ABSTRACT
The scientific investigation into the game of Gaelic football has been limited even though Gaelic football has the highest participation rate in sport in Ireland. Its players include both male and female participants and it embraces schools, minor (under-18), under-21, intermediate and senior to veterans’ competitions (Reilly and Doran, 2001). Its beginnings link back to the foundations of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) in 1884 and served to save traditional Irish games from decline following the surge in foreign games promoted by the British army’s garrisons. These Gaelic games, which included Gaelic football, hurling, camogie, court handball and athletics, became the binding force in many Irish communities.
