Sports

The Irish are mad about sports and Dubliners are no different. The three most popular sports in Ireland, by attendance at senior games, are Gaelic games (Gaelic football and hurling), soccer (commonly referred to as ‘football’) and rugby. But a huge variety of other sports are also played across the county and country.

Sports clubs tend to be very community-orientated and are a great way of meeting like-minded people, either as an individual or as a family. Whether your children participate in sport, you take part yourself or you volunteer to help out, getting involved with your local club will really help you settle-in to Dublin.

We’ve listed the most popular sports and the best sources of information below.

Gaelic Games in Dublin

As the name suggests, Gaelic games are Ireland’s national sports. They are unique to Ireland and officially include Gaelic Football, Ladies Gaelic Football, Hurling, Camogie, Handball and Rounders. The two primary men’s Gaelic games are football and hurling, which fall under the auspices of the Gaelic Athletic Association. Women also play Gaelic football under the Ladies’ Gaelic Football Association and camogie, which is almost identical to hurling, under The Camogie Associati

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Dublin rugby

By the banks of the River Dodder, the mighty Aviva Stadium rises up from the surrounding red brick terraces of Beggars Bush. This is the home of Irish rugby. Rugby has been played here at Lansdowne Road since 1872 when Henry Dunlop and the Irish Champion Athletics Club first laid out sports grounds. Ireland’s first international fixture against England took place here in 1878, making it the world’s oldest rugby union test venue. Today, the Aviva Stadium is home to the Irish Rugby Football Union – the body that manages rugby union in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

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Soccer in Dublin

While Gaelic games are the most watched sports in Ireland, more people play soccer than any other sport. Soccer, which is commonly referred to as football in Dublin, is governed by the FAI. It oversees Ireland’s domestic leagues, as well as its national teams. The different levels of soccer in Dublin Football is especially popular in Dublin’s urban areas. The Leinster Senior Football League, which operates the city’s amateur leagues, has 20 different divisions to suit players of every calibre.

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Other popular sports

If you’re not into Gaelic games, soccer or rugby, there are plenty of other popular sports to play across the city and county of Dublin. The Federation of Irish Sport represents national and local sports bodies in Ireland. Its membership consists of over 100 different organisations from every corner of the country. So this just shows the diversity of activities available. Below is a list of just some of the sporting activit

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