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Gaelic Athletic Association

The Gaelic Athletic Association is an organisation which is mostly focussed on promoting gaelic games: that is, Irish Ireland

Ireland is the third largest [i] island [i] in Europe [i]. ... 

 sports, such as hurling Hurling

Hurling is an outdoor team sport [i] of Celt [i]ic origin, administered by the Gaelic Athletic Association [i] ... 

 and camogie Camogie

Camogie is a Celtic [i] team sport [i], the women's variant of hurling [i]. ... 

, Gaelic football Gaelic football

Gaelic football , commonly referred to as "football", "Gaelic" or "gah", is a form of ... 

 and handball Gaelic handball

:For more information on this topic see Senior Hardball Singles [i] or Senior Softball Singles [i] ... 

, and rounders Rounders

Rounders is a sport [i] which originated in Great Britain [i] and Ireland [i]. ... 

. The organisation also promotes Irish music Music of Ireland

Ireland [i] is internationally known for its traditional music, which has remained vibrant throughout th ... 

 and dance Irish dance

Irish dance comes in several forms, which can broadly be divided into social dances and performance danc... 

, and the Irish language Irish language

Irish , a language [i] spoken in the Republic of Ireland [i] and ... 

 as an integral part of its objectives. The organisation is based, both functionally and in terms of competition, on the traditional parishes and counties of Ireland Counties of Ireland

The island [i] of Ireland [i] is divided into 32 counties [i] , the Republic of Ireland [i] ... 

. It is the largest and most popular organisation in Ireland with some 800,000 members out of the island's 5 million people.

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Timeline

1884   The Irish Gaelic Athletic Association is founded in Thurles, Ireland Ireland

Ireland is the third largest [i] island [i] in Europe [i]. ... 

.



Encyclopedia



The Gaelic Athletic Association is an organisation which is mostly focussed on promoting gaelic games: that is, Irish Ireland

Ireland is the third largest [i] island [i] in Europe [i]. ... 

 sports, such as hurling Hurling

Hurling is an outdoor team sport [i] of Celt [i]ic origin, administered by the Gaelic Athletic Association [i]... 

 and camogie Camogie

Camogie is a Celtic [i] team sport [i], the women's variant of hurling [i].... 

, Gaelic football Gaelic football

Gaelic football , commonly referred to as "football", "Gaelic" or "gah", is a form of ... 

 and handball Gaelic handball

:For more information on this topic see Senior Hardball Singles [i] or Senior Softball Singles [i] ... 

, and rounders Rounders

Rounders is a sport [i] which originated in Great Britain [i] and Ireland [i]. ... 

. The organisation also promotes Irish music Music of Ireland

Ireland [i] is internationally known for its traditional music, which has remained vibrant throughout th ... 

 and dance Irish dance

Irish dance comes in several forms, which can broadly be divided into social dances and performance danc... 

, and the Irish language Irish language

Irish , a language [i] spoken in the Republic of Ireland [i] and ... 

 as an integral part of its objectives. The organisation is based, both functionally and in terms of competition, on the traditional parishes and counties of Ireland Counties of Ireland

The island [i] of Ireland [i] is divided into 32 counties [i] , the Republic of Ireland [i] ... 

. It is the largest and most popular organisation in Ireland with some 800,000 members out of the island's 5 million people.

Foundation of the GAA


The man directly involved in the founding of the GAA was a Clare County Clare

County Clare is in the Irish province [i] of Munster [i]. ... 

man named Michael Cusack Michael Cusack

Michael Cusack was an Irish [i] teacher and founder of the Gaelic Athletic Association [i].
... 

. Born in 1847 Cusack went on to pursue a career as a teacher at Blackrock College, in Dublin Dublin

Dublin is the capital [i] and the largest city of the Republic of Ireland [i] , located near the midpoi... 

. In 1877 he set up his own cramming school, the Civil Service Academy, to prepare students for examinations into the British Civil Service. "Cusack's Academy" as it was known and its pupils did extremely well with the result that the numbers attending it soared. Pupils at the Academy were encouraged to get involved in all forms of physical exercise and, as a language enthusiast, Cusack was troubled by falling standards in specifically Irish games.

To remedy this situation and to re-establish hurling as the national pastime, Cusack met with several other enthuasiasts, most Maurice Davin and the Gaelic Athletic Association was established on Saturday, November 1 1884 in Hayes' Hotel, Thurles Thurles

Thurles is a town in County Tipperary [i], Ireland [i], situated on the River Suir [i]... 

