Hurling
Hurling in Irish, iománaíocht or iomáint is an outdoor team sport of ancient Gaelic origin, administered by the Gaelic Athletic Association, and played with sticks called hurleys and a ball called a sliotar. The game, played primarily in Ireland, has prehistoric origins and is the worlds fastest field team sport in terms of game play. One of Irelands native Gaelic games, it shares a number of features with Gaelic football, such as the field and goals, number of players, and much terminology. There is a similar game for women called camogie camógaíocht.The object of the game is for players to use a wooden axeshaped stick called a hurley or hurl in Irish a camán, pronounced kamawn to hit a small ball called a sliotar pronounced slitter between the opponents goalposts either over the crossbar for one point, or under the crossbar into a net guarded by a goalkeeper for one goal, which is equivalent to three points.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 stick. It can be kicked or slapped with an open hand the hand pass for shortrange passing. A player who wants to carry the ball for more than three 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.Side to side shouldering is allowed although bodychecking or shouldercharging is illegal. No protective padding is worn by players, and although a plastic protective helmet with faceguard is recommended, this is not mandatory for players over .The hurley or hurl hurl, or camán, is generally – cm – inches in lengthThe goalkeepers hurley usually has a bas the flattened, curved end twice the size of other players hurleys to provide some advantage against the fast moving sliotar.The ball, known as a sliotar, has a cork center and a leather cover it is between and cm in circumference, and weighs between and g A good strike with a hurley can propel the ball up to kmh mph in speed and m ft in distance.A ball hit over the bar is worth one point. A ball that is hit under the bar is called a goal and is worth three points.The player may wear protection, usually a helmet andor a special kind of glove called an ashguard.Hurling is played on a pitch m long and m wide. The goals at each end of the field are formed by two posts, which are usually m high, set . m apart, and connected . m above the ground by a crossbar.
A net extending in back of the goal is attached to the crossbar and lower goal posts. The same pitch is used for Gaelic football the GAA, which organises both sports, decided this to facilitate dual usage. Lines are marked at m, m and m and m in gaelic football from each endline. Shorter pitches and smaller goals are used by unders and younger.Senior intercounty matches last minutes minutes a half. All other matches last minutes minutes a half. For age groups of under or lower, games may be shortened to minutes. Timekeeping is at the discretion of the referee who adds on stoppage time at the end of each half.If a knockout game finishes in a draw, a replay is played. If a replay finishes in a draw, minutes minutes a side extra time is played. If the game is still tied, another replay is played.In club competitions replays are increasingly not used due to the fixture backlogs caused. Instead, extra time is played after a draw, and if the game is still level after that it will go to a replay.In interCounty matches there has been a call for a dedicated time keeper, as referees can often be accused of playing enough extra time for the purpose of a draw. As draws are replayed, it constitutes a huge capital gain for the G.A.A.citation neededScoring is achieved by sending the sliotar ball between the oppositions goal posts. The posts, which are at each end of the field, are H posts as in rugby football but with a net under the crossbar as in football. The posts are . m apart and the crossbar is . mts above the ground.If the ball goes over the crossbar, a point is scored and a white flag is raised by an umpire. If the ball goes below the crossbar, a goal, worth three points, is scored, and a green flag is raised by an umpire. The goal is guarded by a goalkeeper. Scores are recorded in the format {goal total} {point total}. For example, the AllIreland final finished Clare Tipperary . Thus Clare won by twenty points to two thirteen to . would be referred to as two goals, never two zero. is said no score.Players may be tackled but not struck by a one handed slash of the stick exceptions are two handed jabs and strikes. Jerseypulling, wrestling, pushing and tripping are all forbidden. There are several forms of acceptable tackling, the most popular being the block, where one player attempts to smother an opposing players strike by trapping the ball between his hurley and the opponents swinging hurley
Restarting play
