Ireland’s Most Popular Sports

Irish sports date back over 3,000 years - and Irish people still love to play and watch sports today.

Read about the top 7 most popular sports in Ireland!

Ireland has a rich sports heritage and culture, making it one of Europe's most cherished sports nations with a rich heritage in football, boxing, horse racing and rugby union.

For instance, hurling is a famous sport in Ireland, dating back to the seventh and eighth centuries.

As Europe's third-largest island, Ireland boasts a vast playground for sports enthusiasts- and there are many incredible Irish sportspeople.

The fast-paced, exhilarating game of Irish hurling captures the hearts of around 23% of the population, just behind Gaelic football at 34%.

In this article, we discuss the 7 most popular sports in Ireland. There is some debate as to the order as GAA games are enjoyed by almost everyone, yet in terms of professional players they lag behind Soccer and Rugby.

1. Gaelic Football

Irish people have played Gaelic football for over 700 years
Croke Park is a famous Gaelic football stadium
Gaelic football plays an important cultural role in Ireland

Gaelic football is the most popular sport in Ireland. In fact, it is not only a sport but also an integral part of Irish culture and tradition.

Irish people have been playing Gaelic football for over 700 years.

While most sports enthusiasts from other countries compare this sport to rugby, both sports have marked differences.

For instance, Gaelic football is not as intense or aggressive as rugby due to less physical contact between players on the pitch.

Ireland established the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) in 1884 to promote the sport nationwide, founding this organisation in response to England's Rugby Football Union and Football Association.

The GAA played a crucial role in collaborating with all Irish counties and creating a national-level championship.

Irish Gaelic football teams have been playing matches against each other for over ten decades in Croke Park, Dublin.

Croke Park is one of the most beautiful stadiums in Dublin, hosting All-Ireland competitions since 1895.

It has a capacity of over 80,000 spectators, creating an enthusiastic sporting atmosphere and allowing fans to support their favourite teams.

A typical Gaelic football match consists of two teams with 15 players.

Teams play a Gaelic football match on a rectangular grass pitch, unlike other sports. In addition to football, fans enjoy other Gaelic games, such as hurling, Camogie and women's football.

2. Football / Soccer

Around 16% of Irish people play football
3.5 million young people play football once a week
128,610 unregistered and 42,057 registered football players in Ireland

Football is the second most popular sport in Ireland.

Hundreds of thousands of Irish people participate in and play football on local and community grounds. Whether eleven-a-side or five-a-side football matches, people of all ages enjoy this sport.

Around 16% of Irish people play and watch football in Ireland, and 3.5 million young people aged 16+ play football at least once weekly, making it 4.8% of the country's population.

On average, 170,000 players participate in football every week. Ireland has 128,610 unregistered and 42,057 registered football players.

The Football Association of Ireland is the governing body for this sport.

It runs and manages:

The League of Ireland
The National Football Team
National-Level Competitions

3. Rugby Union

Ireland won the 2023 Six Nations Championships
13% of Irish people claim Rugby is their favourite sport
Irishman Brian O’Driscoll is one of Rugby Union’s greatest-ever players

Rugby Union is a cherished sport in Ireland, with its national team considered amongst the worlds best.

Around 95,000 people play rugby in Ireland on a regular basis and if you are from the other ‘Home Nations’ you will appreciate quite how much the sport means to Irish people when it comes to international competition.

Interestingly, the Irish national rugby team represents both Ireland and Northern Ireland, which is unprecedented in international sport.

Some of Europe’s most successful club Rugby teams play in Ireland’s provincial league, including Munster, Leinster and Connacht.

4. Hurling

Irish people have been playing this sport for more than 3000 years
511,500 registered players in Ireland
74% of primary school students play hurling

Hurling is one of the oldest and most popular sports in Ireland. It is famous for its fast-paced nature and enthusiastic gameplay.

Irish people have been playing hurling for more than 3,000 years, and people of all ages and skill levels participate in this sport at the local, community and national levels.

Although political, economic and social turmoil has led to attempts to ban hurling, Irish people's passion and enthusiasm for this sport is overwhelming.

Thanks to their love for hurling, this sport has survived numerous upheavals.

Ireland established the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) in 1884 to revive and promote ancient Irish sports, including hurling.

