IR23 Sport Hurling

The afternoon is devoted to the discovery of traditional Irish sports: Gaelic football and Hurling. Unfortunately, the weatherprevented the Gaelic football workshop from being held, so instead an Irish film screening was offered. Students then discoveredand tried hurley, a sport played with the aid of a stick. After a warm-up, the students carried out lacrosse exercises (the “stick” used for the practice of this sport). Then, students were invited to kick the ball as aggressively as possible!

Gaelic games are the most popular sports played in Ireland. They are uniquely Irish and are at the center of every communityaround the country. Gaelic Games, hurling and Gaelic football have been played in Ireland for thousands of years. They are team sports and combine fast pace, masterful skill and unrivaled passion. 

Hurling is an outdoor team game of ancient Gaelic and Irish origin. The game has prehistoric origins, and has been played for 3,000 years. It shares a number of features with Gaelic football, such as the field and goals, the number of players, and much terminology.The objective of the game is for players to use a wooden stick called a hurley to hit a small ball called a sliotarbetween the opponents’ goalposts either over the crossbar for one point, or under the crossbar into a net guarded by a goalkeeperfor one goal, which is equivalent to three points.
The sliotar can be caught in the hand and carried for not more than four steps, struck in the air, or struck on the ground with the hurley. It can be kicked, or slapped with an open hand (the hand pass) for short-range passing.
A player who wants to carry the ball for more than four steps has to bounce or balance the sliotar on the end of the stick, and the ball can only be handled twice while in his possession.
Provided that a player has at least one foot on the ground, a player may make a shoulder to shoulder charge on an opponent who isin possession of the ball, or who is playing the ball, or when both players are moving in the direction of the ball to play it.
No protective padding is worn by players. A plastic protective helmet with a faceguard is mandatory for all age groups.

Gaelic football is a team sport. It is played between two teams of 15 players on a rectangular grass pitch. The objective of the sport is to score by kicking the ball into the other team’s goals (3 points) or kicking or punching the ball between two uprightposts above the goals and over a crossbar 2.5 metres above the ground (1 point).Players advance the football, a spherical leatherball, up the field with a combination of carrying, bouncing, kicking, hand-passing, and soloing (dropping the ball and then toe-kicking the ball upward into the hands).
A point is awarded for kicking or hand-passing the ball over the crossbar, signalled by the umpire raising a white flag. A goal isawarded for kicking the ball under the crossbar into the net, signalled by the umpire raising a green flag. Positions in Gaelicfootball are similar to that in other football codes, and comprise one goalkeeper, six backs, two midfielders, and six forwards, witha variable number of substitutes