International GAA sports.

I have first to declare that I know next to nothing about GAA sports save that they are both like bags of weasels.

Are there any International competitions?

Aussie Rules seems similar to G.F.
And shinty I'm told is close to hurling (although I've never even seen footage of the former).

I would assume that there is some form of organised GAA in the Eastern USA at least.

And as an addendum, why do results get presented as two-part scores when the they add up to predictable points totals?

Hello there Portnoy. GAA is played mostly in Ireland although London and New York do send teams to the all-ireland champs. There is a global GAA scene spread by expats but obviously its not as big as it is back in Ireland. The closest you'll get to an international with large crowds is the international (no)rules football series between Ireland and Austrailia, an amalgamation of aussie rules and Gaelic. There a similar series for shinty and hurling but because Scotland dosen't take a wide interest in looking after its own sporting heritage its no where near as big.

As for scores presented in two parts this is to represent the two ways of scoring (goals worth 3pts and over the bar worth 1pnt). For example 2-14 means that this team has scored two goals and 14 points (over the crossbar and between the uprights) and do the math and they've scored 20 points in total.

You've not seen shinty, here's this years CA Cup Final-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFB_QE726DQ

And an international in shinty v hurling-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzmnmNJpHjI&feature=related

I can't find a GAA club in your area but here's a list of some from around England- http://www.clubgaa.ie/england/index.htm

International rules is a mixture of GAA and Assuie rules (With a GAA ball) and is played between the best players from both and one series is coming up soon. Mainly this is just a contest of who can punch the most players on the other team in the many brawls that take place.

Similarly the same happens between Hurling and Shinty but the Irish players are taken from the lesser Counties/teams as otherwise we would hammer them out the gate.

There is a team for Londan that competes in our Championship in Football and Hurling while New York compete in just the football. A team from Warkicshire(spelling?) plays hurling at one of the lowest level of the Hurling championship. There are organisaions in Oz, Britian, East and West coasts of America and I think there are some around Europe. None of thesew are of a level to really compete properly.

There is the under age 'Feile' played every year in Hurling and Football at Under 14 age and teams from America and Britian compete and it is even sometimes held in London.

As for the scoring I'm not sure but it might go back to the days were a goal would outweigh all other scores and points only counted when both teams had the same amount of goals where as now a goal is 3 points. Goals scored in the goal under the posts in the net and points are over the crossbar between the post. (You probably got that bit though, if not the goals are a cross between soccer and rugby)

All Ireland Football Final 2011 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKR6mboT3Vw
(Kerry in Green and Gold and Dublin in Blue)

All Ireland Hurling Final 2011 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Byza9F4H0Hk
(Kilkenny in Black and Amber and Tipperary in Blue and Gold)

International rule's is an awful game, it's just a bunch of beefed up arrogant convict's trying to bully the far smaller amatuer Irish team, none of our top player's should go near it. Oh yes and add to that they have a bad person convict agent that come over here and poaches Irish player's, apart from that we love it.

Haha, they changed "p a e d o p h i l e" to "bad person" He is a bad person he was caught canoodling with a 16 year old girl.

So no (say) England v Ireland international matches?

What are chances of a foreign side getting into the GAA finals mix?

London were not far off getting to a final last year. They( the foreign team's) tend to have a good team when the economy is bad in Ireland because a lot of Irish g.a.a player's will emigrate to London or wherever to get work.

Have there ever been a full international match on GAA rules?

Not internationals between countries but there are annual championships between local clubs from different countries. For Example, in the 2010 European Gaelic Football champs Den Haag GAA (Netherlands) defeated Paris Gaels (France) to win the Euro title, and in the Asian GAA clubs from Dubai, China, Singapore and Japan all compete.

London have a few guys who were on the panel of the likes of Kerry and Cork as far as I know. I think the GAA is supposed to be growing in Dubai, might have something to do with Ethiad sponsoring the game. I still haven't figured out why they're sponsoring it!

Secret plot by the GAA to spead the sports to oil rich countries

There are clubs throughout the world, but the focus is always on the county championship.

The scores are as they are because back in the olden days goals scored trumped any number of points. Like in Aussie rules, it can tell a bit of the story of a game as well.

I'm going back to watch the clip of shinty.

Still think that GAAs are a bag of weasels but I get it. But there again I like kabbadi and pelote.

0More questions than answers. Are shinty and hurley exactly the same?

I take it that hurling (like cycling) have enforced helmets whilst they haven't caught up yet in Scotland.

I understand that Hurling is as big as GF in Ireland. Does shinty register on the sporting seismometer in Scotland?

Player for player is hurling/shinty the most dangerous game in the world after freestyle rock climbing?

Dentists must love it.

Hurling helmets have face gaurds which protect the face so teeth are not a problem, Shinty is not very big as far as know but I'm open to correction from anyone on this.

No, Shinty and hurling are not exactly the same.
In lay mans terms, Shinty is agricultural hockey.
In hurling, there is a huge emphasis on getting the ball in hand. I don't like shinty too much but there are skills that i'd like to see improved in hurling that are key to shinty like striking the ball on the ground. The compromised rules is coming up very shortly. That is a terrible game as well.

It is pretty close in terms of competition but the rules are suited to the Scottish and Ireland sends players that are not really elite level.

The difference between shinty and hurling is that in Hurling the ball is dominantly in the air which is why helmets have been made compulsory as its more likely for high up or facial injuries to occur. In shinty although the ball still spends a lot of time in the air its on the ground a lot more and a lot more nasty leg, ankle and low down injuries occur there with the caman. Also players can use their hands on the ball in hurling, in shinty only the goalie can do that (or someone hitting a line ball). Also there's no points for getting over the bar like in Hurling.

