22 January 2024
By Roger Kennedy
roger@TheCork.ie
Entertainment
The Gaelic Athletic Association plays an important part in Irish culture and society. Their goal is to manage, promote and preserve indigenous Gaelic sports and games. The organization first formed in 1884, and for the past 139 years has been doing a fine job of it.
As of 2014, the GAA has revealed that they have over half a million members, and we can assume that number has grown in the past decade. In this article, we would like to focus primarily on the sports that the GAA promotes, and whether the Irish enjoy wagering on these games.
Betting on Gaelic Games
It should not be a surprise to learn that Irish people love sports, and they love wagering on sports. Football is among the most popular games in Ireland (as well as the world), and there have been a ton of internationally successful Irish boxers and athletes in general.
However, the goal of the GAA is to preserve traditional Irish sports. To that end, they promote games like Gaelic football, rounders, and Gaelic handball, all of which have found quite a bit of popularity in Ireland. Indeed, if we take a look at Irish GAA betting odds, we will find that games like Gaelic football are quite successful.
Our goal in this article is to go over the different sports that the Gaelic Athletic Association focuses on, and discuss the betting options for them. Without further ado, let us delve into the main point of the article.
Gaelic Football
Without a doubt, the most popular game promoted by the GAA is Gaelic football. A fabulous mixture of association football and rugby, Gaelic football involves two teams of fifteen players doing their best to punch or kick the ball into the opposing team’s goal.
The field is a rectangular grass pitch, reminiscent of rugby or football, though with some differences. On the other hand, the ball is much closer to that of a regular football ball, then a rugby ball, as it is round, rather than oval.
Finally, Gaelic football can get quite physical. However, there are rules that limit things like contact and tackling. Those rules, while present in rugby, are much laxer. Gaelic football today is one of Ireland’s favorite sports, and gets quite a lot of traction at online sports betting websites.
Gaelic Handball
While you might expect a game called “Gaelic handball” to be similar to the American handball, the Irish sport is actually much closer to racquetball or squash. Two (or four) players hit the ball using their hands, as hard as they can against a wall, with the goal of preventing the opponent from hitting it back.
Gaelic handball is nowhere near as popular as Gaelic football. However, the game does get quite a bit of attention in parts of Ireland. There are 180 clubs currently in the Emerald Isles that train the next generation of Gaelic handball players.
Hurling and Camogie
Hurling and Camogie is an Ancient Gaelic stick-and-ball game, which has managed to endure throughout the centuries. Hurling is the name of the game when played by men, while camogie is the women’s equivalent. The game involves players hitting a small ball with ash wood sticks, making it similar to hockey or polo.