Looking for something active to do in Dublin during your visit? How about discovering the traditional Gaelic Games?
Do in Dublin: Discover Gaelic Games
We’re welcomed at the Clash Gaelic Games School in Portmarnock by the enthusiastic Gareth, the youngest of five O’Driscoll brothers, three of which run the school. He’s an Irish teacher by trade with a big passion for the Irish language and hurling.
for what?
Local hurling club Naomh Mearnóg
Hurling: The Fastest Field Sport in the World!
This fun Irish game looks a bit like a hockey/football/lacrosse mix-up. It’s played with a shorter stick with a broader oval blade than hockey and the ball (the sliotar) is the size of a baseball. It is the national game of Ireland and may date back to the 2nd millennium BC. There is also a similar game for women called camogie (camógaíocht).
Like you (probably), I’d never even heard of this game, but I soon found out it’s actually a lot of fun! The aim of the game is to hit the ball with the stick (the hurley) in the goal of the opponent, either over the crossbar (1 point) or under the crossbar into a net (1 goal / 3 points).
You can catch the sliotar in your hand and carry it for 4 or less steps, kick or slap it with your open hand, or struck it in the air/on the ground with the hurley. All of this happens at incredible speed. Needless to say, wearing a helmet is a feckin’ good idea.
Apparently, they play hurling all around the world, but in Ireland it’s more a way of life than anywhere else. This soon becomes clear to us when Gareth tells us the history of the game and how he played it since he was little… while waving his arms around, jumping up and falling down and making us laugh so hard.
This guy is awesome! His dad was there as well and he just seemed very proud standing in the corner looking at his passionate son.
Now, I won’t go too much into the tech and rules of the game, as that’s what Wikipedia is for, but I can recommend you listening to Gareth’s story about how hurling came about.
You can understand why we had such a good time!
Time to try hurling ourselves… I loved it!
When there are helmets involved, you know it’s getting serious.
That’s what a pro looks like
Gaelic Football
At Clash they believe that to truly understand Gaelic games you can’t just watch them being played. Nope, they combine the practical sessions with historical facts and mythical stories which will make sure that you leave thinking that Gaelic Games are the greatest sports in the world! And we all did in the end :)
And so after our hurling lesson we have a go at Gaelic football. This game is a form of football, but then you play with 15 players on each side. You can score by getting the ball into the goal (3 points) or a set of two upright posts separated by a crossbar (1 point).
You can carry, bounce, kick, hand-pass and solo the ball (this last one you drop the ball and then toe-kick it into your hands), so definitely a lot different from other types of football. And I’m proud to say I’m equally bad at both of them, haha.
I enjoyed the Gaelic football, but definitely pick hurling as my favourite new sport that I learned this year!
Wondering if you should give hurling and Gaelic football a go yourself? Well, as the Clash website says it better than I could word it: “Leave the pub and museums for a couple of hours and get out into the fresh air to experience a real taste of Irish culture that you won’t find anywhere else.” Absolutely agree on that!
Thanks Gareth!
Have a look yourself of what you can experience at Clash:
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Disclaimer: My trip to Dublin was part of the ‘Dublin: a Breath of Fresh Air’ blog trip (#LoveDublin), a collaboration between Tourism Ireland and iambassador. All photos and opinions are my own, as always.
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