The match begins with the referee throwing the sliotar in between the four midfielders on the halfway line.After an attacker has scored or put the ball wide of the goals, the goalkeeper may take a puckout from the hand at the edge of the small square. All players must be beyond the m line. After a defender has put the ball wide of the goals, an attacker may take a from the m line level with where the ball went wide. It must be taken by lifting and striking. However, the ball must not be taken into the hand but struck whilst the ball is lifted.After a player has put the ball over the sideline, the other team may take a sideline puck at the point where the ball left the pitch. It must be taken from the ground.After a player has committed a foul, the other team may take a free at the point where the foul was committed. It must be taken by lifting and striking in the same style as the .After a defender has committed a foul inside the Square large rectangle, the other team may take a penalty from the ground from the centre of the m line. Only the goalkeeper and two defenders may guard the goals. It must be taken by lifting and striking.If many players are struggling for the ball and no side is able to capitalize or gain control of the sliotar the referee may choose to throw the ball in between two opposing players.The referee is responsible for starting and stopping play, recording the score, awarding frees and issuing penalty cards to players after offences.Linesmen are responsible for indicating the direction of line balls to the referee and also for conferring with the referee. The fourth official is responsible for overseeing substitutions, and also indicating the amount of stoppage time signalled to him by the referee and the players substituted using an electronic board. The umpires are responsible for judging the scoring. They indicate to the referee whether a shot was wide spread both arms, a m puck raise one arm, a point wave white flag, or a goal wave green flag.The linesman is also supposed to indicate to the referee anything he may have missed, although this is a rare occurrence. The referee can overrule any decision by a linesman or umpire.Hurling is older than the recorded history of Ireland. It is thought to predate Christianity, having come to Ireland with the Celts. It has been a distinct Irish pastime for at least years. The earliest written references to the sport in Brehon law date from the fifth century.
Hurling is thought to be related to the games of shinty that is played primarily in Scotland, cammag on the Isle of Man and bandy that was played formerly in England and Wales. The tale of the Táin Bó Cuailgne drawing on earlier legends describes the hero Cúchulainn playing hurling at Emain Macha. Similar tales are told about Fionn Mac Cumhail and the Fianna, his legendary warrior band. Recorded references to hurling appear in many places such as the th century Statutes of Kilkenny and a th century grave slab survives in Inishowen, County DonegalThe Eighteenth Century is frequently referred to as The Golden Age of Hurling. This was when members of the AngloIrish landed gentry kept teams of players on their estates and challenged each others teams to matches for the amusement of their tenants.One of the first modern attempts to standardise the game with a formal, written set of rules came with the foundation of the Irish Hurling Union at Trinity College Dublin in . It aimed to draw up a code of rules for all clubs in the union and to foster that manly and noble game of hurling in this, its native country.The founding of the Gaelic Athletic Association GAA in turned around a trend of terminal decline by organising the game around a common set of written rules. The th century saw greater organisation in Hurling and Gaelic Football. The allIreland Hurling championship came into existence along with the provincial championships. Cork, Kilkenny and Tipperary dominated hurling in the th century with each of these counties winning more than AllIreland titles each. Wexford, Waterford, Clare, Limerick, Offaly, Dublin, and Galway were also strong hurling counties during the th century.As hurling entered the new millennium, it has remained Irelands second most popular sport. An extended qualifier system resulted in a longer AllIreland Senior Hurling Championship, but Cork and Kilkenny have come to dominate the championship and some argue that the AllIreland has become less competitive. Payforplay remains controversial and the Gaelic Players Association continues to grow in strength. The inauguration of the Christy Ring Cup and Nicky Rackard Cup gave new championships and an opportunity to play in Croke Park to the weaker county teams.Although many hurling clubs exist worldwide, only Ireland has a national team although it includes only players from weaker counties in order to ensure matches are competitive.
