St. Paddy's and Croke Park

St. Patrick's Day was a blast in Dublin. We walked towards city center, but didn't get too far as the parade goers were all blocking the streets. Still, we found a place near the start of the route with a decent view. The parade was really cool, although apparently it hadn't changed at all from last year due to recession budget cuts and the locals were annoyed. Seeing as I wasn't here last year, I thought it was great! It was very creative and had little to do with St. Patrick from what I could tell, but I loved it, as did the hundreds of little kids running everywhere. Little Irish kids are so adorable!! The parade in Dublin is definitely family-oriented, and the exceptionally rowdy drunk tourists didn't seem to fit (during the daytime celebrations anyways).

As soon as the parade ended a group of us went to the GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association) Ticket Office and got a great student deal on tickets to Croke Park. We made it there just in time to grab a hot dog and get our seats for the games - hurling followed by a gaelic football match. Our seats were pretty good, especially given how cheap the tickets were! (10 euro for 2 games!)

Hurling and gaelic football are traditional Irish games. They do not have what we would know as "professional" leagues - they are club sports under the GAA. Although the games are not professionalized, some top players are still regarded with very high esteem. Hurling is played with a unique looking stick and ball. Here's a picture I googled to give you all a better idea. It looks incredibly difficult to play. Players have to rotate the paddle back and forth as they run to keep the ball in motion, and occasionally even kick it with their feet and back up on to the paddle, before swinging it to pass or score a goal. Youtube a video of it to get a better idea - it's really hard to describe.

Hurling stick

Here's a decent clip giving some background on the game and video of hurling in action:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AM-kB1e96CA

Gaelic football seemed even more confusing. Taking a quick glance you would think it was like soccer (or football as it's called here). However, there are certain rules whereby players can also use their hands to pick up and dribble the ball. Exactly what these rules are I could not figure out by simply watching. I think that might require a bit of research.

Video clip of Gaelic football: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIlsRsMMJUc



The oddest moment of the day came between the two games. Some of the floats from the parade made their way into Croke Park and circled the field. They included giant hurling sticks, a cow on a guy's back, a cement mixer, and a giant bookcase, among other things. Apparently they all had symbolic meaning, but as they marched around the field, everyone in the audience seemed a little perplexed. I'm not sure if the people carrying the floats even had a good explanation for what was going on.

Stack of potatoes with a dog on top
Apparently the Irish are famous for canoes??

Absolute Chaos

We left half way through the Gaelic football match. It was getting cold and I've been really sick with an upper respiratory and sinus infection for a while now, so I wanted to go back to DCU. I'm finally feeling better after two different rounds of antibiotics, and hopefully it stays away this time. All in all, though, it was such a fantastic way to celebrate!!