, County Tipperary. The initial plan was to ressurect the ancient Tailteann Games and establish an independent Irish organisation for promoting athletics, but hurling and gaelic football eventually predominated. Archbishop Croke of Cashel and Michael Davitt Michael Davitt

Michael Davitt was an Irish [i] social campaigner [i] and nationalist [i] ... 

 were two of the organisations patrons.

Aims of the GAA

  1. To foster and promote the native Irish pastimes.
  2. To open athletics to all social classes.
  3. To aid in the establishment of hurling and football clubs which would organise matches between counties.

The GAA in the twentieth century

Up to the twentieth century most of the members were farm labourers, small farmers, barmen or shop assistants. But from 1900 onwards a new type of individual — those who were now being influenced by the Celtic Revival  — joined the movement. They tended to be middle-class Roman Catholic clerks, school teachers and civil servants. In 1922 it passed over the job of promoting athletics to the National Athletic and Cycling Association.

The achievements of the GAA

  1. The ancient game of hurling was saved from extinction and both it and Gaelic football were standardised, albeit that both standardised games, but in particular Gaelic Football, bore little resemblance to the original sports.
  2. It provided an all-Ireland structure in which people could participate, both on a sporting and on an organisational level. In the absence of an Irish parliament it was the first democratically run all-island structure and proved the training ground for many future Irish political leaders.
  3. Along with the Gaelic League Conradh na Gaeilge

    Conradh na Gaeilge is an organization "for the purpose of keeping the Irish language [i] spoken in Ireland [i] ... 

     and the Irish Literary Revival, it provided a mechanism for the creation of a sense of Irish identity.
  4. In its structures it created a structure of national and communal loyalty, an achievement given that the various elements owed their origins from a variety of sources: Catholicism , British law , and Irish history . Its achievement in popularising counties was particularly marked. It made the counties seem a natural sense of local definition. . The overwhelming power of "the county" remains embodied in the existence of one county team for Dublin, even though in terms of population it could sustain a number of teams. Similarly local counties with a history of no success whatsoever in the championships retain their county teams rather than merge with far more successful neighbouring counties.

Accusations of sectarianism

The perception of the GAA in unionist circles in Northern Ireland Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom [i] and covers 5,459 square miles [i] in the north... 

 made its members and clubhouses targets for loyalist terrorists during the Troubles The Troubles

The Troubles is a generic and euphemistic term used to describe a period of sporadic communal viole... 

. A number of GAA supporters were killed and clubhouses damaged.

This is because the association is sometimes portrayed as a sectarian organisation by those who contend that its establishment was based on political nationalism/republicanism and structures of the Catholic Church Roman Catholic Church

The Roman Catholic Church or Catholic Church is the Christian [i] Church [i] ... 

. The latter accusation comes from the GAA's use of the Catholic parish as a means of dividing the country up into administrative units. However, the association also uses the original British county system to demarcate the next level up in the hierarchy, and the ancient provinces as the next level above that. The original intention was to have a wide distribution of clubs across the country, and ensuring that there was at least one club in every parish was the best way to achieve this.

The GAA would argue that it has always promoted Irish rather than Catholic identity, and has had members of minority religions playing an active role from its inception up to the present day. The GAA constitution forbids sectarianism, and Charles Stuart Parnell Charles Stewart Parnell

Charles Stewart ParnellMost contemporaries pronounced his name as par-nell with the emphasis on the ... 

 was one of its early patrons.

Initially, members were prohibited from playing "foreign" sports, and up until recently, such sports were officially barred from using GAA grounds. In practice, however, the ban was applied only to soccer Football

Football is the name given to a number of different, but related, team sport [i]s. ... 

 and rugby union Rugby union

Rugby union is a variant of rugby football [i]. ... 

. Since the 1960s, GAA has allowed its flagship stadium, Croke Park Croke Park

Croke Park in Dublin [i], Ireland [i] is the largest sports stadium [i] in Ireland and the principal stadium [i] ... 

, to be used for International rules football International rules football

International rules football is a hybrid [i] code of football [i] which was developed to facili ... 

 — a compromise between Gaelic football and Australian rules football Australian rules football

Australian football, also known as Australian rules football, is a code of football [i] that origi... 

