Gaelic Games on Sky Sports

[Ger Regan]

So did anyone watch any of it during the weekend? If not, can I suggest that you take in a game at some point during the summer. Being honest, I wouldn’t recommend starting with the football, hurling is definitely the sport for a novice to get started with. It’s an amazing sport to watch, hugely skilful and really high intensity.

To put into context the level of commitment / bravery of these guys, a hurling ball is roughly the same size and hardness of a cricket ball, but the only protection the players use is a helmet. There’s a famous case of a hurling keeper who, in the process of saving a penalty, lost a bollock after it exploded on impact. Oh and it's an amateur sport.

[UK Redsox]

I caught a few minutes of the hurling on the weekend and used to watch it fairly regularly on TV a few years ago.

There was one great piece of skill I saw this week, when a guy plucked a long pass out of the air as it came in over his shoulder and in one movement smacked it through for a point.

I much prefer it to Gaelic Football, where I can't get my head around the tackling laws (I have the same problem with Aussie Rules).


BTW - the stitching pattern of a hurling ball makes it more like a baseball than a cricket ball and the hand/eye coordination required is hurling is more like that of baseball than cricket or field hockey.

[Ger Regan]

Yeah, I'm not a fan of gaelic football either. It's much less skilful than hurling, and can be quite dull to watch imo.

[Lizz]

We're going to Dublin next week for a few days, presuming it's shown on local television will try and watch between bar visits and all the other touristy things.

[bertlambshank]

They wear silly headgear these days I'm out.
Sky still trying to say it's an amateur sport is bloody funny as well.

[Ger Regan]

Well, technically speaking it is an amateur sport. Nobody plays the sport as a full-time thing, although granted many do get jobs through the sport (i.e. a company might hire a high-profile player as a a bit of pr). Strangely, managers do get paid.

[eamonn]

Worth mentioning also that in the winter months these guys play for their clubs - usually villages or if in an urban area, often under a parish name.

[dave shelley]

Yeah, I'm not a fan of gaelic football either. It's much less skilful than hurling, and can be quite dull to watch imo.

The Cavan v Armagh match yesterday sounded like fun Ger.

[Dave Cooper please]

Love hurling.

In my couple of years building oil rigs up in The Highlands I got into shinty, which is similar but possibly a little less brutal, maybe. Played mainly as a buckshee back for Clachnacuddin fourths.

[cdbearsfan]

I've seen bits before and liked it so might give it another go (unless I've already missed it all).

Who's the crappiest team? I'm gonna support them. I have to have a team to "support" or I won't be able to get into it.

Also, which are the GAA equivalents of Man U so I have someone to hate?

[Dave Cooper please]

I believe Kilkenny are the Manchester United of hurling and Carlow are a a bit shit, but I'll give it over to our Irish correspondents to confirm this.

[dave shelley]

In hurling it's either Kilkenny or Tipperary followed possibly by Cork.  Football's current top dogs are Dublin.  Pedigree tends to be Kerry who are never far away and again Cork.  Any of the Northern counties always give a decent showing of themselves.  Here in the West Mayo flatter to deceive, getting to all Ireland finals and always failing.  It is believed that they had a curse put on them by a Gyppo some years ago for some reason so, they are the Birmingham City of Ireland.  The county where I live last won the all Ireland football final in 1944 and fluctuate between not very good and shit.  As for hurling we are that bad, along with a few other counties that a new competition had to be introduced just to keep the scores respectable.

All joking aside, it has to be remembered that Ireland is again in dreadful recession and as such is suffering from emigration so Gaelic Sports (along with others) are being decimated by lads having to leave to find work.  This obviously has a major effect on the quality of what is left.  All in all they are doing very well to provide sport that is worth watching.

[Ger Regan]

Yeah, Kilkenny (hurling) and Kerry (football) would be the united equivalents in terms of success. Unlike football, it's definitely a case of supporting your local team in the GAA, so you don't really have glory hunters (except perhaps those who only follow the sport when their county is being successful).

[Ger Regan]

Love this clip. He didn't even get booked.

[cdbearsfan]

Okay, I'm narrowing down the number of teams with a view to choosing one. Are there any rubbish teams that play in claret and blue?