| Characteristics | |
|---|---|
| Team members | Yes |
| Mixed gender | Yes |
| Categorization | Outdoor |
| Olympic | No |
Gaelic games are sports played in Ireland under the auspices of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The two main games are Gaelic football and hurling. Other games organised by the Association include Gaelic handball and rounders.
Women's versions of hurling and football are also played: camogie, organised by the Camogie Association of Ireland, and ladies' Gaelic football, organised by the Ladies' Gaelic Football Association. While women's versions are not organised by the GAA, they are closely associated with it.
Today, Gaelic games are the most popular games in Ireland in terms of supporter attendances at senior games.[1] Despite an economic downturn, attendances in 2009 were up 11% on 2008.[2]
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Gaelic football is the most popular of the Gaelic games and is played by teams of 15 on a rectangular grass pitch with H-shaped goals at each end. The primary object is to score by driving the ball through the goals. The team with the highest score at the end of the match wins. The female version of the game is known as ladies' Gaelic football and is very similar to the men's game with a few minor rule changes
Hurling is a stick and ball game played by teams of 15 on a rectangular grass pitch with H-shaped goals at each end. The primary object is to score by driving the ball through the goals or putting the ball over the bar and thereby scoring a point. Three points is the equivalent of a goal. The team with the highest score at the end of the match wins. It is over three-thousand years old, and is said to be the world's fastest field game, combining skills from lacrosse, field hockey, and baseball in a hard-hitting, highly skilled game. The female version of the game is known as camogie and is very similar to hurling with a few minor rule changes.
Gaelic handball is a game where two players use their hands to return a ball against a wall. The game is similar to American handball. There are three codes of handball; 60x30, 40x20 and One Wall. One Wall handball is the most popular international version of handball with it being played in over 30 countries. It is hoped that this version of handball will soon become an Olympic sport. The sport of handball is governed by GAA Handball in Ireland.
Rounders is a bat and ball game which is played in Ireland; a similar version is played in England. Rounders is the least popular of the GAA Gaelic games and is organised by a sub division of the GAA known as the Rounders Council of Ireland. It is similar to softball.
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