Ireland lights up as GAA season prepares to take centre stage this summer

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  • When all eyes are on the Premier League and La Liga this weekend, the GAA season will get underway in Ireland with over 200,000 people expected to attend the various matches taking place across the country.

    There will be no separation of supporters, no stewards in high-visibility jackets and no police officers on horses outside the stadiums across Ireland. Gaelic Games are sports that have little existence outside of its domain.

    You’ll never see the players on I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!, they don’t make front page news on tabloids or carry small Gucci bags and drive Ferraris to matches.

    Gaelic football and hurling are the dominant two main games under the auspices of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). They are strictly amateur sports played by warriors, dominating Irish summers. Each one of the players has a normal day-to-day job and will spend the majority of their 20s putting their lives on hold to train daily, in order to maximise their potential to represent their respective counties.

    Football, rugby and other professional sports may have their stamp of popularity across the world, but Gaelic Games is a fundamental expression of Irish identity. It’s a game that continues to develop worldwide, with Sky Sports coming on board to raise awareness of the sport and will broadcast 14 live matches this summer, while Ireland’s state broadcaster RTE still remains the prevalent choice for people, screening 31 games.

    The All-Ireland finals, for example, are played in front of 82,300 people every September in one of Europe’s greatest sporting cathedrals – Croke Park.

    With 32 counties in Ireland – and the addition of New York and London – the competition is divided into four sections based on the four provinces of the country.

    Win your first provincial match and you advance to the next round, lose and you have to endure the back-door system which includes facing other first round losers from the other provinces.

    To win an All-Ireland you would need to win on average six matches, but if you go through the back-door system it could be as much as eight games.

    Despite the large number of teams participating in the championship, there are really only three teams who have a chance of lifting the Sam Maguire trophy at the end of September – such is the dominance of teams like Dublin and Kerry. Also in the mix are ‘cursed’ Mayo, who have lost the last nine finals in which they’ve appeared – including three out of the last six deciders.

    The men from Dublin go into the campaign as firm favourites to win their fourth consecutive title – and fifth in seven years.

    This year, even without two former Footballer of the Year winners, one four-time All Star and a player who is considered the best attacker in the game currently, Dublin’s supreme wealth of talent is still the best in the sport.

    At times during the recently completed National Football League – the dress rehearsal to the championship – they have played a glittering style of football, brushing aside each opposition with conviction and ease.

    Their manager Jim Gavin is a former air corps pilot, while their four best players Ciaran Kilkenny, Brian Fenton, James McCarthy and goalkeeper Stephen Cluxton have the ability to determine the outcome of any match – such is their all-round class.

    Providing a challenge to Dublin’s threat will be Galway, who they beat in the league decider last month, but look a well-organised and efficient team.

    In the hurling – considered the fastest sport in the world – Galway are the reigning champions but will face the stiff challenge of Tipperary and Kilkenny.

    Galway have the best player in the game in Joe Canning, the reigning Player of the Year who has been at the heart of the Tribesmens’ exploits for over a decade. The 29-year-old is your Tom Brady or LeBron James figure and shows a real physical presence, neat distribution and dominance of his channel.

    But title challengers Kilkenny – nicknamed the Cats – may come roaring back into life this year. Their head coach Brian Cody is the sport’s best-ever manager, with 11 All-Ireland title wins in his 20 years in charge.

    The Cats may be going through a transitional period, but with Cody at the helm, don’t be surprised if they are challenging for glory at the business end of the season.

    It’s sure to be another thrilling season, but expect Dublin and Galway to light up another Irish summer and retain their gaelic and hurling titles.

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