Hurling Across the World
It and the Scotland shinty team have played for many years with modified match rules as with International Rules Football. The match is the only such international competition. However, competition at club level has been going on around the world since the late nineteenth century thanks to emigration from Ireland, and the strength of the game has ebbed and flowed along with emigration trends. Nowadays, growth in hurling is noted in Continental Europe, Australasia, and North America.Hurling was brought to Britain by Irish immigrants in the nineteenth century. The game is administered by Britain GAA. Warwickshire GAA compete against Irish teams in the Nicky Rackard Cup. London GAA are the only nonIrish team to have won the AllIreland Senior Hurling Championship having captured the title in , and still compete in the Christy Ring Cup.References to hurling on the North American continent date from the s in modernday Canada concerning immigrants from County Waterford and County Kilkenny, and also, in New York City. After the end of the American Revolution, references to hurling cease in American newspapers until the aftermath of the Potato Famine when Irish people moved to America in huge numbers, bringing the game with them.Newspaper reports from the s refer to occasional matches played in San Francisco, Hoboken, and New York City. The first game of hurling played under GAA rules outside of Ireland was played on Boston Common in June .In , there was an American tour by fifty Gaelic athletes from Ireland, known as the American Invasion. This created enough interest among Irish Americans to lay the groundwork for the North American GAA. By the end of , almost a dozen GAA clubs existed in America, many of them in and around New York City, Philadelphia, and Chicago. Later, clubs were formed in Boston, Cleveland, and many other centers of Irish AmericaIn , twentytwo hurlers, composed of an equal number from Chicago and New York, conducted a tour of Ireland, where they played against the County teams from Kilkenny, Tipperary, Limerick, Dublin, and Wexford.Traditionally, hurling was a game played by Irish immigrants and discarded by their children. Many American hurling teams took to raising money to import players directly from Ireland. In recent years, this has changed considerably with the advent of the Internet.
Outside of the traditional North American GAA cities of New York, Boston, Chicago, and San Francisco, clubs are springing up in other places where they consist of predominantly Americanborn players who bring a new dimension to the game and actively seek to promote it as a mainstream sport, especially Joe Maher, a leading expert at the sport in Boston. Currently, the Milwaukee Hurling Club is the largest North American Hurling club, which is made of all Americans and very few Irish immigrants.Irish immigrants began arriving in Argentina in the th century.The earliest reference to hurling in Argentina dates from the late s in Mercedes, Buenos Aires. However, the game was not actively promoted until when it came to the attention of author and newspaperman William Bulfin. Under Bulfins patronage, the Argentine Hurling Club was formed on July , , leading to teams being established in different neighborhoods of Buenos Aires and the surrounding farming communities.Games of hurling were played every weekend until and received frequent coverage even from Argentinas Spanish language newspapers like La Nacion. After the outbreak of World War I, however, it became almost impossible to obtain hurleys from Ireland. An attempt was made to use native Argentine mountain ash, but it proved too heavy and lacking in pliability. Although the game was revived after the end of the war, the golden age of Argentine hurling had passed. World War II finally brought the era to its close.In the aftermath of the Second World War, immigration from Ireland slowed to a trickle. In addition, native born IrishArgentines assimilated into the local community. The last time that hurling was played in Argentina was in , when the Aer Lingus Hurling Club conducted a three week tour of the country and played matches at several locations. Although the Argentine Hurling Club still exists, it has switched to playing field hockey, rugby, and soccer.The earliest reference to hurling in Australia is related in the book Sketches of Garryowen. On July , a match took place at Batmans Hill in Melbourne as a counterpoint to a march by the Orange Order. Reportedly, the hurling match attracted a crowd of five hundred Irish immigrants, while the Orange march shivered out of existence.In , a game between two Sydney based teams took place before a crowd of over ten thousand spectators. Reportedly, the contest was greatly enjoyed despite the fact that one newspaper dubbed the game Two Degrees Safer Than War.The game in Australasia is administered by Australasia GAA.
