Gaelic
and Hurling Football
Hurling, the Irish national game, similar to hockey and one of the
fastest field games in the world and Gaelic football a cross between
soccer, rugby and a street brawl are played at Croke Park Stadium,
Croke Park, Dublin 3 (telephone: (01) 836 3222). The Gaelic
Athletic Association can provide information on both sports.
Fitness Centres
Crunch Fitness, at UCD, Belfield (telephone: (01)
260 3155), is open to the public Monday to Friday 07:00-22:00 and
Saturday and Sunday 10:00-17:30 and charges €12 per visit.
Golf
Within 30 miles of downtown Dublin, there are more 100 golf courses.
Most are private but some are pay-and-play courses. Sillogue
Park Public Golf Course, Ballymun (telephone: (01) 842
9956), is one of the best value, with green fees starting from €7
for nine holes (€15 at the weekend) and €10 for 18 holes
(€17 at the weekend). Prices can also vary depending on the
time of day. Pre-booking is recommended. The 18-hole course at Luttrellstown
Castle Golf Club, Clonsilla (telephone: (01) 808 9988; fax:
(01) 808 9989; e-mail: enquiries@luttrellstown.ie)
is also open to the public. Green fees for 18 holes are €85
Monday to Thursday and €95 Friday and Saturday.
Racing
Race meetings are held at Fairyhouse,
Ratoath, off the R155 (telephone: (01) 825 6167) and Leopardstown
Racecourse, Leopardstown, Dublin 18 (telephone: (01) 289 3607),
Phoenix Park, Parkgate Street, Conyngham Road, Dublin 8 (telephone:
(01) 677 0095), has a racecourse, a motor-racing circuit and is
also a popular place for Gaelic football, cricket, soccer and water
polo. Greyhound racing at Shelbourne
Park, Pearse Street, Dublin 4 (telephone: (01) 668 3502; email:
racing@shelbournepark.ie)
is a local passion.
The events in the sporting calendar are the Dublin Horse Show (Aug)
and the national hurling and Gaelic football finals (Sep), when
the whole city goes a little crazy. Tickets are available from Ticketmaster
(telephone: (01) 456 9569 (24-hour credit-card booking line).
Rugby
Rugby is played at Lansdowne
Road Stadium, Landsdowne Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4 (telephone:
(01) 647 3800), with Landsdowne
FC and St
Mary’s College .
Soccer
Soccer takes place at Tolka Park, Richmond Road,
Dublin 3 (telephone: (01) 837 5536) or Lansdowne Road.
Dublin has teams in the National League Premier Division, including
Bohemians FC,
Shamrock
Rovers FC, Shelbourne
FC , St Patrick’s
Athletic FC and UCD
FC Dublin).
Squash
Most squash clubs are for members only. Spheres Squash Club,
14-18 Drimnagh Road (telephone: (01) 455 1021), charges €15
per hour (€16 after 1700) for non-members. Irish Squash (telephone:
(01) 450 1564) can provide more information.
Swimming
Most pools are located in Dublin’s suburbs. St Paul’s
College Swimming Pool, Rahen (telephone: (01) 831 6283),
is located north of the centre and costs €5. A full list of
pools is supplied in the Golden
Pages telephone directory.
Tennis
Apart from various parks with tennis courts, Spawell,
Wellington Road, Templeogue (telephone: (01) 490 4401), is one of
the few places with courts that are open to the public. Play costs
€10 an hour. Tennis Ireland (telephone: (01) 668 1841) can
provide further information. |