 — in matches between Ireland and Australia Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere [i] c ... 

. In the 1980s, Croke Park was the venue for an American football American football

American football, known in the United States [i] and Canada [i] simply as football, is a competit ... 

 game between Notre Dame University of Notre Dame

The University of Notre Dame is a leading Catholic institution of higher learning located in Notre Dame, Indiana [i] ... 

 and Navy United States Naval Academy

The United States Naval Academy is an institution for the undergraduate education of officers of the United States Navy [i]... 

.

A ban on members of the British army British Army

The British Army is the land armed forces [i] branch of the British Armed Forces [i].... 

 and the Royal Ulster Constabulary Royal Ulster Constabulary

The Royal Ulster Constabulary GC was name of the police [i] force in Northern Ireland [i] from 1922 [i]... 

 from playing Gaelic games was lifted on 17 November 2001 after the creation of the new Police Service of Northern Ireland Police Service of Northern Ireland

The Police Service of Northern Ireland
... 

 and after much lobbying from the more conciliatory wing of the association.

On 16 April 2005 the GAA's congress voted to suspend its Rule 42 ban on "foreign games" to enable the Football Association of Ireland and the Irish Rugby Football Union Irish Rugby Football Union

The Irish Rugby Football Union is the body managing rugby union [i] in Ireland [i]. ... 

 to play their international fixures at Croke Park while the Lansdowne Road Lansdowne Road

Lansdowne Road is the name of both a road in Dublin [i], Ireland [i] and a sports stadium [i] located th ... 

 stadium is being rebuilt. It has now been agreed by the Central Council that the first soccer and rugby union games in Croke Park can take place in early 2007. The first such fixture will be Ireland's home match of the Six Nations Rugby Union Championship against France.

In 2006, controversy arose over the use of Casement Park GAA stadium in County Antrim for a republican rally commemorating the 1981 Irish hunger strike 1981 Irish hunger strike

[i] by [[Irish republicanism|Irish republican]... 

 which was addressed by Gerry Adams Gerry Adams

Gerry Adams MP [i], MLA [i], is an Irish Republican [i] ... 

 and other prominent Sinn Féin Sinn Féin

Sinn Fin is a name used by a series of Irish political movements of the 20th century, each of which cla... 

 speakers. The GAA Central Council in Dublin said that the rally was a breach of the organization's rules forbidding political events; however the Antrim county board Antrim GAA

:For more details on Antrim GAA see Antrim Senior Club Football Championship [i] or Antrim Senior Club Hurling Championship [i]... 

 ignored this ruling and the rally went ahead. Democratic Unionist Party Democratic Unionist Party

The Democratic Unionist Party is the larger, and the more hardline, of the two main [[Unionism|Unionist]... 

 MP Gregory Campbell accused the GAA of attempting to politicize sport. The organizers of the rally denied this, saying that the rally was not organized by any political party.

The GAA today

The GAA is the largest amateur sports association in Ireland. The GAA has more than 3,000 member clubs and runs about 500 grounds throughout Ireland.

GAA internationals

Strictly speaking, the GAA doesn't hold true internationals, however, hurlers play an annual fixture against a national Shinty Shinty

Shinty, also known as camanachd or iomain, is a team sport [i] played with sticks and a ball... 

 team from Scotland Scotland

Scotland is a nation [i] in northwest Europe [i] and one of the constituent [i] countries [i] ... 

. Also — as mentioned above — the Ireland international rules football team, drawn from the ranks of Gaelic footballers, has an annual test series against the Australian team, which is drawn from the Australian Football League Australian Football League

The Australian Football League is the Australia [i]n national competition in the sport [i] of Australian rules football [i] ... 

. The venue alternates between Ireland and Australia.

The GAA across Ireland and the World




  • Connacht GAA Connacht GAA

    The Connacht Council is the governing body for the Gaelic Athletic Association [i] sports of hurling [i], Gaelic football [i] ... 

    • Galway GAA Galway GAA

      :For more details of Galway GAA see Galway Senior Club Football Championship [i] or Galway Senior Club Hurling Championship [i]... 

    • Leitrim GAA Leitrim GAA

      :For more details of Leitrim GAA see Leitrim Senior Club Football Championship [i] or Leitrim Senior Club Hurling Championship [i] ... 

