One of the most deeply rooted Irish traditions is the practice of Gaelic sports. The most famous are Gaelic Football and Hurling. Cork’s clubs are some of the best known all throughout Ireland. You may be interested in learning more about them and even be encouraged to practice them.
You will very likely have a favourite football team in Spain. The same thing happens in Ireland with Gaelic sports. Although we may think that football or rugby are the most practiced sports, this is not the case. Gaelic sports are the most popular and are broadcast on television and followed by millions of people. There are four major sports: Gaelic Football, Hurling, Rounders and Gaelic Handball. The most practiced are football and hurling.
Hurling is somewhat similar to field hockey, but much faster and more aggressive. Its name comes from the stick (“hurley”) with which the leather ball (“sliotar”) is hit. Each team is made up of 15 players, one of whom will be the goalkeeper. It consists in scoring in the goal, which is similar to the one in rugby but with shorter posts. If you score in the lower rectangular goal, it has a different value than the one scored over the crossbar between the posts. Players must carry the ball on the hurley, hitting it repeatedly, or pass it to a teammate using the hurley.
Gaelic football is played on a rectangular field. The goals are like rugby goals, but the lower rectangle has a net, like in hurling. There are 15 players on each team and it’s all about scoring in the opponent’s goal. As in Hurling, the score is different depending on the area in which it is scored. The ball is much heavier than a football. Although there are some very clear rules, anyone watching a match would say that “anything goes”. Players can touch the ball with their hands and feet.
In Ireland Experience, we try that our students enjoy the Irish culture anda traditions as much as possible. Contact us. We are based in Cork.
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+353 83 482 6432 
contacto@ireland-experience.com
