IRELAND
SAINT
PATRICK
and
SPORTS
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Patrick's_Day.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sport_in_Ireland
WHO WAS SAINT PATRICK?
• He was born in Great Britain in the fifth
century in a rich Roman-British family.
• At sixteen, he was kidnapped by Irish
raiders and taken captive to Ireland as a
slave. He escaped and returned to
Britain, where he studied to be a priest.
• In 432, his bishop sent him back to
Ireland, to Christianise the Irish Celtic
people from their native politheism.
• He lived in Ireland for the rest of his life.
The Irish folklore tells that he used a
shamrock to explain the Christian
doctrine to the Irish people.
• He died on 17th March 461.
SAINT PATRICK’S DAY
• Saint Patrick made Irish people become Christian in the fifth
century.
• He is the patron of Ireland and Saint Patrick’s Day (17th
March) is the Irish National Holiday.
St PATRICK’S DAY
CELEBRATIONS IN IRELAND
• Saint Patrick's Day is a
public holiday in Ireland.
• The descendants of Irish
emigrants in the United
States of America, New
Zealand and Australia
also celebrate it.
• The typical celebrations
include street parades.
• The Dublin Street Parade
is the most popular one.
Saint Patrick’s Day Street Parade
(Dublin, 17th March 2012)
St PATRICK’S DAY IN AND
OUT OF IRELAND
Saint Patrick’s Day in Ireland: many people
wear green costumes to celebrate the festival.
Saint Patrick’s Day 2011: a flasmob
of Irish Dancers in Sydney (Australia)
New York 2012: Saint Patrick’s Day
Street Parade in New York.
IRISH SPORT: HURLING
• HURLING is an ancient
teamsport. It has Celtic
prehistoric origins, and
is considered a Gaelic
sport.
• There are 15 players in
a hurling team.
• It is widely played in
Ireland, where there are
lots of different Hurling
Championships.
• It is played with a stick
(called “hurley”), and a
ball (called “sliotar”).
• Some of the players in a
team wear a protective
helmet.
IRISH SPORT: GAELIC FOOTBALL
• GAELIC FOOTBALL is also
a Gaelic sport.
• There are also 15 players in
a Gaelic football team.
• It is the most popular sport in
Ireland, where there is a
National Gaelic Football
League.
• It is similar to football, but
the ball can be carried,
bounced, passed or kicked
by both hands and feet.
HORSE RACING
• HORSES are very
important in Ireland, both
for breeding in farms and
for racing.
• The Irish Draught Sport
Horses are very good at
competition.
• The Irish Cob Horses
have become famous too.
• Ireland produces a great
number of horses each
year, many of them selling
for high amounts in the
United States and Europe.
• Horse-racing is also very
popular in Ireland, where
there are 26 racecourses.
The Irish Cob horse
The Irish Sport horse