History of the Gaelic Athletic Association facts for kids

The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) is a really important sports organisation in Ireland. It was started to help keep traditional Irish sports alive and popular. These sports, like hurling and Gaelic football, are very old, much older than the GAA itself! The GAA was officially founded in 1884.

How the GAA Started

A man named Michael Cusack from County Clare had a big idea to start the GAA. He was a teacher in Dublin and loved Irish sports. He noticed that these traditional games were not as popular as they used to be.

Cusack wanted to bring back the excitement for Irish sports. He also dreamed of bringing back the ancient Tailteann Games, which were like an old Irish Olympics. So, on Saturday, November 1, 1884, he met with some friends. They gathered in Hayes' Hotel in Thurles, County Tipperary.

Seven people were at this important meeting. They included Michael Cusack and Maurice Davin, who led the meeting. The date they chose, November 1st, is important in Irish mythology. It's called Samhain, and legend says it was the day the ancient Irish heroes, the Fianna, lost their power. Cusack wanted this day to mean the rebirth of Irish heroes and sports.

The group decided to call their new organisation the Gaelic Athletic Association. Its full name was "Gaelic Athletic Association for the Cultivation and Preservation of National Pastimes."

Soon after it started, Thomas Croke, a very important church leader, supported the GAA. He became its first patron. Other famous people like Michael Davitt and Charles Stewart Parnell also supported it. Michael Cusack was a great organiser at first. However, he didn't stay in charge for long. He had to leave after about a year and a half.

Early Developments in the GAA

Over the next few years, the GAA grew a lot. In 1886, they set up county committees. These committees helped organise the new All-Ireland championships. The GAA also created new rules for Gaelic football and hurling.

The first All-Ireland Championships for both sports happened in 1887. Thirteen counties from Ireland joined, but only five played hurling and eight played football.

The GAA in the 1900s

From 1900 onwards, new people joined the GAA. Many of them were teachers or civil servants. They were often influenced by the Gaelic League, which worked to promote the Irish language. In 1922, the GAA handed over the job of promoting other sports, like athletics and cycling, to a different group.

Key Moments in GAA History

Here are some important dates and events in the history of the GAA:

• 1884: The Gaelic Athletic Association was founded on November 1st in Hayes' Hotel in Thurles, County Tipperary.
• 1886: Wexford County Board became the first county GAA group.
• 1887: Tipperary won the first All-Ireland Hurling Final. Limerick won the first All-Ireland Football Final.
• 1892: Rules for hurling and football changed. A goal became worth five points. Teams were reduced from 21 to 17 players.
• 1896: The value of a goal was changed again, from five points to three points.
• 1900: The GAA created provincial councils for Munster, Leinster, Connacht, and Ulster.
• 1904: The first official camogie matches were played. Camogie is a sport similar to hurling, played by women.
• 1912: Junior Championships were introduced at All-Ireland level.
• 1913: The GAA bought a sports ground in Dublin and renamed it Croke Park.
• 1920: On a day known as Bloody Sunday, twelve spectators and a player were killed at Croke Park during a raid.
• 1923: Galway hurlers won Connacht's first All-Ireland title.
• 1924: The first modern Tailteann Games were held in Croke Park.
• 1925: A new rule allowed players to play for the county where they were born, not just where they lived.
• 1926: The first GAA match was broadcast on the radio.
• 1927: The Railway Cup competitions were introduced.
• 1928: Kildare was the first county to win the Sam Maguire Cup in football.
• 1931: The Irish name Cumann Lúthchleas Gael was officially adopted.
• 1932: The first All-Ireland Camogie Championship took place.
• 1933: Cavan footballers won Ulster's first All-Ireland title.
• 1935: The GAA celebrated 50 years. A crowd of 50,000 people watched the All-Ireland Finals.
• 1938: Micheál Ó Hehir commentated on his first GAA match. He became a very famous sports commentator.
• 1939: The Cork versus Kilkenny hurling final was called the "thunder & lightning final" because of a storm.
• 1940: The penalty kick and penalty puck were introduced into the games.
• 1947: The All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final between Cavan and Kerry was played in the Polo Grounds in New York, USA. Cavan won!
• 1954: A record 84,856 people watched the hurling final in Croke Park.
• 1959: The GAA's 75th anniversary was celebrated with the opening of the new Hogan Stand at Croke Park.
• 1961: A record 90,556 people watched the football final in Croke Park.
• 1961: The first Poc Fada tournament was held. This is a competition for hurling skills.
• 1962: The first GAA match was shown live on TV.
• 1967: The first international rules football game was played against a team from Australia.
• 1971: The first All-Ireland Club Championships were played.
• 1974: The Ladies' Gaelic Football Association was founded in Thurles.
• 1976: Páirc Uí Chaoimh stadium was opened in Cork City. It was the first stadium built just for GAA.
• 1984: The GAA celebrated its 100th birthday!
• 1993: A big plan to rebuild Croke Park was started.
• 1996: The new Cusack Stand at Croke Park was opened.
• 1997: A "back door" system was introduced in the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship. This meant teams could lose a game but still stay in the competition.
• 1998: Offaly was the first hurling team to win the All-Ireland Championship using the "back door" system.
• 1999: The Gaelic Players Association was founded to support players.
• 2001: A rule that stopped members of the British Army or police from playing GAA was removed.
• 2001: The "back door" system was also introduced for the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship. Galway was the first football team to win using this system.
• 2002: More parts of the redeveloped Croke Park stadium were officially opened.
• 2003: The first All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final between two teams from the same province took place (Tyrone vs. Armagh).
• 2004: The first Tommy Murphy Cup was played.
• 2005: The first Christy Ring Cup and Nicky Rackard Cup hurling competitions were held.
• 2005: The re-development of Hill 16 at Croke Park was finished.
• 2005: The GAA allowed soccer and rugby games to be played at Croke Park temporarily while another stadium was being rebuilt.
• 2007: The first game was played in Croke Park under lights. A record number of fans (81,678) watched a league game.
• 2009: The GAA celebrated its 125th anniversary.
• 2013: Hawk-Eye technology was introduced at Croke Park to help referees make decisions.
• 2013: The first Championship game was played on a Friday night.