Gaelic football and the walk home


Pictures are at the bottom...

I had seen gaelic football in San Francisco, and on tv, but while I was in Ireland, the All Ireland series was up to the semi finals. I really wanted to go see the hurling, but I missed it by a week.

So I went and saw two northern ireland teams, Tyrone and Armagh, play against each other in Dublin. Very good game to watch, and €40 got me a seat 5 rows from the field. Of course, I was buried in a sea of Armagh supporters, when I couldn't really care less who actually won :) Tyrone eventually won, by one point, which I was happy with, as they had a lot less supporters in the crowd.

Then home again, which was an adventure. The train to Malahide decided that it wouldn't be coming for another 2 hours, so I went to another place, where there was meant to be a bus. Of course, the bus doesn't run on Sundays. So I had a good walk home.

This was about the low point of my stay in Ireland. It was grey and dreary all the time, Dublin is just a big crumbling run down heap, and where I was staying, despite assurances of beauty, was just a rather soulless suburb by the "sea" which was really a tidal mud flat. The game was good, but the pubs were SERIOUS FANS only. I stood out like a sore thumb not wearing a jersey of some description. Girls, boys, young, old, all wearing jerseys, or at the very least very obvious team colours.

Oh well, it got better later on.


Serious Gaelic fans

Serious Gaelic fans

This makes absolutely no sense to me (besides Tyrone's colour being red)

This makes absolutely no sense to me (besides Tyrone's colour being red)

Nothing like a good pitch invasion

Nothing like a good pitch invasion

And finally a sweep to clear the field

And finally a sweep to clear the field

Beautiful scenic ireland

Beautiful scenic ireland

Bus stop in the middle of nowhere, with no footpath to get there

Bus stop in the middle of nowhere, with no footpath to get there