Major hurling competitions
Soldiers who served in the Irish Brigade during the AngloBoer War are believed to have played the game on the veldt. Immigrants from County Wicklow who had arrived to work in the explosives factory in Umbogintwini, KwaZuluNatal formed a team c. . A major burst of immigration in the s led to the foundation of the Transvaal Hurling Association in Johannesburg in . Games were traditionally played in a pitch on the site of the modern day Johannesburg Central Railway Station every Easter Sunday after Mass.In , a South African hurling team sailed to Ireland to compete in the Tailteann Games, where they carried a banner donated by a convent of Irish nuns in Cape Town. On their arrival, they were personally received by Irelands Prime Minister, Éamon de Valera.South African hurling continued to prosper until the outbreak of World War II, which caused immigration from Ireland to cease and made it impossible to import equipment. Games of hurling and Gaelic football were occasionally sponsored by the Christian Brothers schools in Boksburg and Pretoria well into the s. Both games have all but ceased to be played.Yesterday, Tuesday, a hurling match took place in the Phoenix Park, which was honored with the presence of Her Excellency, the Countess of Westmoreland, and several of the nobility and gentry, besides a vast concourse of spectators. Much agility and athletic contention was afforded, until the spectators forced into the playing ground. Colonel Lennox, Mr. Daly, and several other gentlemen, most obligingly used their endeavours to prevent any interruption to the players, but to no effect. This active contest ended without either side claiming triumph and remains to be yet decided. A report from the Dublin newspaper Hibernian Journal, October On Christmas Day and during the Christmas season we used to have hurley matches, and the whole village used to be mixed up in the game. Two men would be chosen, one from each side, for captains. Each of them used to call up man by man in turns until all who were on the strand were distributed in the two sides. We had hurleys and a ball. The game was played on the white strand without shoes or stockings, and we went in up to our necks whenever the ball went into the sea. Throughout the Twelve Days of Christmas time there wasnt a man able to drive his cow to the hill for the stiffness of his back and his bones a pair or so would have a bruised foot, and another would be limping on one leg for a month.Tomás Ó Criomhthain reminiscing about his youth on Great Blasket Island in the years before the regularisation of hurling rules. Translated by Robin Flower
There was a grand Hurling Match in the neighborhood of Gort in the county for a considerable sum of Money between the Counties of Galway and Clare the Hurlers of the latter made a very handsome appearance. They marched from Gort to the Turlough, two miles km distant, preceded by the Band of Musick, a French horn, a Running Footman and a fellow in Antic or Harlequin Dress. None of the Hurlers was hurt, the greatest harmony having subsisted. The County of Clare Hurlers were elegantly entertained at Crushenehaire the Night following and a Hundred guineas was proposed to be Hurled for, but the time and place not yet agreed. The above procession closed with many Carriages and Horsemen, the numerous company at the Turlough made a fine appearance.A holiday... Hurling on the Fair Green. It was a good game. The sticks were being brandished like swords. Hurling is a warlike game. The west side won the first match and the east the second. You could hear the sticks striking the ball from one end of the Green to the other. I was watching from the top end myself with Doctor Céatinn and two priests. The welltodo young men and women were strolling up and down the Green and on the level causeway in the center.Hurling or Hurling the Silver Ball Cornish Hyrlîan, is an outdoor team sport of Celtic origin. It is played with a small silver ball. It is not to be confused with the Irish game of the same name which allows the use of sticks.Once played widely in Cornwall, the game has similarities to other traditional football or inter parish mob games, but certain attributes make this version unique to Cornwall. It is considered by many to be Cornwalls national sport along with Cornish wrestling.Although the custom attracts fewer spectators, the annual hurling matches at St. Columb Major have the same status in the Cornish calender as the Obby Oss festival at Padstow and the Furry Dance at Helston in that all are unique customs that have survived unchanged and have taken place annually since before records began. Cornish Hurling is also noteworthy for providing the earliest reference to a team ball game with goals, and passing of the ball from player to player dealing.The ball for hurling is made of sterling silver which is hammered into two hemispheres and the bound around a core of applewood which is held together with a band of silver. The band hold screws or nails which hold the ball together. Normally a motto would appear on the band, such as Town and country Do your best.
