Hurling and Camogie are both hugely popular sports in Ireland and are followed by many people across the country. They rank as the fastest paced field sport in the world and so require a phenomenal level of skill, great fitness and mental strength to play.
Men play hurling and women play Camogie. While they are similar, different rules apply. Camogie is less physical than hurling. One of the main difference is for the goalkeepers. In hurling the goalies must wear distinctive jerseys from the team, whereas in camogie everyone must dress in the same colour. The ladies wear skirts/divided shorts in camogie. In Camogie, players can score hand passed goals which is illegal in hurling. Players are also allowed to drop their hurl in order to do this. Hurling is administrated by the GAA whereas camogie is not governed by the same body. It is run by the Camogie Association based out of Dublin. Hurling games last 70 minutes while Camogie games last 60 minutes making them 10 minutes shorter. Both games have professional competitions and tournaments. Hurling has the All- Ireland Senior Hurling Championship while Camogie has the All- Ireland Senior Camogie Championship.
Fast, furious, exciting, physical both sports require great skill and are a must see on your trip to Ireland. In addition, for quite reasonable entry priced into Croke Park, you can enjoy an interesting and informative guided tour of the 4th largest stadium in Europe.
