Gaelic Athletic Association

The GAA was founded in 1884 to promote those sports which were indigenous to Ireland. At the same time the aim was to discourage British influence on sporting and other cultural aspects of life in Ireland. Hence there was, at one time, a rule in the GAA rulebook that forbid members from playing 'foreign' games such as cricket and soccer. A recent controversy involving the GAA concerned 'Rule 21' which prohibited members of the (British) security forces, such as the British Army and the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC), from joining any GAA club. The GAA held a special congress in Dublin on 17 November 2001 and following a debate voted to remove Rule 21 from its rulebook. Approximately 80 per cent of the delegates voted to remove the rule. Among the six counties in Northern Ireland, County Down voted to drop the rule while the other five counties voted to retain the rule. A number of members of the GAA have been killed by Loyalist paramilitary organisations and some members have been killed in disputed circumstances by the security forces. The British Army (BA) also occupied part of the grounds of Crossmaglen Rangers Gaelic Football Club. Despite competition from soccer the most popular sport in Ireland remains Gaelic football. Hurling - a fast and physical field sport played with a ball and hurling sticks - is also very popular in Ireland.