These sporting times: The social and sporting impact of the current economic climate on the gaelic athletic association

Examination of publications from the Central Statistics Office (2011a) has shown that there is an increase in emigration from Ireland. A socio-cultural analysis of Irish Society shows a trend towards high levels of emigration from pre-famine Ireland through to today. Throughout history, emigration has had a profound effect on shaping Irish cultural pursuits, in particular Irish sport and the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA), which will be explored in this chapter, with O'Toole (1997) arguing that Ireland became something of a cultural monolith (Catholic and rural) largely because of emigration. The GAA is an amateur organisation and most of its members are volunteers. Recent concerns within the organisation highlight that an estimated 250 hurlers and footballers a month are leaving Ireland (Reilly, 2011), which has had a profound effect on the recruitment and retention of GAA players. The likelihood of a club being unable to field a team has ramifications for all involved, the parish, the community and economic, social and cultural Ireland. As of February 2012, the unemployment rate in Ireland was reported at 14.2%. With Irish society haemorrhaging from an exodus of youth and today's economic climate providing challenging times, these social changes provide a vantage point from which to examine the current impact of recession on the GAA.