Modern survival of the game
There are examples of hurling balls on public display at Truro museum, Lanhydrock house, St. Columb Major post office and St Columb Town hall. Many are also held in private hands. In St. Columb the ball is only ever made by local craftsman and funeral director Colin Rescorla.
There is no definitive size or weight, as the ball is handmade, but generally weighs about ounces and is equal in size to a cricket ball.Whilst the exact origins of hurling are unknown, a theory suggests that it is linked with a Pagan fertility rite, with a silver ball being cast up in honour of the sun. With the coming of Christianity it is believed this was turned into a game. The games origins are thus thought to be over years old.Little is recorded of the sport up until around the th century. At this point there were two forms of the game, according to Carews Survey of Cornwall. Hurling to goals was played on a pitch similar to that of modernday football, and had many strict rules, also similar to those of football and rugby this was common in the east of the county. Hurling to country, however, was often played over large areas of countryside, and despite the name it still involved goals. This had few such rules and is much more similar to the St Columb game see below. Up until the th century the game was still relatively common, with many Cornish towns and villages holding a match on feast and fair days, and games between St Columb Major and Newquay survived into the early s. The traditional annual matches at St Columb and St Ives are the only instances of the sport today.The annual St. Ives hurling match happens on Feast Monday each February the feast is on the Sunday nearest to February . The game starts at .am when the silver ball is thrown from the wall of the Parish Church by the Mayor to the crowd below on the beach. The ball is passed from one to another on the beach and then up into the streets of St Ives. The person in possession of the ball when the clock strikes noon takes it to the Mayor at the Guildhall and receives the traditional reward of five shillings. At one time the game was played by the men of the village. These days it is played by the children.At St. Columb Major on Shrove Tuesday and the second Saturday following, a much rougher and traditional version of the game is played. The game involves a physical battle on the streets and in the surrounding countryside, between the Townsmen and Countrymen of the parish, with the shops in the town barricading their windows and doors to protect from accidental damage, which sometimes occurs.
The game starts with the throwup, usually followed by a large scrum, at p.m. The ball is thrown to the crowd at the Market Square and the objective of the game is to control its possession with deliberate passing and tackling. Game play in the town normally lasts no longer than one hour. During this period the different teams are irrelevant, i.e. townsmen deal the ball to countrymen and vice versa the play often stops for spectators to touch the ball. After about an hour the ball is hurled towards respective goals that are set about two miles apart, or, very often, if a route to the goals is unpractical, players may carry the ball through roads and fields that surround the town, with the aim of taking the ball across the Parish boundary. In this latter stage of the match the two sides strive for possession, and the actual Town against Country hurling takes place.The winner of the ball that is, the hurler that goals the ball or carries it over the boundary is carried on the shoulders of two teammates back to Market Square, to strains of the hurling song. Here he calls up the ball, declaring Town Ball or Country Ball, depending on the side to which he belongs.At p.m., the winner returns Market Square to call up the ball again. This is followed by a visit to each of the public houses of the town where the ball will be immersed in gallon jugs filled with beer. Each gallon will be called up and the silver beer as it is known, will be shared amongst those present.A hurley, also known as a camán the Irish word, and lesser known as hurl, a hurley stick, shtick jocular eye dialect, or in parts of Ulster as a setanta, is a wooden stick measuring between and cm to inches long with a flattened, curved end called the bas, used to hit a sliotar leather ball in the Irish sport of hurling. It is also used in camogie, the female equivalent, and there often called a camogie stick.Hurleys are made from ash wood, and are usually bought from local craftsmen in Ireland, who still use traditional production methods. However, for some time in the s, hurleys made from plastic were used, mainly produced by Wavin. These proved more likely to cause injury however, and were phased out. Steel bands are used to reinforce the flattened end of the hurley though these are not permitted in camogie due to increased risk of injury. Bands have been put on hurleys since the beginning the th century Brehon Laws permit only a kings son to have a bronze band, while all others must use a copper band.
