Ireland Sports – The Most Popular Sports in Ireland

The Most Popular Irish Sports

Find below the national sports of Ireland, ranked by popularity:

So there you have them, the most popular Irish sports! Keep reading below for more information about each of them.

What is the National Sport of Ireland?

The national sport of Ireland is Gaelic Games. If you know anything about Ireland, you must have heard of its unique Gaelic games, mainly Gaelic football and hurling. These are the national sports as well as the most popular ones. They are in fact ahead of rugby and football in terms of popularity, and there are national competitions that are widely appreciated.

Learn More About Ireland Popular Sports

Ireland is an island in the North Atlantic, and it is the third-largest one in Europe. It shares a border with Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom, and its capital city is Dublin, which counts more than 554,000 inhabitants (but more than 1,904,000 if you include the metropolitan area).

An interesting part of the country that I wanted to tackle is its most popular sports. In light of that, I have listed all Ireland popular sports, and I hope you will love them:

Gaelic football

Ciaran McGuiggan / CC BY

Ireland most popular sport is Gaelic football. Gaelic football is definitely why Ireland is famous internationally. Ireland national sport has been around in the country for centuries, but it was only quite recently that it became part of the Gaelic Athletic Association (at the end of the nineteenth century).

Everyone in the country plays the game, from minors (those under 21) to adults. All of them are amateurs, even though high-level players can receive grants and work with sponsors. The game is basically a mix of football and rugby, where players can use both hands and feet, and score either in the goal (for 3 points) or over it (for 1 point).

Number of Gaelic football licensed players in Ireland: more than 370,000 (with hurling)

Famous Irish Gaelic football players: Brian Fenton, Stephen Cluxton, Pat Spillane, Peter Canavan, Jack McCaffrey, Maurice Fitzgerald, Trevor Giles, Jim McGuinness, Con O’Callaghan, Tomás Ó Sé, Ciarán Kilkenny, Mick O’Connell, Mikey Sheehy

Hurling

The second most popular sport in Ireland is hurling. Hurling is also under the Gaelic Athletic Association or GAA. It has been around in Ireland for thousands of years, and it originates in the country. It is also the fastest field sport in the world!

The game is quite similar to hockey, but the ball is rarely played along the ground, and hurling is played on a wide grass pitch. There are also similarities with Gaelic football: it is amateur, and the structure is similar.

Number of Hurling licensed players in Ireland: more than 370,000 (with Gaelic football)

Famous Irish Hurling players: T. J. Reid, Henry Shefflin, Brian Cody, D. J. Carey, Joe Canning, Eddie Keher, Richie Hogan, J. J. Delaney, Séamus Callanan, Jimmy Doyle, Tommy Walsh, Seán Óg Ó hAilpín, Noel McGrath

Football

The third most popular sport in Ireland is football. What would a top sports list look like in any country without football? The sport is inevitable, and Ireland also loves football just like the rest of the world, not only the Gaelic variation.

Even though Gaelic sports are massively popular, football still gathers 19% of Irish fans, who consider it their favorite sport. The national Irish football team is not very successful though, as it is ranked 34th in the world.

Number of Football licensed players in Ireland: more than 29,000

Famous Irish Football players: Pat Jennings, Packie Bonner, Johnny Giles, Shay Given, Denis Irwin, Frank Stapleton, Paul McGrath, Robbie Keane, Liam Brady, Roy Keane, George Best

Rugby union

The fourth most popular sport in Ireland is rugby union.

If you think of Ireland, the first sport that springs to mind right after the Gaelic games is definitely rugby union. The national team has always been a worldwide powerhouse, and it still is: they are currently ranked 5th on the World Rugby Ranking. They have defeated the almighty All Blacks twice, won two Six Nations titles (2014 and 2015), and made a Grand Slam in 2018. Definitely a country to fear when it comes to rugby union.

Number of Rugby union licensed players in Ireland: 101,922

Famous Irish Rugby union players: Brian O’Driscoll, Paul O’Connell, Keith Wood, Willie John McBride, Ronan O’Gara, Jackie Kyle, Rory Best, Mike Gibson, Ciaran Fitzgerald, Johnny Sexton

Athletics

The fifth most popular sport in Ireland is athletics. Among many Irish people who are not into the top mainstream sports, athletics is a great alternative. In fact, there are so many athletes that the sport became mainstream as well!

The most popular activities are track and field, road running, race walking and cross-country running. Both amateurs and professionals are very proficient in these sports, and Ireland makes sure school pupils love the sports at a very young age. There are also several popular marathons in the country.

Famous Irish Athletics players: Sonia O’Sullivan, Robert Heffernan, Carey May, Charlie Nash, Joanne Cuddihy, Derval O’Rourke, Paddy Barnes, Olive Loughnane, Niall O’Higgins, Maeve Kyle, Catherina McKiernan, Gillian O’Sullivan

Golf

The sixth most popular sport in Ireland is golf. Maybe this will come as a surprise, but golf is extremely popular in Ireland. The global problem with this sport is that it is usually reserved for the upper classes, and therefore not many participate and watch it.

