Thankfully we have thousands of tourists and visitors in Ireland this time of year. Visiting the usual tourist attractions, Cliffs of Mother, Giants Causeway, The Guinness Hopstore, Killarney, etc. Surely some of them are curious about us wearing club and county jersies? When the Sky Sports deal was signed the GAA claimed that it would raise the GAA profile abroad. With plenty of empty seats at do-or-die football and hurling games between now and September, they don't have a campaign to attract visitors from abroad to go to games and raise the profile abroad that way.

So if you're talking to any tourists who think that Irish people spend their days looking at cliffs or wandering around hopstores tell them where we really go. They might just go and see something they've never seen before and make their holiday really memorable.

GreenandRed (Mayo) - Posts: 7344 - 10/07/2017 10:46:37    2013806

Yes, agree. I'm bringing someone from Slovenia to one of the hurling games coming up. They've been here for a couple of months and developed an interest only in rugby since arriving, because they thought that was the only game that Irish people are interested in!

PoolSturgeon (Galway) - Posts: 1903 - 10/07/2017 11:07:35    2013830

I don't know if the GAA are actually doing anything but I have noticed an increase in the amount of tourists at games in the last 5 years or so. Particularly in Croke Park.

Croke Park is on one of the Dublin sight seeing bus tours so that's maybe part of it.

MesAmis (Dublin) - Posts: 13707 - 10/07/2017 11:19:29    2013838

I met a Canadian fella in Ballybofey at half time during the Longford, his friend had brought him to the game as part of a 7 day road trip they were doing. He was hoping to get to another match before he left, but it was great to see! Talk about a world away from what he's used to, and a muck match as well but he said he loved it!

JoeSoap (Donegal) - Posts: 1432 - 10/07/2017 12:06:46    2013893

timmyhogan (UK) - Posts: 290 - 10/07/2017 12:29:26    2013917

Couldnt agree more. The greatest gift ive ever recieved was getting introduced to Hurling while visiting a friend in Gowran. Pulling into her driveway the first thing i saw was two hurls and a handful of sliotars leaning against the door. Took a while to learn the game but was hooked, pun unintended. Spent nearly every day for the next three months outside w/the gable end or getting my shins beat up by the little ones in the "neighborhood" who were curious about the yank staying up the hill. My interest and passion has only grown since. Not a huge fan of senior championship hurling but absolutely love U21, Minor, Fitzgibbon(sp?), and club hurling at all levels, including Camogie at all grades. Not a football fan as it has nearly all the bad elements that drove me from pro sports in my country. To each their own. With thousands(?) of clubs here now, its right on the edge of becoming very popular. I dont think that the GAA can claim any credit for that though. And as far as GAAGO, couldnt be worse! As an outsider, all the talk of "spreading the game" is all hot air. The local/club scene is the height of the good that sport can do and im envious if honest.

Yank_inyerchain (USA) - Posts: 10 - 12/07/2017 14:20:37    2015605