Abstract des Autors

This paper will examine the history, ideology and evolution of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) ban on foreign games in the context of the Irish Revival, during the period 1884-1934. It will examine the importance of the antiquity and tradition of Gaelic games in justifying the GAA's ban rules, which it was argued were a necessary defensive mechanism in the fight against foreign influence in the nascent Irish nation. The history of these games in Ireland will be addressed, some of which, it could be argued, were just as native as the codified and regulated forms of hurling or Gaelic football that were being promoted as the only truly native Irish games. It will be shown that these ban rules, and the associated propaganda campaigns against foreign games, gave Gaelic games an unprecedented and unfair advantage over other games in Ireland while giving the GAA a central role in the formulation of Irish national identity.