Arcadia Ireland

This past weekend our group was graced with great weather as we embarked on our Dublin team building activities. Students from all over our Irish universities met to partake in the Experience Gaelic Games tutorial. Before even stepping out onto the pitch, our hosts made sure to take us into their lecture room so that we could learn the true importance of the games.

Ireland was occupied under British rule for almost 800 years. During occupation the Irish people were forced to give up their language and heritage, including playing any of the Gaelic games, as it could be seen as an act in opposition to the crown. Hurling, for example, is a Gaelic game that finds its roots in warrior training during the Medieval period. The mechanics of the game, which involves using a hurl (like a flat smoothed stick) made from an ash tree and a sliotar (pronounced like slither, a ball about the size of a tennis ball), is played on the pitch in teams and involves determination, coordination, and great athleticism, skills that warriors would need to maintain to ensure battle endurance.

Playing the games free of favour (payment) is also an important part of the cultural revival that has taken place since the 1800s. Many professional county players hold down full time jobs and study while practicing for their teams and exhibit the same amount of athleticism as traditional professional athletes.

The impassioned lesson given by our hosts about the games history and importance to Ireland demonstrated the love of the game locally and made the experience more meaningful once we made it to the pitch. Many of our students walked away talking of buying tickets to see their local league and county games as the season begins again.

In the evening, our group got to experience another side of Dublin and the reason why so many are eager to travel to Ireland, which is their friendly and welcoming nature. At Pinocchio’s Italian Cookery School we worked in teams to make our dinner and dessert for the night. In the midst of our delicious dinner it was clear that people from all different cultures and backgrounds enjoy coming to Ireland to learn the history and give a piece of their own culture to the people so that it can be enjoyed together, as we did for the evening.

Our weekend was a great success and there are many more events to come! Don’t forget to tag us in your adventures with #arcadiaireland to be featured on our Instagram page. Cheers!