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Gaelic
Sports at Tommy Fox's |
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Sundays
start early at Tommy Fox's from April to September. The
doors open between eight and nine and the faithful begin
to file in. One might wonder what brings about such a
level of commitment, to give up Sunday mornings that
were made for sleeping late. The simple answer is Gaelic
Sports. Beamed live from Ireland via Satellite,
Gaelic Football and Hurling shine larger than life on
all the TVs as people shout for their home Counties. |
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To the
uninitiated both games look like crossovers from several different
sports. Gaelic Football resembles Soccer yet they can use
their hands and Hurling resembles Lacrosse yet is played with
flat wooden sticks. The stick, or "hurley" (called camán in Irish) is curved outwards at the end, to provide the striking surface. The ball or "sliothar" is similar in size to a hockey ball but has raised ridges.
Both games are steeped in tradition having been played competitively
for thousands of years. |
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History
and a reminder of home, although good reasons to bring any sporting
fan out at times as early as 7:00 am, it does little to tell the
whole story. Like all major sports both Hurling and Gaelic Football
have rivalries decades old, players that train year round and
Championship set ups that make the most of every game. Yet even
these reasons fall short to explain why these games are so
loved by not only those in Ireland, but those that have emigrated
throughout the years and their children. What is it you ask about
these sports, played at full speed with skill levels that have been
mastered through years of practice that make them so special? Simply
put these sports are still pure, because of the fact that at even
the highest levels of the game the players are not paid. That's
right, both sports are played throughout the ranks by amateurs. |
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These
amateurs train throughout the year to reach levels of fitness that
have proven to be as high as any in the professional sporting
world. Players who train before and after work for the glory
of the County team. Players whose dedication to their sports which
are played with no real equipment in comparison to their physical
nature, and are rewarded with respect and legendary status rather
than monetary value. These players take part in these games for the
love of the game and their fans respond in turn. To win your way to
Gaelic Football's Sam Maguire Cup or Hurling's Liam McCarthy Cup
imparts a piece of Historic status on not just the team or on the
player, but the entire County from which they came, giving to all
that follow the matches something in the process. |
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So to
become a part of the action you have the easy part, just turn up at
Tommy Fox's on any given Sunday from April to September, because if
you do you will get the chance to watch great games of skill and
passion played by people like yourself who work for a living yet
play for the love of the game. |
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