Gaelic handball is a sport with Irish origins, very similar to squash. The game is played with a glove instead of a racket, and can be played by 2 or 4 players. It’s a sport that has become particularly established in Anglo-Saxon countries (USA, Canada, Great Britain…etc.), following Irish emigration…
Gaelic handball has its origins in Ireland. It is mentioned as early as 1527 in the statutes of Galway, which forbade the population of the city to play by sending the ball against the city walls.
Since then, the sport has developed in Scotland, then spread significantly from the 17th century onwards, with Irish emigration to the USA, Canada, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand and Great Britain. A championship is even organized every 4 years!
It’s worth noting that the GAA oversees the sport from its headquarters at Croke Park in Dublin.
Gaelic handball is a sport that has nothing to do with handball as we know it. It can be played indoors or outdoors, and is similar to racketball or squash. (The ball is actually hit with a rigid glove, which replaces a racket). All it requires is a court measuring 12.2 metres long and 6.1 metres wide. It has a back wall, also 6.1 metres high, on which the ball must be tapped to be returned to the opponent.
The principle is simple: the player must score a set before his opponent, by winning points on his serve.
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