Natural speed please.
When Young Ireland formed in 1842, it included amongst its goals the renewal of the Irish language and culture. For nearly 500 years, the English had chipped away at the Irish, suppressing their education and obscuring their rich cultural past. When the years of famine and revolution wiped away Young Ireland, it nearly took Irish culture with it.
By 1851, less than a quarter of the population spoke Irish. Forty years later, the number had dropped below 15 per cent. But as a new nationalism emerged at the end of the 19th century, the Irish looked to their past to help define their country, and fought to bring back their culture from the point of extinction.
The Gaelic Athletic Association was founded by Michael Cusack in 1884. As a fan of rugby and cricket, he created the GAA to promote sport among the Irish of all classes. The organisation originally focused on athletics, but this soon gave way to the ancient Gaelic games of Gaelic football and hurling.
The GAA was a great success. By the early 1900s, the most important matches attracted over 20,000 spectators. As the GAA brought the ancient Irish games back to public awareness*, others worked to do the same for the Irish language. Today, the GAA has over 2,500 clubs in Ireland and interest in Gaelic football and hurling is as strong as ever.
Irish games are now very popular across the world and there are more than 400 clubs outside of Ireland. Because of this popularity outside Ireland, the first ever GAA World Games took place in Abu Dhabi in the Middle East. There were teams from all over the world with both Irish and non-Irish players.
