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SPORTS AND ACTIVITIES |
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Ireland has two hugely popular indigenous amateur sports, hurling
and gaelic football, with important matches attracting big crowds and
passionate support. Hurling is a fifteen-a-side stick game, a precursor
of hockey and lacrosse, but much faster and more competitive than either.
Like rugby, there's an H-shaped set of goalposts and each team aims to
score as many points as possible by either hitting the leather,
baseball-sized ball ( sliotar ) over the crossbar for one point or into
the net below for three points. The game's skill lies in control of the
broad, wooden hurley stick ( camán ) and players can knock the ball
along the ground, hit it through the air or run while balancing the ball
on their stick. The ball can be caught by hand or with the hurley. The
hurling season begins with local inter-county games in the early summer,
progressing through provincial championships to reach its climax in the
All Ireland Hurling Final on the first Sunday in September at Croke Park
in Dublin. Cork, Kilkenny, Offaly and Tipperary are the most successful
counties. Camogie, the women's version of hurling, is becoming
increasingly popular, and well worth watching, if there's a match in the
area.
Gaelic football is played on the same pitches as hurling and shares the
same scoring system and team size. It has similarities with both rugby
and association football, as the round, soccer-sized ball can be kicked,
caught and passed by either boot or hand. However, running with the ball
is only allowed if a player keeps control by tapping the ball from foot
to hand every five steps. The season, which runs from early summer, is
organized like hurling's, culminating in an All Ireland final at Croke
Park on the third Sunday in September, a flavour of which can be gained
from the excellent film shown as part of the Croke GAA Museum tour .
Details of fixtures for hurling and gaelic football can be obtained from
the Gaelic Athletic Association (tel 01/836 3222).
Rugby union and soccer are also extremely popular and tickets for
international matches are very much in demand, especially in the
Republic. The international rugby team is a joint Republic/Northern
Ireland side, with home matches played at Dublin's Lansdowne Road
Stadium . The main event of the year is the Six Nations Championship, a
series of international games against France, England, Scotland, Wales
and, latterly, Italy played in Spring. Soccer is organized on a
professional basis in both the North and the Republic, though the
majority of players are semi-professional, with teams competing in the
Irish League and League of Ireland respectively. Standards are not
especially high and Irish teams rarely progress beyond the preliminary
rounds of the European competitions. Northern Ireland's international
matches are played at Windsor Park, Belfast , and the Republic's at
Lansdowne Road. Both international teams draw the overwhelming majority
of their players from the English and Scottish leagues. The Northern
Ireland side had its heyday in the 1980s, culminating in their famous
1-0 victory over hosts Spain in the 1982 World Cup, while the Republic
gained a high profile and creditable international reputation in the
early 1990s under the managership of the Englishman "Big Jack" Charlton
- it's undoubted high point was the 1-0 defeat of Italy during the 1994
World Cup Finals. There's hope for the future too, as the Republic's
youth team gained a remarkable third place in the 1997 World Finals and,
uniquely, won both the under-16 and under-18 1998 European
Championships. However, the most popular clubs here (and in the North)
are Manchester United and Liverpool. Glasgow Celtic and Rangers are also
popular in the North with support following sectarian Catholic and
Protestant divisions.
Horse racing unites two Irish passions, horses and betting, and is
carried out with a relaxed good humour that you shouldn't miss. Racing
is concentrated around the Curragh, a grassy plain in Co. Kildare ,
where the classic flat-race course of the same name is located, along
with Punchestown race course and many of Ireland's famous stud farms.
The Irish Grand National is run at Fairyhouse in Co. Meath in April, the
Irish Derby at the Curragh in June. The flat-racing season runs from
mid-March to early November while National Hunt racing over jumps takes
place throughout the year. Just as much fun and more easily accessible
is greyhound racing . Shelbourne Park (tel 668 3502) in Dublin is the
country's most prestigious venue, although there are sixteen tracks
across the country. Information on meetings is available from Bord na
gCon, the Irish Greyhound Racing Board (tel 061/316788).
Cycling is a hugely popular sport in Ireland, exemplified by the large
crowds lining the route of the Irish sections of the 1998 Tour de
France, a race won in 1987 by one of the country's sporting heroes,
Stephen Roche. Another, Sean Kelly, was world number one from 1984 to
1988. There's an enormous number of golf courses here too, with major
championships like the Irish Open in July. Both tourist boards produce
information on where you can play and have details of holiday packages
and accommodation.
Naturally, as this is an island, there are innumerable opportunities for
sea angling and hundreds of lakes and rivers for fishing of the fly and
game varieties. In general, the best of the sea angling takes place on
the south and west coasts and Bord Fáilte can help with information. The
high spot of the fly-fishing season is the emergence of the mayfly
around mid-May when anglers flock to the best brown trout spots such as:
Lower Lough Erne, Co. Fermanagh; Lough Derg, Co. Clare and the Corrib
system, Co. Galway. There are plenty of other possibilities, however,
and, again the tourist boards can assist.
The relatively sheltered waters of the east coast see most of the
sailing activity, especially in Dublin Bay and further south around
Arklow and Wexford, though there are excellent opportunities, too, in
West Cork and on Lough Derg, Co. Clare. The south and southwest are most
popular for cruising, though the Cork coast offers many possibilities
for yachting. The rougher waters of the west coast restrict the options
to the areas more protected from the elements, such as Galway Bay or
Killybegs, Co. Donegal. On the north coast, Lough Swilly is increasingly
popular, while on the other side of the border, there are numerous
boating possibilities on Strangford Lough. For further information
contact the Irish Sailing Association (tel 01/280 0239). Inland
waterways also offer canoeing , ranging from touring to rough- and
white-water racing.
