| Gaelic Athletic Association |
Article Index for Gaelic |
Website Links For Gaelic |
Information AboutGaelic Athletic Association |
|
serves as the traditional logo of the GAA.]] The Gaelic Athletic Association ('''GAA''') ( - traditional Irish sports, such as Hurling , Camogie , Gaelic Football , Handball , and Rounders . The organisation also promotes Irish Music and Dance , and the Irish Language . It is the largest and most popular organisation in Ireland with some 800,000 members out of the island's population of almost 6 million. Go Ireland Gaelic football and Hurling are the main and most popular activities promoted by the organisation. Gaelic football is a contact sport that combines the skills of Soccer , Basketball , and some of the skills of Volleyball in a high-scoring game in which players punch or kick the ball over the crossbar for one point, or kick the ball into a net on the bottom for three points. The game also has similarities with Australian Rules Football (see below). Hurling is a stick-and-ball game that combines many of the skills of field (sliotar) between the Goalpost s using the same scoring system as in Gaelic football and on the same size of field. It is not to be confused with the Scottish game of Shinty . FOUNDATION AND AIMS of the GAA, is used on branding and merchandise. The colours of the logo change to reflect each County's colours]] The GAA was founded by Michael Cusack from County Clare . Pupils at the Academy he founded were encouraged to get involved in all forms of physical exercise. Cusack, a native Irish speaker, was troubled by declining participation in specifically Irish games. To remedy this situation and to re-establish hurling as the national pastime, Cusack met with several other enthusiasts, most notably village, County Tipperary, was a capped rugby international player, having played for Ireland against Wales in 1883 and was also a District Inspector of the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC). Also J.K. Bracken was the father of Brendan Bracken who was a member of the British cabinet during World War II. The initial plan was to resurrect the ancient Tailteann Games and establish an independent Irish organisation for promoting athletics, but hurling and Gaelic football eventually predominated. The following goals were set out: # To foster and promote the native Irish pastimes. # To open athletics to all social classes. # To aid in the establishment of hurling and football clubs which would organise matches between counties. The association's aim today is to be STRUCTURE The GAA is a democratic association consisting of various boards, councils, and committees organised in a structured hierarchy, and the world headquarters are at Croke Park . All of the association's activities are governed by a book called the Official Guide. Each County Board may have its own by-laws, none of which may conflict with the Official Guide. Each Divisional Board may have its own regulations, none of which may duplicate or contradict the Official Guide or county by-laws.
All of these bodies are elected on a democratic basis and staffed by volunteers. COMPETITIONS Domestic The GAA organises competitive games in both codes and at all levels from youth all the way up to adult senior. The highest level of competitions in the GAA are the inter-county All-Ireland Championships where the 32 counties of Ireland Compete to win the Provincial Championships , All-Ireland Senior Football Championship and All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship . Before 1892, the winning club in each county championship contested the All-Ireland championship representing their county. In 1892, Congress granted permission for the winning club in each county championship to use players from other clubs in the county. The Inter County scene of today was thus created. Internationals The GAA does not hold internationals played according to the rules of either Gaelic football or hurling, however compromise rules have been reached. Hurlers play an annual fixture against a national Shinty team from Scotland . International Rules Football matches have taken place between an Irish National Team drawn from the ranks of Gaelic footballers, against an Australian National Team drawn from the Australian Football League . The venue alternates between Ireland and Australia. As of December 9 , 2006 the International series between Australia and Ireland has been called off due to excessive violence in past matches. , coloured by which Gaelic game is popular. Yellow indicates a Football county, blue a Hurling county and green a " Dual County ", where both sports have considerable support.]] CULTURAL Competitive field games are not the only activity promoted by the organisation. Scór (English: ''Score'') is a sub-group, and series of annual competitions, as part of the GAA that actively pursues the goals of Rule 4 of the Official Guide; The group was formally founded in 1969, and is promoted through various GAA clubs throughout Ireland (as well as some clubs outside of Ireland). ACHIEVEMENTS The GAA has grown to become the largest and most popular organisation in Ireland with some 800,000 members out of the island's 6 million people. Go Ireland It saved the ancient game of hurling from extinction. Both it and Gaelic football were standardised. This standardisation helped to spur the growth of the modern games since they were now being organised on a structured basis. The GAA is the largest amateur sports association in Ireland. It has more than 2,500 Member Clubs and runs about 500 grounds throughout the country.1 The Gaelic Games of hurling and football are also the most popular spectator sports in Ireland; 1,962,769 people attended GAA games in 2003.2 Thanks to the success of a policy of having at least one club in every parish, clubs are evenly distributed throughout the country in both urban and rural areas, and the organisation's reach is therefore considerable. This huge presence means that the GAA has become a major player in the sporting and cultural life of Ireland. The association is recognised as a major generator of social capital thanks to its promotion of healthy pastimes, volunteering, and community involvement.3 |
|
|