The GAA is the largest sports organisation in Ireland, with unique regulatory policies for hurling and other Gaelic sports.

The objective is to promote, support and encourage young people to play this game at different levels.

Ireland has 32 county boards with over 1,616 GAA clubs and 511,500 registered players.

These regulatory bodies work with the GAA to create a sporting community and promote this sport in schools and colleges.

In addition, 74% of primary school students and 66% of post-primary students play hurling.

Around 98,000 children in Ireland play hurling, and the country has over 177,096 amateur players.

Around 6% of the country's adult population also volunteers within the GAA to promote hurling throughout the country.

Around 100,000 Irish women participate and play Camogie, the female version of this sport.

5. Horse Racing

Around 39% of Irish people take an interest in horse racing
Horse owner retention rates were 80% in 2021
Horse racing is rooted in Irish culture

Horse racing is another popular sport in Ireland that is deeply rooted in the country's culture and society.

Irish-bred horses compete in national-level competitions, as well as tournaments held in Great Britain. In fact, Irish players are famous for winning on British racing circuits.

The popularity of horse racing and people's interest in this sport has increased in recent years. Around 39% of Irish people take an interest in modern horse racing, compared to 23% in 2020.

The Covid-19 pandemic affected the sports industry in Ireland, including horse racing in 2020. However, the nationwide mass vaccination campaign has revived the horse racing sector.

Despite the impact of the pandemic in 2021, horse owner retention rates were 80% compared to 74.7% in 2019.

Moreover, Bloodstock sales increased by 71.3% compared to 10.6% in 2019.

6. Basketball

Basketball Ireland promotes this sport across the country
Irish basketball player Pat Burke played in the NBA
The National League is a popular basketball league in Ireland

Irish people play basketball for recreational purposes, but the government has also promoted it as a professional sport in Ireland.

Basketball Ireland runs and manages grassroots programmes, school-level competitions and national tournaments to promote basketball in Ireland.

The National League is the most popular and top-level basketball league in Ireland. It facilitates competitions for both male and female basketball teams and clubs.

Basketball Ireland organises the league and includes teams from different regions.

Basketball programmes and training facilities have allowed Ireland to produce some of the best players.

For example, Irish basketball player Pat Burke participated in NBA. Burke played 62 games with the Phoenix Suns and Orlando Magic.

7. Cricket

Over 1000 local cricket teams in Ireland
Around 25,000 children play this sport every year
The national cricket team played in the 2007 and 2011 World Cup tournaments

Cricket has gained popularity in Ireland over the last three or four years. The number of young domestic cricket players has doubled compared to the previous three years.

Currently, Ireland has over 1,000 local cricket teams participating in different competitions.

Around 25,000 children participate in this sport every year.

Although the national cricket team has not made remarkable achievements recently, it participated in the 2007 and 2011 World Cup tournaments in West Indies and India respectively.

The national team earned "test-playing" status in 2018 but failed to qualify for the 2019 World Cup in England.

8. Boxing

Irish boxer Steve Collins won Super Middleweight and WBO Middleweight championships
Katie Taylor is a famous female Irish boxer
Irish boxers have won two gold medals at the Olympics

Boxing is one of the most popular sports in Ireland because it has hundreds of thousands of fans and passionate young boxers.

Irish boxers have made considerable achievements in the Olympics, with two gold, three silver and five bronze medals.

Ireland has produced some of the world's best boxers throughout history.

Steve Collins won the Super Middleweight and the WBO Middleweight championships. He also won 26 Irish titles before participating in international competitions.

Ireland has also produced some of the greatest female boxers, such as Katie Taylor, with an HPI of 25.76. Taylor was also a former footballer.

The popularity of boxing in Ireland is growing at a rapid rate, and the future of this sport is bright. The demand for boxing matches has increased in recent years, particularly by the online audience.

Summarising the Most Popular Sports in Ireland?

Ireland's sports heritage is deeply ingrained in its culture.

People have immense love for traditional games such as Gaelic football and hurling- and these sports date back centuries.

However, Irish people also participate in modern sports, including football, horse racing, basketball, cricket and boxing.

The passion and dedication these sports inspire unite communities and foster a vibrant sporting atmosphere and the recent success of the Irish rugby team has bolstered the already positive mood around the country’s sporting future.