Sport on the island of Ireland

Ireland’s Gaelic games

Ireland’s Gaelic games are the heart-blood of local communities around the island. Be it Gaelic football, hurling, camogie, handball or rounders, playing for a club in your town or parish brings a sense of pride to the player and their family. Those who are talented enough to play for their county are local celebrities and treated as such! If you’re visiting a town or village on your trip, why not look up local Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) fixtures to catch a game? Matches usually take place at the weekend and are as authentic a sporting event as you’ll find here.

The GAA was founded in 1884 and is headquartered in Ireland’s largest sporting arena – Croke Park in Dublin. Here you can enjoy the GAA Museum, a stadium tour, and even a skyline tour on the roof of the stadium, which offers stunning panoramic views of the city below. If you’re visiting during the summer months, you can soak up the atmosphere of an All-Ireland Championship match, as all 32 counties do battle in Gaelic football, hurling and camogie to be crowned All-Ireland Champions!

Popular sports in Ireland

But it’s not just Gaelic games that people are mad for in Ireland. Football (or soccer as some people call it to differentiate from Gaelic football), rugby, golf, boxing and a number of other sports are also central to the Irish sporting landscape. Take football, for example. While most football fans on the island support teams in the English Premier League, the homegrown League of Ireland is growing in popularity all the time, with big crowds regularly cheering on their team, whether it’s Derry City in Derry~Londonderry or Bohemians or Shelbourne in Dublin. If you’re a football fanatic keen to check out the scene, these are the games to go to.

As for rugby, the all-island Ireland squad is currently one of the best teams in the world, regularly beating the likes of France and England! Then there’s golf. From world-famous courses such as Royal County Down to under-the-radar gems in Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands, it’s easy to see why see why keen golfers call Ireland “the green of dreams.”

Add to that a stunning coastline that’s home to a range of fun water sports from kayaking to surfing, and you’ve got an island that’s primed and ready for sporting action, whether you like to play or just enjoy it from the stands.

Ireland’s sporting attractions

If you’re after even more sporting experiences on the island of Ireland, we’ve got you covered. The newly opened International Rugby Experience in the heart of Limerick charts the history and legends of the game in six immersive and interactive stages.

In Northern Ireland, the Armagh Gaelic Games Experience is a must for anyone with an interest in the history of Ireland’s Gaelic games. Your tour guide – a current or former county GAA player – will explain the origins of the GAA, as well as the ancient history behind the games themselves, including the intriguing link between hurling and the legendary Irish hero Cú Chulainn!

The Irish National Stud and Gardens in County Kildare is the place to go for all things equine. It’s the home of Ireland’s world-class thoroughbred industry, and getting up close and personal with little foals and powerful stallions is something you’ll remember for a long time.