Culture | The sports page

The wonderful world of Ireland’s greatest sports

Gaelic football and hurling are loved by millions across the island. And nobody gets paid

Cein Darcy of Galway in action against Donegal players during the GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship semi-final match between Donegal and Galway at Croke Park in Dublin. Ireland on July 14th 2024
Photograph: Getty Images

DUBLIN HAVE long been one of the dominant teams in Gaelic football, an Irish sport. The men’s side have won nine All-Ireland finals, the sport’s biggest match, since 2011. So when Galway, a county in western Ireland, beat them in a championship match for the first time in 90 years last month—by a single point—many Galway fans responded with near-hysterical elation. Your correspondent jumped on her sofa and did a lot of shouting. Ollie Turner, a sports commentator on Galway Bay FM, roared his way to viral fame. “Sweet Mother of Jesus. They have pulled off the unthinkable,” he exclaimed. “The West Awake! Gaillimh Abú! [Galway Forever!]”

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