    • Mayo GAA
    • Roscommon GAA Roscommon GAA

      :For more details of Roscommon GAA see Roscommon Senior Club Football Championship [i] or Roscommon Senior Club Hurling Championship [i] ... 

    • Sligo GAA Sligo GAA

      :For more details of Sligo GAA see Sligo Senior Club Football Championship [i] or Sligo Senior Club Hurling Championship [i] ... 

  • Leinster GAA Leinster GAA

    The Leinster Council is the governing body for the Gaelic Athletic Association [i] sports of hurling [i], Gaelic football [i] ... 

    • Carlow GAA Carlow GAA

      :For more details of Carlow GAA see Carlow Senior Club Football Championship [i] or Carlow Senior Club Hurling Championship [i]... 

    • Dublin GAA Dublin GAA

      or

The Dublin County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association [i] or Dublin GAA is one of the 32 county... 


    • Kildare GAA Kildare GAA

      For more information see Kildare Senior Club Football Championship [i] or Kildare Senior Club Hurling Championship [i] ... 

    • Kilkenny GAA Kilkenny GAA

      :For more details of Kilkenny GAA see Kilkenny Senior Club Football Championship [i] or Kilkenny Senior Club Hurling Championship [i] ... 

    • Laois GAA Laois GAA

      :For more details of Laois GAA see Laois Senior Club Football Championship [i] or Laois Senior Club Hurling Championship [i] ... 

    • Longford GAA Longford GAA

      :For more details of Longford GAA see Longford Senior Club Football Championship [i] or Longford Senior Club Hurling Championship [i] ... 

    • Louth GAA Louth GAA

      :For more details of Louth GAA see Louth Senior Club Football Championship [i] or Louth Senior Club Hurling Championship [i] ... 

    • Meath GAA Meath GAA

      :For more details of Meath GAA see Meath Senior Club Football Championship [i] or Meath Senior Club Hurling Championship [i] ... 

    • Offaly GAA Offaly GAA

      :For more details of Offaly GAA see Offaly Senior Club Football Championship [i] or Offaly Senior Club Hurling Championship [i]... 

    • Westmeath GAA Westmeath GAA

      :For more details of Westmeath GAA see Westmeath Senior Club Football Championship [i] or Westmeath Senior Club Hurling Championship [i] ... 

    • Wexford GAA Wexford GAA

      For more information see Wexford Senior Club Hurling Championship [i] or Wexford Senior Club Football Championship [i] ... 

    • Wicklow GAA Wicklow GAA

      :For more information on Wicklow GAA see: Wicklow Senior Club Football Championship [i] or Wicklow Senior Club Hurling Championship [i] ... 

  • Munster GAA Munster GAA

    The Munster Council is the governing body for the Gaelic Athletic Association [i] sports of hurling [i], Gaelic football [i] ... 

    • Clare GAA Clare GAA

      :For more details of Clare GAA see Clare Senior Club Football Championship [i] or Clare Senior Club Hurling Championship [i] ... 

    • Cork GAA Cork GAA

      :For more details of Cork GAA see Cork Senior Club Football Championship [i] or Cork Senior Club Hurling Championship [i] ... 

    • Kerry GAA Kerry GAA

      :For more details of Kerry GAA see Kerry Senior Club Football Championship [i] or Kerry Senior Club Hurling Championship [i] ... 

    • Limerick GAA Limerick GAA

      :For more details of Limerick GAA see Limerick Senior Club Football Championship [i] or Limerick Senior Club Hurling Championship [i] ... 

    • Tipperary GAA Tipperary GAA

      :For more details of Tipperary GAA see Tipperary Senior Club Football Championship [i] or Tipperary Senior Club Hurling Championship [i] ... 

    • Waterford GAA Waterford GAA

      :For more details of Waterford GAA see Waterford Senior Club Football Championship [i] or Waterford Senior Club Hurling Championship [i] ... 

  • Ulster GAA Ulster GAA

    The Ulster Council GAA is the governing body for the Gaelic Athletic Association [i] sports of hurling [i], Gaelic football [i] ... 

    • Antrim GAA Antrim GAA

      :For more details on Antrim GAA see Antrim Senior Club Football Championship [i] or Antrim Senior Club Hurling Championship [i]... 

    • Armagh GAA Armagh GAA

      :For more details of Armagh GAA see Armagh Senior Club Football Championship [i] or Armagh Senior Club Hurling Championship [i]... 