Unfortunately Shinty is mostly restiricted to the Scottish highlands as the Scots largely prefer re-enactments of such historical events as the battle of the boyne and the Irish war of independance. Believe it or not but the game in that clip is the largest shinty game of the season. I do like shinty but I do prefer GAA, hurling is the world's fastest game on grass and unlike here with shinty, GAA is a national phenomenon.

Compromise rules shinty-Hurling could be made a lot better if the teams swapped camans in the second half to compensate for the disadvantages for the hurlers.

I'll just add London have won an All-Ireland hurling championship

Kingshu wrote:I'll just add London have won an All-Ireland hurling championship

110 years ago.

Up until the 1970's there'd be an exhibition game each year at wembley. It played to packed houses apparently. There isn't much said about them really.

How much would you think there would get in this day and age if the tickets were a reasonable price?

Depends on the teams, no one would ake an exhibition match that serously.

But a double header Railway cup, Munster V Connacht, then Leinster V Ulster (or like), with all the best players may attract attention, final played then in Croke. It's not like the Railway cup is that popular here, but promoted well could attract a crowd in London, and hence make the final more appealing to fans here.

The more I find out the less I know.

From

You've not seen shinty, here's this years CA Cup Final-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFB_QE726DQ

And an international in shinty v hurling-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzmnmNJpHjI&feature=related

Firstly, shinty looks much more akin to hockey in all sorts of ways from the equipment to the style of play. The main difference to my uneducated eye being that the stick can be raised above shoulder level and the ball can be struck with either side of the stick. Plus a few other anaomalies.

And the shinty v hurling looks superficially way much like hurling. Were they playing GAA rules? I noticed that they were playing with sticks from their own traditions

To be honest I think the shinty v hurling, is a bit of a nonsense

two teams using different equiment as well as using a sliotar in one half and a shinty ball in the other, doesn't sit well with me.

The Irish team is from the 3rd division, so a Scottish win is always a hollow one.

While I don't like the Composite rules, I'm sure Shinty on its own is a fine game, and I know Hurling is.

as an aside it's because of hurling/shinty, that hurling is so popular in the Glens of Antrim, and why we have a good hurling team while the rest of Ulster don't, if you look at early hurling sticks in photo's (1910/20's) they look a lot more like mordern shinty sticks than hurls.
the orginal game of hurling was prob a lot closer to shinty than the mordern game is.

Both International rules series' are a bit of a nonsense really. The shinty/Hurling one is probably better though as its fostered closer relations between both communities. The football one ought to be scrapped and have the inter-pros brought back into the limelight.

Portnoy, shinty is similar to hockey (hence RB's comment "agricultural hockey") the main differences are- size of the field (its huge) 12 a side, the ball is allowed in the air and so are aerial challenges with the caman. The shinty v hurling wasn't played under GAA rules, it had similar rules for scoring to GAA, 14 a side and they use their own sticks. Kingshu is right in that the games are historically related as the Irish brought it to Scotland with the Gaelic language and christianity in the first millenium when Irish Gaelic clans conquered parts of the north and western Scotland.

Here is some classic footage from one of the Gaelic Football exhibition matches at Wembley that Rebelbhoy mentioned-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fzsvP0ShSU

Kingshu wrote:Depends on the teams, no one would ake an exhibition match that serously.

But a double header Railway cup, Munster V Connacht, then Leinster V Ulster (or like), with all the best players may attract attention, final played then in Croke. It's not like the Railway cup is that popular here, but promoted well could attract a crowd in London, and hence make the final more appealing to fans here.

In the 1990's challenge games were getting 4-5k at Ruislip......somehow always a draw

London championship games get a bit less if they are playing galway or mayo. I don't know if there are any stadia with a big enough field to stage a game these days.

Gaelic-Warrior wrote:
Here is some classic footage from one of the Gaelic Football exhibition matches at Wembley that Rebelbhoy mentioned-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fzsvP0ShSU

wow, i had never seen that before.

RebelBhoy wrote:

Kingshu wrote:Depends on the teams, no one would ake an exhibition match that serously.

But a double header Railway cup, Munster V Connacht, then Leinster V Ulster (or like), with all the best players may attract attention, final played then in Croke. It's not like the Railway cup is that popular here, but promoted well could attract a crowd in London, and hence make the final more appealing to fans here.

In the 1990's challenge games were getting 4-5k at Ruislip......somehow always a draw

London championship games get a bit less if they are playing galway or mayo. I don't know if there are any stadia with a big enough field to stage a game these days.

big enough? Please qualify.

Is the Oval not big enough?. The similarly-sized MCG manages to squeeze GAA-type sports in (just)...

A GAA pitch is 130–145m by 80–90m wide.

Aussie rules is a derivative of Gaelic games that fits onto a cricket oval rather than a rectangular field. As a venue, a cricket oval doesn't really lend itself to a rectangular field (I know rugby and football have been played there in the past) especially if it is being sold as a spectator sport.

Portnoy, glad to see you’re taking an interest in gaelic sports.

The lads have answered most of your questions and as for the way the scores are presented it’s just a case of tradition. There’s no reason it couldn’t be given as a points total but I suppose it gives an indication of how the game was won. For a person with bad mental arithmetic like me it can be the source of panic when you hear certain scores!

Mickado wrote:Portnoy, glad to see you’re taking an interest in gaelic sports.

The lads have answered most of your questions and as for the way the scores are presented it’s just a case of tradition. There’s no reason it couldn’t be given as a points total but I suppose it gives an indication of how the game was won. For a person with bad mental arithmetic like me it can be the source of panic when you hear certain scores!

It's good to resolve simultaneous equations. Keeps the brain alert Mick. (good luck with your career choices ).

Keeps us sharp alright. It would just look wrong to give the total points, just wrong.
Thanks for that, appreciate it.