three points between the uprights. It may sound simple enough, but the method to make this possible is not as easy as one would think. The sliotar can be caught in the hand and carried for not more than four steps, struck in the air, or struck on the ground with the hurley. It can be kicked, or slapped with an open hand for short-range passing. A player who wants to carry the ball for more than four steps has to bounce or balance the sliotar on the end of the stick, and the ball can only be handled twice while in his possession. Think of it as trying to bounce a golf ball on a driver, and hit it in mid-air like a baseball, driving it at over 90 MPH. With 15 players on each side fighting for possession, hurling’s rough, tough, and rugged reputation has earned recognition around the world. The sport is played throughout the four corners of the globe, and is popular among members of the Irish community in North America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Argentina, and South Korea.

Experimental rules were drawn up in 1903 for a women's version of hurling, called camogie. The name is derived from the anglicized version of the name camógaíocht or diminutive stick, since the stick used in the women’s game is shorter than in the men’s game. The rules of both hurling and camogie are identical, with a few slight rules changes: dropping of the camogie is permitted to pick up the sliotar, shorter halves (35 minutes/35 minutes for the men; 30 minutes /30 minutes for the women), and side-to-side charges are permitted. When one watches the game of camogie, it would be like watching the younger sister of hurling; its play, its spirit, and its toughness. Her game, like hurling, can be found played around the world. Camogie, just like hurling, can be found in such places as affiliates in Asia, Australia, United Kingdom, Europe, New York, New Zealand and North America.

GAELIC FOOTBALL

We put down our hurley, sliotar, and helmets, and pick up a football, Gaelic football that is. Much like hurling, the scoring of Gaelic football remains the same, over the goal post for one point and under the goal post for three points, between the uprights. And like hurling, there are 15 players on each side on the field of play. Instead of using a stick to score, players have the options of either kicking or punching the football through. There are four ways a player can advance the ball: carrying, bouncing, kicking, hand-passing, and soloing (drop kick the ball to yourself). Unlike most sports, Gaelic football is only played at the amateur level (no professional leagues and athletes, managers, and coaches are prevented from taking payment in any relation to the game). The game itself can be found played in Australia, United Kingdom, and North America, with the largest Gaelic sports field outside of the Emerald Isle can be found at New York’s Gaelic Park located in the Bronx neighborhood of Riverdale.

GAELIC HANDBALL

Next comes a game that is unlike mentioned here. All you need is a ball and wall. Welcome to the game of Gaelic handball. Handball is played in a court, or "alley." Even though it is the simplest of all of the sports associated with the Gaelic Athletic Association, it has longest history of them. Dating back to the early 16th Century in County Galway, when the game was forbidden to be played on the walls of the county. However, the current form of Gaelic handball was not formally introduced until 1785. The Gaelic Athletic Association wrote the first rules for the modern game of Gaelic handball, and formed under their athletic umbrella along with hurling, Gaelic football, and camogie in their 1885 charter. In Ireland, there are four main types of handball: Small court, softball, hardball, and One-wall handball. Of the four styles of play, One-wall handball has become the most popular form of play. The sport is played in over 74 countries including the United States, Mexico, Ecuador, Spain, and Wales.

CHAMPIONSHIPS

The Sam Maguire Cup, the national trophy for Gaelic Football. (Chorusman / CC BY 3.0 / via Wikimedia Commons)

Still, the Gaelic games have their greatest interest and popularity back home. Crowds at the All-Ireland Championship Finals, whether for hurling or Gaelic football, will reach crowds to the equivalent of a Norte Dame-USC football game at South Bend, and even more. It has been known to reach crowds of over 80,000 people at Croke Park in Dublin, reaching fever pitch, with national bragging rights on the line; 10 counties competing for hurling, and 33 competing for Gaelic football. Ireland is not the only country that watches them with the closest eyes. Here in the United States, many prominently Irish communities, will watch the All-Ireland on Pay-Per-View, cheering and shouting their Irish brothers on to glory and victory. Nothing beats having bragging rights for an entire year.

How does this compare to some of the most popular sports that the United States has to offer? The taste in sports might be different, but their fandom reaches some common denominators. Like Ireland, the United States has an appetite for amateur athletics. One could watch Cork and Kerry play for the All-Ireland the same way we would watch Clemson and Alabama for the National Championship in college football or Duke and Kansas for the Final Four. Over the four Sundays of September, All-Ireland Finals in men's football, ladies' football, hurling and camogie take place at Dublin’s Croke Park, the national stadium of the Gaelic Athletic Association. It speaks volumes to the importance of these events. It is more than just sports, it is a way to bring the nation together. From as north in Donegal to as south in Cork, everyone is rooting for the one cause to lift the trophy at the end of September.

THE GREAT CHRISTY RING

When one looks at history of the Irish sporting life, the conversation begins and ends with their very own Christy Ring. When you visit his home in Cloyne, County Cork, he is viewed as a hero and role model to many of the young men who grew up in the area, not only as a sporting hero, but also as a gentleman. Eight All-Irelands, 14 club titles for Cork, from 1938-1967, Christy Ring was the foundation and rock of Cork’s hurling prowess wearing the red and white. Playing centre-forward, he scored 42-105 as he won a record eighteen G.A.A. Interprovincial Championship medals during that period. Just one man, the reason of his mentioning, speaks to the volumes of his production to the sport of hurling. Many feel that his absence from the game, lead to a decline of play and interest in hurling. There are those today, who played hurling, speak of him in the highest of regard. One of his former players I spoke to stated, “Not only was he a great teacher, he was also a great man.” Setting an example of what it means to be the model Irish athlete and a model Irish gentleman. Making him one of the first faces of Irish athletics. Due to his influence on hurling and Irish athletics, many athletes that have taken the mantle, putting their own signature on hurling.

THE GAELIC GAMES TODAY

One player has found a way to make people of Ring. Centre-Forward Henry Shefflin (Kilkenny), was able to carry the torch, and tradition, to become the face of modern hurling. From 1999-2014, Shefflin’s scoring prowess and accolades were unmatched. He was named Hurler of the Year on three occasions (2006, 2011, and 2012) and is the all-time highest point scorer in hurling with a total of 27-484(565) in 71 Championship games. With 10 All-Ireland titles, 13 Leinster Senior Hurling Championship titles, six national league titles and 11 All Star awards as well as 3 All-Ireland Club titles for the Ballyhale Shamrocks. It is because of this, Shefflin, has earned the title as the king of hurling and a legend among legends. Today, it is a debate as to whether Shefflin or Ring is the best hurler in history. As long as the game goes on, so will the debate.

Because their sports have such a strong history with over a century to form their athletic identity, the Gaelic Athletic Association looks forward to a strong future, making these classic sports palatable to modern Irish fanbase. In 2011, Irish President Mary McAleese set about a project along with the Gaelic Athletic Association called The G.A.A. Social Initiative. This program reached out to many of the older Irish community whom lived in some of the more rural areas of the country. Because of the success of the program, the social initiative expanded to partner with the Irish Farmers Association. It is clear that even though the Gaelic Athletic Association already has a broad reach of the nation, they still want to find ways to not only maintain and preserve their games and heritage, but expand as well.

Many of the sports that we have here in the United States have been modeled from sports around the world, and have been been adapted to our cultural tastes. Even though the familiarity of hurling, Gaelic football, and camogie are foreign to the average American sports viewer, those who are familiar with those sports have stated their love and interests for them. They bring about a flavor of their own, and a seasoning that is purely Irish.