We had a late night visit from Big Jim the other night. Always happy to see him (especially now it doesn’t involve him digging up the cesspit or cutting tiles in the hall), we caught up on anything and everything. Of course, the biggest ‘anything’ going on in Jim’s life is the ‘Gaaaa’ (think of the noise you make at the doctors when he sticks that lolly stick thing in your mouth), which is the GAA, and the fact that Meath, truthfully the underdogs, beat Tyrone and are today due to meet mighty Cork in the semis (oh, and the fact that his setter bit him, but we’ll skim over that bit). Hubby, a sportaholic, has embraced the whole GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association) thing and is now glued to every game, just like he is with Premiership football, American football, La Liga and, well, everything else really. GAA, if you don’t know, is one of Ireland’s native games. There’s the Hurling: with those sticks, or ‘hurleys’ that look a bit like hockey sticks squashed at the end, and a ball that looks hard enough to give you a nasty concussion, and there’s also rounders, handball and some other ones I think. Then there’s the Gaelic Football, which is what’s going on today. This all leads up to the big All Ireland Final which is held at Croke Park in September, along with the finals of all the other GAA sports, like Camogie, which I think is women’s hurling and the under 18, Minor finals as well.

Here, then, is my current understanding of Gaelic Football. You’ll like this: so the football is kind of like Association Football (which, I shall henceforth call soccer) only you can hold the ball (similar but slightly heavier I gather), and bounce it, and this other thing called ’soloing’ which is where you kind of ‘keepy uppy’ it back into your own hands. There’s a kind of rugby goal thing with a soccer net underneath it, and you can score either by kicking the ball over the crossbar (a point) or into the goal (three points for that one). The score is shown divided into how many goals you got then how many points, ie 1-11 (which would equal 14 points total: 1 x 3 + 11 = 14, yes?). It’s very fast moving and exciting (and a teensy bit rougher than soccer, seeing as how you’re allowed to wallop into your opponent and grab the ball off them). So, everybody clear on that, then? Good. I’ll let you know how Meath get on.

Disclaimer:

Oh, and by the way, I’d just like to say that if I’ve got any of this wrong, it’s entirely my own doing and not a reflection of the idiocy of the English ex-pat community in Ireland at this time.

No Comments »