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History of the GAA
A Short History of the GAA by Weeshie Fogarty

1884 in Ireland was a time of decay in Gaelic culture and tradition. Political oppression went hand in hand with economic depression the language was dying but not yet dead. The emigrant ship was taking the flower of the nations manhood into exile; the survivors at home were engaged in a life-or-death struggle for their lands and homesteads.

 

 

The essential Irish pastimes hurling, Gaelic football, and athletics was being crushed by penal laws and decrees. Athletics in Ireland was controlled directly by an English association which excluded the masses from such competitions which existed. Maurice Davin from Carric on-Suir in County Ireland. Who would become the G.A.A's first president, Wrote at this time "the laws under which athletic sports are held in Ireland were designed mainly for the guidance of Englishmen, and they do not deal at all with the Characteristic sports and pastimes of the Irish race. Irish football is a great game " he wrote "but there are no rules for either hurling or football and they are often dangerous."

 

There were a few men of action who saw where this neglect of the native games would lead. Michael Cusack, a Clare man who kept a school in Dublin was one of them. He wrote occasionally for "united Ireland" Cusack sent a call to the people of Ireland to take the management of athletics into their own hands and promote every form of athletics which is peculiarly Irish and remove, with one sweep, everything foreign and iniquitous in the present system".

 

A week later Maurice Davin then retired form from athletics but still as honored as
the greatest athlete in the world wrote in hearty approval. A week later still, appeared Michael Cusack, his letter summoning a meeting, for Thurles county Tipperary, Ireland.

 

The famous meeting took place on October 27th 1884. Cusack issued a circular from his school at 4 gardiners place, Dublin, requesting that "a meeting which will be held in Thurles County Tipperary on November 1st , to take steps for the formation of a Gaelic association for the preservation and eultivation of our national pastimes, and for providing national amusements for the Irish people during their leisure hours." The letter was signed by Maurice Davin and Michael Cusack. This momentous and historic meeting took place in the billard room of Haye's hotel Thurles. Maurice David presided. So far as we know only six others attended.

 

There and then they established "a Gaelic athletic association for the preservation
and cultivation of national pastimes". Maurice Davin was elected first president.
Michael Cusack, John Wyse Power and John McKay were elected secretaries.
On 18th December 1884 arch-bishop Croke, then the idol of the Irish race wrote consenting to become first patron of the new association.

 

In January 1885 the association adopted its first code of rules for hurling, football, weight throwing, jumping, running, walking and cycling. The Gaelic athletic association was firmly in place within six months of the first meeting in Thurles. Clubs were formed and spread like wild fire throughout the country.

 

The first Gaelic football match under the new rules was played on February 15th 1885 between Cavan and Kilkenny. By the summer of 1885 scores of matches and sports meetings under the new body were held all over Ireland. From these humble beginnings the Gaelic athletic association would flourish and grow go on to become the greatest sporting organisation in Ireland.

In 1888 48 athletes and hurlers toured America, 17 of the number remained behind to settle there and spread the Gaelic games to those country men already steeled there. In 1909 hurling teams from Tipperary and Cork went to Belgium and played exhibition matches in Brussels, Malinse, and Fontenoy while in 1911 the first Irish American hurling team visited Ireland and played six matches against Irish sides.

 

Presently each of the 32 counties of Ireland field their own teams and in September of each year the all Ireland hurling & football finals are played in Croke park, Dublin. Supporting crowds of over 80,000 spectators the recently re-vamped Croke Park Stadium is equal to any stadium throughout the world.

 

All the players are amatures and do not receive any monatry gain. The story of the Gaelic athletic association is part of Irish life and the G.A.A in recent years has marched from triumph. To triumph and its organisational skills as millions of spectators attended its games is equal to other sports anywhere in the world.