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Post by seangladium on Jun 7, 2017 3:14:59 GMT
I thought that I would start a thread to discuss the various sports in Ireland as I feel that they are an important part of the overall culture. Gaelic football, association football, rugby union, etc., which do you follow and do you feel supporting exclusively Gaelic sports is important? Also, the two national football teams, do you support only one, both, or dislike one or the other? Do they hold back national unity or encourage it in some way (by having two separate teams)?
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Post by Maolsheachlann on Jun 7, 2017 9:40:51 GMT
Good suggestion. I have often thought that the gaelic games are, in fact, the bedrock of Irish cultural identity, both at parish and county level.
I'm very happy that Ireland has its own indigenous games, and that they are so popular, but I've never been able to enjoy them. I'm told hurling is the fastest field game in the world, but that doesn't especially endear it to me. It's so quick it's hard to follow. Gaelic football, on the other hand, doesn't really have anything to appeal to me at all. But really I think the problem with gaelic games is that I associate them with dreary Sunday afternoons and the smell of bacon, cabbage and potatoes-- the standard fare in my household, growing up, on Sundays. Not to mention the realization that the weekend was over.
Contrariwise, the game I most enjoy watching is soccer, which is the sport of globalization and big business. I can't help it. I enjoy how flowing and streamlined it is-- and the rarity of goals, as described by Nick Hornby in his memoir Fever Pitch.
I've tried to watch hurling and gaelic (stick fighting and bogball as some West Brits call them), out of loyalty to my cultural heritage, but I could never really get into them. I feel a bit guilty about this, but in terms of national traditions few need my support less.
As for the Northern Irish and Irish soccer teams, yes, I would prefer an all-Ireland team. But I think it's important not to politicize sport too much. There's always going to be a political element, but I think it should be downplayed rather than...up-played. Think of those guys giving the Black Panther salute at the Olympics; I think that was obnoxious.
The 1990 World Cup was a seminal moment in my own experience of Irish national life. I'd never known such a sense of togetherness or national spirit. However, in retrospect I think there's something rather superficial about this. Indigenous games are better than international games.
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Post by seangladium on Jun 8, 2017 5:10:17 GMT
I love watching soccer much for the same reasons that you mentioned. And I love playing it even more than watching it as it is the one athletic activity I could do all day and not get bored. I think my love of the sport probably has to do with the repetitive patterns made in passing the ball, and I get more satisfaction making (and watching) a clever pass/cross than scoring a goal to a great extent.
My family are from the North, so I suppose I identify with the Northern Irish team somewhat more (or maybe just its supporters), but I always support both sides whenever they are playing. It is a shame that there is not an all-Ireland side as I can only dream of what they could accomplish! Since I was so young, I barely remember the 1990 World Cup--just the final mostly. I do remember the 1994 World Cup much better; I can't believe how long ago it has been. While I agree that sports should not be overly politicized I can't help but think international tournaments like the World Cup are some of the last bastions of overt nationalism in an increasingly globalized world.
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