How Gaelic Sports Survived
Gaelic sports are a different form of sports played in the UK and elsewhere. Some of the games that are played are Gaelic football and hurling. The football played is similar to regular football except for a few key differences and hurling is a very interesting game that seems to be a mix of football and hockey. The Gaelic games have strong Irish traditions because they were first played in Ireland and are still played there today. The question remains; why have these games survived all these years and why haven’t they been assimilated into regular sports? There must be something about these sports that has endured so many years and still continue to be enjoyed by so many people.
The interesting thing about Gaelic football is that it is a mix of football and rugby. There are 15 players on a side and the ball can be picked up with the hands but has to be kicked or touched with the feet after a few steps. The goals look like a cross between a football goal and the rugby goal posts. The game play is brutal and very fast paced with people slamming into each other and crashing to the ground. Hurling on the other hand is a mix of football and hockey with a small hard round ball being used. This game seems to be even more brutal than Gaelic football with people using no protective equipment and swinging heavy sticks around. It is very quick and very exciting to watch. What is interesting to note is that both Gaelic football and hurling have ancient Irish traditions. This could be one reason for their survival over so many years. The games tap a strong sense of nationalistic pride and reliving traditions and cultural aspects.
The sports itself seems to be very interesting as well especially if looked into their depth. The question arises that could the modern sports of football and rugby have emerged from these Gaelic sports or was it the other way around? Since the real answer may be buried deep in history one can make an educated guess that seems to be perhaps maybe the sport of Gaelic football came about after football and rugby because it incorporates elements of both into it. It is also called football which probably means that it took its name from the regular version of the game as well. The sport of hurling though seems to be an innovation of the Irish as it has an ancient history that goes back many, many years. “While Gaelic football is an old sport, hurling is ancient.
Any sport that has such strong ties to history and culture will survive one way or the other. Even though the sports of Gaelic football and hurling are not as popular as football or rugby they still have a strong following among the Irish and amongst the Irish Diaspora around the world. It seems that wherever people assimilate to they take aspects of their culture with them, and since sports and games are a huge part of any culture, these go along for the ride as well. There is a big contingent of people of Irish origin in America and these sports would be played amongst the communities of Irish Americans living in that part of the world. It seems that these sports are as big a part of Irish culture as music or food would be. These sports have a place in Irish nationalism and are a great sense of pride for the Irish people.
Whenever something takes on a defining element of a people’s culture, then it is regarded as no longer only being a sport but it takes on national and culture significance. It helps to tell the world about the habits and practices of a culture and for that reason games like Gaelic football and hurling have survived for so many years and will continue to survive for many years to come.
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