The game as played at St. Ives
No matter how well crafted the hurley is, a hurler may well expect to use several hurleys over the course of the hurling season. The hurleys often break if two collide in the course of a game, or occasionally they break off on the other players arms, legs, etc.. Two hurleys colliding is colloquially known as the clash of the ash. Some hurleys can be repaired by a method called splicing. This method involves cutting a bas shaped piece from another broken hurley and fixing it to the broken bas by way of glue and nails, the two piece bas is then banded hooped and sanded into shape. Throwing the hurley e.g. to block a ball going high over ones head is illegal, though camogie players may drop it to make a handpass.The following are the positions in the Gaelic sports of Gaelic football, hurling and camogie. Like rugby and baseball, and unlike soccer, these have set positions which havent changed in decades. In most cases, each player sticks firmly to his position, although players sometimes switch positions at the order of their coach, manager or captain.Each team consists of one goalkeeper who wears a different colour jersey, six backs, two mid fielders, and six forwards fifteen players in all. Some underage games are played aside in which case the full back and full forward positions are removed or aside in which case the full back, centre back, centre forward and full forward positions are removed.The positions are listed below, with the jersey number usually worn by players in that position given.The role of goalkeeper who wears the number jersey in Gaelic games is similar to other codes to prevent the ball from entering the goal. The goalkeeper in Gaelic football and hurling also has the keep role of kicking the ball out to the outfield players, which known as fielding. A good goalkeeper most often has good agility and bravery as well as strength and height. In Gaelic football a keepers shot stopping ability is of equal importance as their fielding. There is no limit to where on the field the goalkeeper can travel, although once they are outside of the penalty area, they are subject to the same rules as all other players. A goalkeeper in mens football may touch the ball on the ground within the penalty area, and is the only player permitted to do so.It is not permitted to physically challenge a goalkeeper while inside their own small parallelogram, but players may harass them into playing a bad pass, or block an attempted pass.The role of the right Corner Back number who wears the number jersey is to defend against opposing attackers, in particular the left corner forward. The right corner back will play most often from the end line to the metre line.
The role of full back who wears the number jersey is one of the most important in Gaelic football or hurling. As well as defending against attackers, the Full Back is responsible for organizing the defense and is the key defender in front of goals, and is usually one of the physically strongest players on the team. The full back plays most often from the end line to the metre line.The role of the left Corner Back who wears the number jersey is to defend against opposing attackers, in particular the right corner forward. The left corner back will play most often from the end line to the metre line.The role of the right half back who wears the number jersey is less defensive than that of the corner backs. The right half backs operate most often in between the metre line and the midfield. The right half backs are expected to defend against the oppositions half forward line but also has a responsibility to make runs from the metre line in order to advance the play to the half forward and full forward lines.The role of the centre half back who wears the number jersey, is less defensive than that of the full back. The centre backs operates from the metre line and forward to the midfield. The centre back will help win the breaking ball in the midfield and can be used as a rd midfielder. The centre half back generally marks the centre half forward.The role of the left half back who wears the number jersey is less defensive than that of the corner backs. The left half backs operate most often in between the metre line and the midfield. The left half backs are expected to defend against the oppositions half forward line but also has a responsibility to make runs from the meter line in order to advance the play to the half forward and full forward lines.The role of the midfield who wears the number or jersey is to win kick outs puck outs from either teams goalkeeper, and to act as the main link between the defending and attacking sections of the team. Midfield is often described as the most important role on the pitch.If the opposing goalkeeper is kicking the ball to the middle of the field, the midfielder has the responsibility to retrieve the ball and therefore prevent the opposing team from taking advantage and bringing the ball forward. This then gives a new responsibility to the midfielder to get the ball moving forward to the half forward and full forward lines.It is important for the midfield to have a good understanding of their goalkeeper.