In Ireland however, there are tons of very successful golfers, on a worldwide scale. Considering how bad the weather is in the country, to say it frankly, you should head to the island from May to September if you want to try golf. Ireland has wonderful greens, trust me on that.

Number of Golf licensed players in Ireland: 182,398

Famous Irish Golf players: Harry Bradshaw, Shane Lowry, Darren Clarke, Fred Daly, Christy O’Connor Snr, Christy O’Connor Jnr, Ronan Rafferty, Des Smyth, Eamonn Darcy, Paul McGinley, Joe Carr, Simon Thornton

Volleyball

The seventh most played sport in Ireland is volleyball. While volleyball used to be lower on the list, it has recently seen a huge gain in popularity. The reason for that is that middle school and high school students are enjoying it more and more, and the energy, fun and focus that the sport provides is a great way to exercise.

There are more than 100,000 Irish children who play volleyball at post-primary school, and this number never stops growing. Maybe it will become one of the country’s top 5 sports in a few years!

Number of Volleyball licensed players in Ireland: more than 10,000

Famous Irish Volleyball players: Marie-Claire Sabogal, Alex Graves, Izzy Carey, Regina Ní Halpín, Stacy Nevin, Gormally

Boxing

The eighth most popular sport in Ireland is boxing. Who has not heard of Connor McGregor? While the mixed martial arts champion is not a boxer himself, you must not be surprised that boxing is so popular in Ireland.

In fact, the sport used to be one of the country’s most popular sports, and it is only recently that it started regaining popularity. Katie Taylor is an Irish boxing superstar, and she provides great inspiration to aspiring boxers in the country.

Famous Irish Boxing players: Wayne McCullough, Steve Collins, Barry McGuigan, Eamonn Magee, Eamonn Loughran, Jimmy McLarnin, Bernard Dunne, Andy Lee, Damaen Kelly, John Caldwell

Equestrian

The ninth most popular Irish sport is equestrian. There is a decent following for all equestrian sports in Ireland. In fact, there is even a governing body for this sport, and it is called Horse Sport Ireland. In this body, there are 15 Irish affiliate bodies that all rule a different facet of equestrian sports.

The most popular equestrian variants in Ireland are show jumping, eventing, dressage, polo, and carriage driving. The top 2 tracks in Ireland are the Curragh and Fairyhouse, and many top racehorses come from the island.

Famous Irish Equestrian players: Clare Abbott, Bill Buller, Bill McLernon, Denis Lynch, Jessica Kürten, Darragh Kenny, Edmond Gibney, Marion Hughes, Juliet Jobling-Purser, Fiona Wentges

Cricket

The tenth biggest sport in Ireland is cricket. Compared to other sports, the history of cricket is quite recent: it has been present on the island since the early 19th century, and there has been an annual game against Scotland ever since 1909.

The Irish Cricket Union is its governing body, and it was founded as we know it today in 1923. The country also joined the International Cricket Council in 1993, which paved the way for future international tournaments.

Famous Irish Cricket players: Kevin O’Brien, George Dockrell, Ed Joyce, John Mooney, Dave Langford-Smith, Dominick Joyce, Ryan Haire, Andrew Balbirnie, Paul Stirling, William Porterfield, Niall O’Brien

Water sports

The eleventh and last most popular sport in Ireland is water sports. Because Ireland is an island and has many great spots for water activities, even though its waters are a bit chilly, many fans love swimming, surfing, sailing, or even diving. In fact, there are amazing beaches on the island!

If you are interested in diving, the best time to head to Ireland is from March to October. You can also play underwater hockey, the only underwater sport being practiced!

Famous Irish Water sports players: Michelle Smith, Mona McSharry, Brendan Hyland, Aisling Cooney, Aileen Convery, Catherine Bohan, Brenda McGrory, Carol Ann Heavey, Deirdre Sheehan

So there you have them, these were all Ireland popular sports. I hope you enjoyed them and that you learned something new today. Keep reading to get a few more Ireland sports facts.

What is the fastest growing sport in Ireland?

The fastest growing sport in Ireland is Gaelic football, even though it is already at the top of the table. This growth is even bigger for women, believe it or not!

There are more than 1,000 clubs in Ireland, and more and more are being created. Memberships are growing by the day, and ladies Gaelic football is reaching every woman and girl all around the country.

Where in Ireland is hurling most popular?

While hurling is the second most popular in Ireland, it is definitely more popular in the provinces of Munster and Leinster. Opposite to that, football is more popular in Ulster and Connacht as well as other provinces.

Actually, the country can be pretty clearly divided into 4 regions, where different sports are popular, sometimes one of them is predominant, sometimes both are equally appreciated.

What sports are the Irish good at?

There are actually many sports where Ireland is quite good: rugby union, soccer, boxing, golf, snooker and equestrian sports are all successful sports for the Irish. Most importantly, rugby union is probably the most successful sport for the Irish: the men’s national team is currently ranked 5th in the world, and it has always been one of the strongest powerhouses.

More Sport Facts!

Loved these Ireland sports facts? Want to see what sports are the most popular in other countries?

Then check out these posts:

• Famous Sports in England
• Famous Sports in France
• Famous Sports in Germany

Or click here to see ALL the facts up on the blog! Spoiler alert: there’s A LOT of them.

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