Saint Patrick’s Day is a perfect occasion to celebrate Ireland and enjoy a lively, festive atmosphere — even on the streets of Paris! Wearing green, heading out on a bar crawl (responsibly, of course!), and other fun activities are all part of the celebrations on March 17. Why not also try some authentic Irish sports, either alone or with friends? It’s a great way to immerse yourself in the spirit of the day.
In Ireland, sports enthusiasts are spoilt for choice, from Gaelic sports to soccer, rugby union and field field hockey. Some sports are organized throughout Ireland, including Northern Ireland, thanks to the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA), theIrish cultural organization whose aim is to promote Gaelic culture.
The sport has been Ireland's most popular since the 19th century, with finals attracting some 80,000 spectators. It resembles a mixture of rugby union and soccer, but is less violent since tackling and tackling are forbidden. The rules are simple and offer more freedom. It's an amateur sport, and each player can only play for one team in his or her entire life, that of the county in which he or she was born.
Hurling is a team sport played outdoors, with a stick, the hurley, used to kick a ball, the sliotar. This variant of field field hockey is considered the fastest team sport, and has a women's version, camogie. Hurling appears to have originated in Ireland before Christianity, and has been played for almost 2,000 years between neighbouring villages. These games involved several hundred players, and a game could last several hours or days.
Rugby à XV, which is played by teams of fifteen players on the pitch, is the most widely practiced variant of rugby, with its distinctive features being scrums and touches, between two teams competing for an oval ball, played by hand and foot.Originating inEngland, the sport spreadto Anglo-Saxon countries and France at the end of the 19th century . Although it is widely played in Ireland, it has been overtaken by Gaelic sports and soccer.
Soccer is the most popular non-Gaelic sport. Despite a local league with a small following, the Irish enjoy watching matches, particularly in the English league, where the best Irish players play.
Golf is very popular in Ireland. There are several hundred golf courses on the island, attracting many tourists as well as the Irish! Local and international competitions can be seen on Irish television.
In Paris, the Paris Gaels GAA offers traditional Gaelic sports. Founded in 1995 by Irishmen, the club was the first to be affiliated to the GAA in Europe outside Ireland and Great Britain. This is your chance to try out men's and women's Gaelic soccer, hurling and camogie at training sessions, and to sign up if you're feeling Irish!
