St. Patrick’s Day has come and passed, with a blink of an eye for most of us.

Most of us think of only a few things when the holiday comes around. But what tickles my fancy is a little bit of history about the Irish culture — sports style.

Sure, America is definitely the sports capital of the world. But Ireland has some pretty unique athletic activities.

Gaelic Football
Much like soccer, this sport involves one thing that is different from its U.S. counterpart, which involves the use of hands to score a goal.

The ball is similar to that of a soccer ball, but is heavier and resembles the look of a volleyball.
The H-shaped goal post reminds me of those old football field goal posts that many high schools still sport today.

There are distinct rules having to do with the sport, which resemble those of Ultimate Frisbee as well as having to use one hand with the ball, and one hand only.

Wouldn’t want to get a technical foul.

In fact, even something like throwing the ball isn’t allowed. You can do a “hand pass” or a kick.
Funny for a sport that involves scoring with your hands…

However, Gaelic football isn’t played professionally. We’re talking about an amateur league. While the sport may raise scholarships for some players, it rarely goes beyond that.

The season is much like what you would expect from any other sport — you start with a pre-season, move on to the regular season and then host playoffs.

But the playoffs are determined by provinces throughout Ireland, which lead to the All-Ireland Championship.

This alone can create some pretty intense competition, and at the same time, some heavy tradition.

Hurling
No, this does not involve making a trip to the restroom or anything even close to it.

Instead, hurling is another sport native to Ireland. The game is much like field hockey, but is known as the fastest team sport on a field.

Hurling is played with a wooden stick and ball. Imagine being whacked across the head with one of those.

Greyhound Racing
Gosh I wish America was into dog racing more.

Greyhound racing is just that — a bunch of greyhounds (dogs, not busses) race around the track just like horses would at the Kentucky Derby.

This phenomenon has been replayed throughout several movies and TV shows, even here in the States.

It even had a huge impact on “The Simpsons,” in which Homer and Bart found Santa’s Little Helper right at the race track.

The dog happened to be an absolute loser, but it did help save Christmas.

And heck, Santa’s Little Helper’s sport is pretty frickin’ sweet too.

Olympic Sports
Okay, so this isn’t an exact sport, but the Irish do have some Olympic history too.

Ireland has won 20 medals, with the most recently being taken away because banned substances played a role in the win.

It was a showjumping competition.

The horse tested positve for a banned substance.

Guess that baseball’s not the only screwed up sport.

I’d love to see how fast horses could go on steroids.

In comparison, the U.S. has won a total of 2,407 medals.

The Irishmen have quite a lot of catching up to do.

So, I guess Ireland isn’t exactly as well-known as the U.S. with its sporting endeavors. But it still gets some recognition for its sports (most of which take place on — you guessed it — green grass).

It’s only a matter of time before sports like Gaelic football, hurling and greyhound racing become popular here in the States.

…right.