    • Cavan GAA Cavan GAA

      :For further details of Cavan GAA see Cavan Senior Club Football Championship [i] or Cavan Senior Club Hurling Championship [i] ... 

    • Derry GAA Derry GAA

      The Derry County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association [i] or Derry GAA is one of the 32 county board ... 

    • Donegal GAA Donegal GAA

      :For more details of Donegal GAA see Donegal Senior Club Football Championship [i] or Donegal Senior Club Hurling Championship [i] ... 

    • Down GAA Down GAA

      :For more details of the Down GAA see Down Senior Club Football Championship [i] or Down Senior Club Hurling Championship [i] ... 

    • Fermanagh GAA Fermanagh GAA

      :For more information on Fermanagh GAA see: Fermanagh Senior Club Football Championship [i] or Fermanagh Senior Club Hurling Championship [i] ... 

    • Monaghan GAA Monaghan GAA

      For more information on Monaghan GAA see Monaghan Senior Club Football Championship [i] or Monaghan Senior Club Hurling Championship [i] ... 

    • Tyrone GAA Tyrone GAA

      :For more details of Tyrone football see Tyrone Senior Club Football Championship [i] or Tyrone Senior Club Hurling Championship [i] ... 




  • Higher Education GAA i.e. University, Colleges and Third-Level GAA.


  • The GAA in Britain
  • The GAA in Europe
  • The GAA in the United States
  • The GAA in Canada

GAA grounds

Main article:

The GAA has many high quality grounds in Ireland and beyond, with Croke Park Croke Park

Croke Park in Dublin [i], Ireland [i] is the largest sports stadium [i] in Ireland and the principal stadium [i] ... 

 being the showpiece.

See also

  • Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh

    ... 

  • GAA All Stars Awards GAA All Stars Awards

    The Vodafone [i] GAA [i] All Stars is a Gaelic Games [i] award given annually to the best Gaelic football [i]e ... 

  • Micheál Ó Hehir
  • The Sunday Game
  • Up for the Match
  • Top 20 GAA Moments
  • Sport in Ireland Sport in Ireland

    Sport on the island of Ireland [i] is popular and widespread. ... 



Bibliography

  • The GAA: A History by Marcus de Burca, Gill & MacMillan, 1984 & 2000, ISBN 0-7171-3109-2
  • Illustrated History of the GAA, by Eoghan Corry, Gill & MacMillan, 2005, ISBN 0-7171-3951-4
  • The GAA Book of Lists, by Eoghan Corry, Hodder Headline, 2005, ISBN 0-340-89695-7
  • The Gaelic Athletic Association And Irish Nationalist Politics 1884-1924 by W F Mandle . 240pp ISBN 0-7470-2200-3
  • Michael Cusack and The GAA by Marcus De Burca, Anvil, 1989, 192pp, ISBN 0-947962-49-2
  • Micheal Ciosog by Liam P O Cathnia, Clochomhar Tta, 1982.
  • Croke Of Cashel by Mark Tierney, Gill And MacMillan, 1976.
  • Maurice Davin First President Of The GAA by Seamus O'Riain, Geography Publications, 1994, ISBN 0-906602-25-4
  • Croke Park Croke Park

    Croke Park in Dublin [i], Ireland [i] is the largest sports stadium [i] in Ireland and the principal stadium [i] ... 

     by Tim Carey, Collins Press, 2004, ISBN 1-903464-54-4
  • God and the Referee: Unforgettable GAA Quotations, by Eoghan Corry, Hodder Headline, 2005, ISBN 0-340-83976-7
  • History of Hurling, by Seamus King, Gill & MacMillan, 2005, ISBN 0-7171-3938-7
  • Sceal Na hIomana by Liam P O Cathnia, Clochomhar Tta, 1980.
  • Caman, 2000 Years Of Irish Hurling by Art O Maolfabhail, 1973.
  • Gaelic Football, by Jack Mahon, Gill & MacMillan, 2002 & 2006, ISBN 0-7171-4038-5
  • Bairi Cos In Eirinn by Liam P O Cathnia, Clochomhar Tta, 1984.

References


External links

  • by The Irish News The Irish News

    The Irish News is a Berliner [i]-sized newspaper based in Belfast [i], Northern Ireland [i] ... 

  • - analysis, discussion forums, satire and humour on GAA topics.