Gaelic games are a group of physically demanding, skillful sports that are popular in Ireland and in many other parts of the world, wherever there is a large Irish population. The major sports that make up the group are Gaelic football, handball, and hurling. Camogie also belongs to this group of sports. Gaelic football, called peil in Irish, is a fast field game played by two teams of 15 players. Players may kick the ball or strike it with an open hand or fist. Points are scored by getting the ball either under or over the crossbar of the opposing team’s goalposts. For a full description of the game, see Gaelic football .
In hurling (iomaint in Irish), teams also have 15 players. Each player uses a stick called a hurley (caman in Irish) to strike the ball or to scoop it from the ground. The game is played on the same size field as Gaelic football and is scored in a similar way. Hurling is said to be the fastest field game in the world. See Hurling .
Camogie (Irish camogaiocht) is a form of hurling played by women. Each team has 12 players, and the game is played on a smaller field than that used for hurling. See Camogie .
Handball (Irish liathroid laimhe) is played on courts with one, three, or four walls and can be played as singles or doubles. Players use their hands to strike a ball against a wall. Handball is popular in many countries and is the only one of the Irish Gaelic games that is played at international level. See Handball .
The controlling body in Ireland for Gaelic football, handball, and hurling is the Gaelic Athletic Association. A camogie association, which was founded in 1912, controls the sport of camogie.
All the counties of Ireland play Gaelic football, handball, and camogie. But hurling is played mainly in the provinces of Leinster and Munster, and in the Galway region of Connacht.
Ancient manuscripts indicate that Gaelic games go back to pre-Christian times. Most of the references are to hurling, and this game figures in some of the myths and legends of Ireland. During the Anglo-Norman period, which began in the 1100’s, the English passed laws in Ireland forbidding hurling. John Dunton, an Englishman, wrote the first description of a hurling match in the 1600’s. During the 1800’s, Irish emigrants took Gaelic football with them to Australia, where it formed the basis of the game called Australian Rules football (see Australian Rules football ).
In 1884, Michael Cusack, a teacher from County Clare, realized the importance of establishing a national identity by reviving the traditional Irish pastimes. He helped found the Gaelic Athletic Association. The revival movement spread rapidly, leading to the establishment of clubs throughout Ireland.