Right Corner Back
They must anticipate where their goalkeeper will place the ball and therefore take advantage and bring the ball forward.Note that there is rarely a left midfielder and right midfielder both play off each other as a combined unit. Darragh Ó Sé of Kerry has been the best midfield player over the last years.citation needed Ciarán Whelan, with his immense high catching abilities, and Sean Cavanagh with his skill in creating attacks, are considered to be among the best football midfielders in Ireland at present. Paul Kelly of Tipperary and Jerry OConnor of Cork were voted two of Irelands best hurling midfielders in .There are two midfielders on the field for one team. This is the second one.The role of the right half forward who wears the number jersey is to build up attacks and to feed the ball to the full forward line and also taking shots on goal or above the bar when opportunities present themselves. The half forwards will cover a lot of ground and utilizing speedy half forwards to run at defences is a common tactic. The right half forward operates from the midfield to the oppositions meter line. The right half forwards main opposing player is the left half back.The role of the centre forward often called centre half forward who wears the number jersey, is to build up attacks and feed the ball to the full forward line. The centre half forward is responsible for taking shots on goal and points when opportunities present themselves. The centre forwards will cover a lot of ground and utilizing speedy half forwards to run at defences is a common tactic. The centre forward also helps win breaking ball in the midfield, helping to win the possession in order to bring the ball forward. The centre half forward operates from the midfield to the oppositions metre line.The role of the left half forward who wears the number jersey is to build up attacks and to feed the ball to the full forward line and also taking shots on goal or above the bar when opportunities present themselves. The half forwards will cover a lot of ground and utilizing speedy half forwards to run at defences is a common tactic. The left half forward operates from the midfield to the oppositions metre line. The left half forwards main opposing player is the right half back.The role of the right corner forward who wears the number jersey is to score points and goals. The full forward line is from the oppositions meter line to their end line. The right corner forward is generally marked by the left corner back.
The role of the full forward who wears the number jersey is to score goals in particular although points are usually the outcome of their attempts on goal. The full forward line operates from the oppositions metre line to their end line. The full forward is generally marked by the full back.The role of the left corner forward who wears the number jersey is to watch the full forwards breaks and to score as many points and goals as possible. The full forward line is from the oppositions metre line to their end line. The left corner forward is generally marked by the right corner back.Camogie in Irish, camógaíocht is a Celtic team sport, also known as shinty in Scotland. It is organised by the Camogie Association of Ireland and is the womens variant of hurling. The rules are almost identical to hurling with a few exceptions. One is that goalkeepers wear the same colours as outfield players and a player in camogie can handpass a score, which is not allowed in the mens game. All games last minutes senior intercounty hurling games last , and dropping the camogie stick to handpass the ball is permitted. The AllIreland Final is held every year in Croke Park during September, usually the week between the hurling final and Gaelic football final. There are two main competitions the National League which is staged during the winterspring months and is used as a warmup to the AllIreland Championships during the summer.It is played mainly in Ireland, the most successful counties being Dublin, Cork, Kilkenny and in more recent times, Tipperary.Counties compete to win the ODuffy Cup, awarded to the team that wins the AllIreland Senior Camogie Championship. Dublin have won the most Camogie AllIreland titles with , the last being in . Kilkenny hold the record for the most successive Camogie titles with victories between and , their last title to date was won in .The reigning champions are Wexford.Gaelic football Irish Peil, Peil Ghaelach, or Caid, commonly referred to as football, Gaelic, or Gah is a form of football played mainly in Ireland. It is, together with hurling, one of the two most popular spectator sports in Ireland today.Gaelic football is played by teams of on a rectangular grass pitch with Hshaped goals at each end. The primary object is to score by kicking or striking the ball with the hand and getting it through the goals. The team with the highest score at the end of the match wins.Players advance the ball up the field with a combination of carrying, soloing dropping and then toekicking the ball upward into the hands, kicking, and handpassing to their teammates.
