"I’ll tell ye a little story..."

A few words about gaelic sport in Ireland.

Whether you're a hurling or gaelic football fan, following the Cats or the Dubs, sitting in Croke Park or Nowlan Park; you'll be watching the beauty that is gaa sport and gaelic games.

Nothing comes close to the skills and passion of the sportsmen that have made gaa games the force that is is today.

Gaelic football is considered the national sport of Ireland by those who don't consider hurling to be the national sport of Ireland! It achieves huge match attendances particularly during the senior championship.

The footballing year begins with pre season tournaments and the national football league.As summer draws near, the Championship kicks off. The All Ireland Senior Football final takes place on the third Sunday of each September. Kerry is the most successful footballing county, over thirty senior titles. Things really hot up though when ther'es a clash betweenthe Dubs and Meath or Armagh and Tyrone. It's enough to make the hairs stand up on the back of your neck!

And then there's hurling. An amateur game played at club, county, and provincial level. Hurling is well-attended and the major games filling Croke Park to capacity (80,000). The main competitions are the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship and the National Hurling League. League matches are held before summer and then it's time for the Provincial Championships and the All Ireland competition. The All Ireland Hurling Final is held on the first Sunday in September. Kilkenny have won the last two championships but one should never discount Cork. There's always a bit of hope for the likes of Galway and Antrim too.

The joy and beauty of gaa is that you can see up close, true geniuses such as Darragh O'Se and
Henry Sheflin - ordinary men and extraordinary players. And there's also the heroes of the past such as the great Christy Ring. These are men who care about their country and their sport and their people. You won't witness anything finer than gaa sports anywhere in the world.

And to finish off; one of the most entertaining gaa quotes ever from the great Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh:

“And Brian Dooher is down injured. And while he is, I’ll tell ye a little story. I was in Times Square in New York last week, and I was missing the Championship back home. So I approached a news stand and I said 'I suppose ye wouldn't have ‘The Kerryman would ye?' To which the Egyptian behind the counter turned to me and said 'Do you want the North Kerry edition or the South Kerry edition?'... He had both... So I bought both. And Dooher is back on his feet..."

Enjoy gaa - enjoy the crack!