JUDO!!....leads me to traditional sports in Ireland

Last week was the Judo competition between the ni nensee homeroom class and it was my first introduction to Judo! I loved it! The competition was very tight and was hikiwake until the end when HR24 snatched victory from HR23. Well done and congratulations to HR24 and all of ni nensee you were all brilliant :) Thank you for introducing me to Judo! Below are some pictures and a video of the final match. (Only part 2, sorry part 1 wouldn't load.)

I also thought that it would be nice to introduce you to some Irish sports because I think sports are a huge part of Japanese culture and this is also the case in Ireland.

The first Irish sport I would like to talk about is called Gaelic Football and it is the sport that I played when I was in high school. It is played with a ball a little bigger and lighter than a soccer ball. Below is a video from youtube that shows the game and explains the rules. I love this sport and it is probably the most popular in Ireland. The All-Ireland Senior Championship is the highest achievement a team can be awarded and teams are arranged by County (Prefecture). This is a yearly event that begins in May and end in the final in September. Everyone gets together on a Sunday to watch these matches or travels down to Croke Park in Dublin to watch them live.

The second Irish sport I would like to talk about is Hurling. I never played Hurling but it is one of my favourite games to watch. My two brothers both play it and the say it is a brilliant game because it moves so fast. The game is played with a flat stick on which you must balance a small hard ball when running. Please look at the video below and you can see how fast it is, the rules are incorporated into the video. The structure of the competition is the same a Gaelic Football.

I hope these videos work if not please use these website addresses
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEAbWrdB9XU&noredirect=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmzivRetelE

If you have any questions or comment please write to me as I would like to know your thoughts!