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Written in 1989, just as crucial rule changes came into force that were to change Ireland's most popular sport, Eoghan Corry's CATCH AND KICK, The history of Gaelic Football, chases after the roots of the elusive game which draws crowds of 80,000 to big games in Ireland but is rarely played elsewhere. Was it invented, or does it really date back to ancient times in the manner of hurling? Were th... More

Written in 1989, just as crucial rule changes came into force that were to change Ireland's most popular sport, Eoghan Corry's CATCH AND KICK, The history of Gaelic Football, chases after the roots of the elusive game which draws crowds of 80,000 to big games in Ireland but is rarely played elsewhere. Was it invented, or does it really date back to ancient times in the manner of hurling? Were the rules framed for nationalistic reasons, to avoid it looking too much like soccer or rugby, rather than to assist players or reflect the tradition of an older propulsion game? It recounts the often hilarious incidents, the invading crowds, the crazy goals, the blind referees, the rough, the tough and the bizarre that all characterise Gaelic football everywhere it has been played, from Oxmantown green to Melbourne Cricket ground. When did the Ulster secretary forget to organise a championship for the province? Which radio commentator announced the wrong score for an All-Ireland final in Croke Park, leaving the people of Cavan to quench their bonfires when they discovered that the match had been drawn. What team was arrested in its entirety on its way to an important semi-final and jailed for six months? Who was given an amnesty to play a match in Tralee, despite being on the run? When was the last championship match played without goal-nets? What was the last team to score a goal while the goalkeeper raced back to his line after standing in for the throw-in. Who managed to play on both the winning and losing teams in the same All-Ireland semi-final? There aren't any histories of sport like this one. Because other sports don't have histories like this one.

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