IRELAND SAINT PATRICK and SPORTS

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. WHO WAS SAINT PATRICK?

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 2011: a flasmob of Irish Dancers in Sydney (Australia) New York 2012: Saint Patrick’s Day Street Parade in New York. Saint Patrick’s Day in Ireland: many people wear green costumes to celebrate the festival.

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 horseThe Irish Sport horse