Brittany Clark is the ISA Site Specialist for Ireland and Northern Ireland. Brittany works with students studying abroad in Belfast, Cork, Dublin and Galway.
Getting involved in clubs and societies while studying abroad is one of the best ways to get integrated into your host culture, and nowhere more so than Ireland and Northern Ireland. In addition to hundreds of unique clubs and societies, ISA students in Belfast, Cork, Dublin and Galway have the opportunity to play on dozens of different sports team. Many are familiar, like soccer and tennis, but some are not. Here are a few of our favorite local sports offered through ISA’s six Irish universities that you might not have heard of before:
The Sport: Camogie
What is it? A team sport played with a stick and a ball by women.
In American terms? A rougher version of field hockey.
The Sport: Cricket
What is it? A team sport played with a bat and a ball. One team has possession of the ball (the fielding team) and delivers it to the other team (batting team). Popular in countries once occupied by England.
In American terms? Kind of like baseball, except the game is played on a oval-shaped field instead of a diamond.
The Sport: Rugby
What is it? A team sport played with a ball in most countries that were once colonized by England. It is a mix of soccer and American football.
In American terms? A version of American football without pads.
The Sport: Gaelic Football
What is it? A team sport played with a ball on a rectangular grass pitch. Most popular sport in Ireland and Northern Ireland.
In American terms? A cross between rugby and soccer.
The Sport: Hurling
What is it? A team sport played with a stick and a ball by men on the island of Ireland. Known as the “fastest sport on grass.”
In American terms? The male version of camogie.