Leagues and team structure
Football is one of four Gaelic games run by the Gaelic Athletic Association, the largest sporting organisation in Ireland. It has strict rules on player amateurism and the pinnacle of the sport is the intercounty AllIreland Football Final. The game is believed to have descended from ancient Irish football known as caid which dates back to medieval times, although the modern rules were not set down until .A Gaelic football pitch is similar in some respects to a rugby pitch but considerably larger. The grass pitch is rectangular, stretching – metres long and – metres wide. There are Hshaped goalposts at each end with a net on the bottom section. The same pitch is used for hurling the GAA, which organizes both sports, decided this to facilitate dual usage. Lines are marked at distances of m, m and m from each endline. Shorter pitches and smaller goals are used unders .All football matches last for minutes, divided into two halves of thirty minutes, with the exception of senior intercounty games which last for minutes two halves of minutes. Draws are decided by replays or by playing minutes of extra time two halves of minutes. The under s have a half of minutes or minutes in some cases.Teams consist of fifteen players a goalkeeper, two corner backs, a full back, three half backs, two mid fielders, three half forwards, two corner forwards and a full forward plus up to fifteen substitutes, of which five may be used. Each player is numbered –, starting with the goalkeeper, who must wear a different coloured jersey.The game is played with a round leather football, similar to a soccer ball, but heavier, and with horizontal stitching rather than the hexagon and pentagon panels often used on soccer balls, and similar in appearance to a standard volleyball. It may be kicked or hand passed. A hand pass is not a punch but rather a strike of the ball with the side of the closed fist, using the knuckle of the thumb.Picking the ball directly off the ground It must be scooped up into the hands by the foot. However, in ladies Gaelic football, the ball may be picked up directly.Throwing the ball It may be handpassed by striking with the fist or open handGoing four steps without releasing, bouncing or soloing the ball. Soloing involves kicking the ball into ones own handsBouncing the ball twice in a row It may be soloed continuouslyHand passing the ball over an opponents head, then running around him to catch itHand passing a goal the ball may be punched into the goal from up in the air, howeverSquare ball, an often controversial rule If, at the moment the ball enters the small rectangle, there is already an attacking player inside the small rectangle, then a free out is awarded.
If the ball goes over the crossbar, a point is scored and a white flag is raised by an umpire. If the ball goes below the crossbar, a goal, worth three points, is scored, and a green flag is raised by an umpire. The goal is guarded by a goalkeeper. Scores are recorded in the format {goal total}{point total}.The level of tackling allowed is more robust than in association football soccer, but less than rugby. The tackling rule has been criticised for being too vague.citation neededShouldercharging and slapping the ball out of an opponents hand is permitted, but thefollowing are all fouls.The referee is responsible for starting and stopping play, recording the score, awarding frees and booking and sending off players.Linesmen are responsible for indicating the direction of line balls to the referee.The fourth official is responsible for overseeing substitutions, and also indicating the amount of stoppage time signaled to him by the referee and the players substituted using an electronic board.The umpires are responsible for judging the scoring. They indicate to the referee whether a shot was wide spread both arms, a m kick raise one arm, a point wave white flag, square ball cross arms or a goal wave green flag.Contrary to popular belief within the association, all officials are not obliged to indicate any misdemeanours to the referee, but are in fact only permitted to inform the referee of violent conduct they have witnessed which has occurred without the referees knowledge. A linesmanumpire is not permitted to inform the referee of technical fouls such as a double bounce or an illegal pick up of the ball. Such decisions can only be made at the discretion of the referee.Gaelic football is one of the worlds oldest games. It is one of the most played games in Ireland and is also commonly played in other countriescitation needed. One of the first records of football in Ireland comes from , when John McCrocan, a spectator at a football game at Newcastle, County Dublin was charged with accidentally stabbing a player named William Bernard.The Statute of Galway of allowed the playing of foot balle and archery but banned hokie sic — the hurling of a little ball with sticks or staves as well as other sports. However even football was banned by the severe Sunday Observance Act of , which imposed a fine of one shilling a substantial amount at the time for those caught playing sports. It proved difficult, if not impossible, for the authorities to enforce the Act and the earliest recorded intercounty match in Ireland was one between Louth and Meath, at Slane, in .
