1You don't have to fly all the way to Ireland to watch or play Irish sports. 2There is an Irish sporting club called the Gaels nearby in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. 3This club was founded in 1988 and is part of the Gaelic athletic association, which has its headquarters in Dublin. 4The club sponsors the following three sports, a men's football team, a women's football team, and a Camogie team.
5Gaelic football is the most popular sport in Ireland, played by approximately 250,000 people. 6It is played on a pitch (or field) larger than a soccer field with a round ball that is slightly smaller than a soccer ball. 7The game moves fast since there are no time-outs. 8Scores are made when the players pass the ball and then kick it through a soccer-type net or through American football-like goal posts.
9Camogie is also known as Hurling and is one of the fastest field games in the world. 10It is one of the oldest Irish sports. 11It is played with a small ball called a sliothar, which is similar in size to a baseball, and a curved wooden stick called a hurley.
12The three teams of the D.C. Gaels have become quite international, with members from the United States, France, England, South Africa—and of course, Ireland. 13They have already won many titles. 14In fact, the women's football team has made it to the national semi-finals twice. 15This must be what is known as the luck of the Irish.