Irish National Costums
cannot pick it up from the ground. The ball is punched, not thrown, and it can be kicked.
Scoring is done in a soccer-type net, but, as in hurling, points can also be made for going
over the top of the goal. Gaelic football is the precursor of Australian Rules football; the
two sports are similar enough that Irish and Australian teams sometimes play each other
with a set of compromise rules. The All-Ireland semifinals and finals, sponsored by the
Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA), are highlights of the hurling and Gaelic football
seasons.
Soccer, rugby, sailing, cycling, golf, and horse and greyhound racing are also favorite
activities. Soccer has become a particularly popular spectator sport in the 1990s,
reflecting the enthusiasm surrounding the national team's successes during the first half
of the decade. Fishing, or angling, is also a common recreational activity, featuring
annaabi.ee 
