What is Gaelic Athletic Association?
The '''Gaelic Athletic Association''' ('''GAA''') ([[Irish language|Irish]]: ''Cumann Lúthchleas Gael'') is an organisation which is mostly focused on promoting [[Gaelic Games]] - traditional [[Ireland|Irish]] sports, such as [[hurling]], [[camogie]], [[Gaelic football]], [[Gaelic handball|handball]], and [[rounders]]. The organisation also promotes [[Irish music]] and [[Irish dance|dance]], and the [[Irish language]]. It is the largest and most popular organisation in Ireland with some 800,000 members out of the island's population of almost 6 million.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.goireland.com/scripts/low/xq/asp/areaid.3148/areatype.T/cat.0/SubjectID.185/PremisesID.12953/qx/premises.htm |title=Go Ireland |access-date=2007-11-24 |archive-date=2020-09-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200922233746/http://www.goireland.com/scripts/low/xq/asp/areaid.3148/areatype.T/cat.0/SubjectID.185/PremisesID.12953/qx/premises.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> Gaelic football and Hurling are the main and most popular activities promoted by the organisation. Gaelic football is a contact sport that combines the skills of [[soccer]], [[basketball]], and some of the skills of [[volleyball]] in a high-scoring game in which players punch or kick the ball over the crossbar for one point, or kick the ball into a net on the bottom for three points. The game also has similarities with [[Australian Rules Football]] (see below). Hurling is a stick-and-ball game that combines many of the skills of field [[hockey]], [[lacrosse]], and [[baseball]] but pre-dates all three. Players can catch the ball and use a [[Hurley (stick)|hurley]] ([[Irish language|Irish]]: ''camán'') to hit a [[ball]] (sliotar) between the [[goalpost]]s using the same scoring system as in Gaelic football and on the same size of field. It is not to be confused with the Scottish game of [[shinty]]. ==Bibliography== * The GAA: A History by Marcus de Burca, Gill & MacMillan, 1984 & 2000, {{ISBN|0-7171-3109-2}} * Illustrated History of the GAA, by [[Eoghan Co