Wind-surfing and water-skiing are usually possible wherever there are
good sailing waters and there are some fabulous beaches for
board-surfing . Some of the best are: Barleycove beach, Co. Cork; Inch
Strand and Castlegregory beach on, respectively, the south and north
sides of the Dingle Peninsula. Further north, Easky, Co. Sligo offers
perhaps the best of the lot, though Bundoran and Rossnowlagh beaches,
Co. Donegal are close contenders. The Northern Ireland coast between
Castlerock, Co. Derry and Portrush, Co. Antrim attracts hordes of board
fanatics.
Situated in the path of the Gulf Stream, there are stupendous
opportunities for diving off the Irish coast, from protected harbours
for beginners to rocky cliff faces for the more experienced. There are
plenty of places where you can learn to dive too. The Irish Underwater
Council can provide details of clubs and courses (tel 01/284 4601).
The Ulster Way was the first waymarked walking trail in Ireland and it's
still the longest, running a 560-mile circuit of Northern Ireland and
linked to trails from Donegal and Cavan. If you don't fancy the complete
trek, the Northern Ireland Tourist Board publishes information on
specific shorter walks, and the route guides published by the Sports
Council for Northern Ireland at House of Sport, Upper Malone Road,
Belfast BT9 5LA (tel 028/9038 1222) are also useful. A variety of
similar trails now exist in the Republic, ranging from walks through
glens and mountains, such as the Wicklow Way, or around entire
peninsulas, like the Beara and Dingle Ways. Although the walks are
waymarked, you'll always need a good map as a standby. Local tourist
offices and councils have produced map guides for some of the ways, as
has East West Mapping, Ballyredmond, Clonegal, Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford
(tel 054/77835), which also sells trail guidebooks. These walks are
maintained in the south by the National Waymarked Ways Committee (tel
662 1444, walsha@entemp.irlgov.ie ) who can give advice on which routes
to take, while Bord Fáilte's publication Walking Ireland is a handy
introduction to easier walks in the country.
Though Ireland's mountain ranges are not especially high, there are
numerous opportunities for rock-climbing , expecially in Counties Cork
and Kerry - the latter's Macgillycuddy's Reeks make up for their lack of
height by spectacular settings. To the east, the Wicklow Mountains are
hugely popular, while the craggy splendour and coastal setting of the
Mourne Mountains in Co. Down are hard to beat. The Mountaineering
Council of Ireland (tel 01/450 7376, www.mountaineering.ie ) publishes a
Web site, a magazine, Irish Mountain Log, plus a number of guides and
offers advice on a variety of peaks.
The number of rare species visiting Ireland makes the country a
birdwatching paradise. Again, the tourist boards can provide details, as
can the National Parks and Wildlife Service (tel 01/661 3111), and the
Irish Wildbird Conservancy (tel 01/280 4322). In the North a good
contact is the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (tel 028/9049
1547) while Birdwatch Northern Ireland has been established specifically
to assist north-bound ornithologists (tel 028/9069 3232). Useful Web
sites relating to birdwatching in Ireland include
www.indigo.ie/~hutch/birdmap.html and www.geocities.com/rainforest/2801
.
Walking safety
Though one of the joys of hill- and mountain-walking in Ireland is the
sheer solitude of the experience, bear in mind that the lack of other
people in your vicinity can be a significant drawback if a mishap
occurs. The Irish climate can seem pretty mild, but the temperature
drops two to three degrees Celsius for every thousand feet climbed and a
strong wind can make it seem even colder. Mist can suddenly transform
your surroundings too, so a pleasant day at sea-level can rapidly become
perilous higher up. If you're planning any walk, especially on high
ground, consider the following:
1. Always plan your route carefully beforehand and ensure, especially,
that it can be finished before nightfall. Average walking speed is
around two and a half miles an hour. A map is essential and, if you're
unfamiliar with your route, carry a compass too. A torch, small first
aid kit and whistle are useful and the mountain distress signal is six
blasts of a whistle per minute, followed by a pause.
2. Check weather forecasts in advance and, no matter the weather when
you set out, ensure you have clothing suitable for changes - warm, wind-
and water-proof. Walking boots are essential for all but the shortest
and easiest of walks.
3. Always carry a reserve supply of high-energy food, such as chocolate
or trail mix and also a hot drink.
4. Walking alone is inadvisable, except in populated areas or where
there are plenty of other walkers. Even when walking in a group, it's
advisable to let someone (your hostel or B&B for example) know where
you're going and when you're likely to return. If you drive to your
starting point, a note left visible in your car is another alternative.
5. Exercise caution when walking along cliff tops - some 'safe' walks
can become perilous in high winds. Streams in flood are particularly
dangerous too and bear in mind that most accidents occur on the way back
when you're fatigued, especially on descents.
6. If an accident does happen and urgent assistance is needed, telephone
999 and ask for the Mountain Rescue, if you're on high ground, or the
local Garda station.
7. Follow the Farmland Code of Conduct - remember that more often than
not you'll be crossing someone's land, so respect the environment and
leave everything as you found it, closing gates behind you.
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