The Gaelic Athletic Association, 1884-2009

Description

This book brings together some of the leading writers in the area of Irish history to assess the importance of the GAA in Irish society since its founding in 1884 and is the first key book to centre on the GAA and Irish history. While there has been much written about the GAA, the bulk of work has concentrated on the sporting aspects of the Association – the great games and famous players – rather than the role that the GAA has played in wider Irish history. The chapters cover a large chronological span dating back to the origins of hurling, through the foundation of the GAA, its role in the political life of the nation and ending with an assessment of some of the main issues facing the GAA into the twenty-first century. Importantly the book also offers original and insightful work on areas including the class make up of the GAA, the centrality of Amateurism in the Association, the role of the Irish language and the ways in which films have featured Gaelic games.

Table of Contents

1. Hurling in Medieval Ireland ~ A.B. Gleason
2. Riotous Proceedings and the Cricket of Savages: Football and Hurling in Early Modern Ireland ~ Eoin Kinsella
3. Ireland and the Birth of Modern Sport ~ Richard Holt
4. Michael Cusack: Sportsman and Journalist ~ Paul Rouse
5. The GAA during the Irish Revolution, 1913-23 ~ William Murphy
6. The GAA in Ulster ~ David Hassan
7. The Camera and the Gael: The Early Photography of the GAA, 1884-1914 ~ Mark Duncan
8. Gaelic Games and ‘the Movies’ ~ Séan Crosson
9. The GAA and the Irish Language ~ Brian O Conchubhair
10. ‘The Greatest Amateur Association in the World’? The GAA and Amateurism ~ Dónal McAnallen
11. The GAA: Social Structure and Associated Clubs ~ Tom Hunt
12. Gaelic Games and the Irish Diaspora in the United States ~ Paul Darby
13. More Than Just Hurling and Football: The GAA and its Other Activities ~ Mike Cronin
14. The GAA as a Force in Irish Society: An Overview ~ Gearóid O Tuathaigh

About the Editors

Mike Cronin has written extensively on the cultural and sporting history of Ireland, and his works include: Sport and Nationalism in Ireland: Gaelic Games and Soccer and Irish National Identity Since 1884 (1999). He is currently working on a major oral history of the GAA.

Paul Rouse lectures at UCD and works on the sporting and cultural history in Ireland in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. He is currently a director of the GAA Oral History Project.

William Murphy is a lecturer in Irish Studies at Mater Dei Institute of Education, DCU, and is co-founder of Sports History Ireland.