List of Gaelic games terminology

The following is an alphabetical list of terms and jargon used in relation to Gaelic games.

Abbreviations

Competitions usually have long names, so an abbreviation system is used:

For example:
* "Leinster MHC": Leinster Minor Hurling Championship
* "Dublin FL Div 2": Dublin Football League, Division 2
* "Laois JBHC": Laois Junior "B" Hurling Championship

A

*All-Ireland: Adjective describing a competition, such as the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, run by the GAA and whose winners become national champions at the grade of that competition. "The All-Ireland" can refer to an already mentioned All-Ireland championship; more generally it can refer to the All-Ireland Senior Football or Hurling Championship.
*All Star: An annual award, one of which is given to the best player in each of the fifteen positions in Gaelic football, hurling, ladies' football, and camogie.

B

*"Bainisteoir": Irish word meaning "manager".
*Backdoor: Adjective describing a "knockout" championship in which defeated teams are not immediately eliminated from the competition, and remain eligible to win (e.g. Offaly in the 1998 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship). Such teams are said to re-enter the championship "through the back door".
*Book: See tick. Also called black card or black book is a name for a ticking due the referee showing the player their note book as they would a red or yellow card

C

*Central Competitions Control Committee (CCCC): Committee which organises fixtures for competitions above provincial level.
*County championship: A championship in football or hurling in a specific grade contested by clubs within a county.
*Croke Park: The principal stadium and headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association.

D

E

*End line: The two shorter sides - the ends - of a football or hurling pitch, at the centre of which the goalposts are situated.

F

*Fetch: To catch the ball above ones head.
*Foreign sports: Non-Gaelic games such as rugby union, rugby league, soccer and cricket, particularly in the sense that they rivalled Gaelic games in Ireland for popularity during the formative years of the GAA.
*Forty-five: Kick awarded in football to the attacking side 45 metres from the defending side's goal when a player for the defending side last touches the ball before it goes over that side's end line. Formerly known as a "fifty" (45 metres is roughly equivalent to 50 yards).

G

*GAA: Short for Gaelic Athletic Association. Also a euphemism for Gaelic games itself.
*Gaelic games: The sports of Gaelic handball, Gaelic football, hurling and rounders.
*Gah/gaa: Slang term for Gaelic football, or for Gaelic sports in general. Pronounced with the "aa" lengthened.
*Goal: A score in football and hurling worth three points, awarded when the ball legally crosses the goal line under the bar and between the posts.
*Grade: A level at which a game or competition is played, based on age (e.g., Senior, Minor), ability (e.g. Senior, Junior), gender, etc. See Senior, Under-21 and Minor. A grade can also be split further, e.g. Senior A, Senior B.

H

*Headquarters/HQ: Colloquial term for Croke Park.
*Home final: In competitions in which an overseas team gets a bye to the final, a final played between two teams from the island of Ireland. The winning team then plays the overseas team in the final proper. For example, the 1908 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship saw Dublin beat Kerry in the home final, before becoming All-Ireland champions by beating London in the actual final, which was London's only game in that year's championship.

I

*Intermediate: A grade, higher than junior, of competition for players not quite good enough to play at senior level. Some championships have senior and junior, but no intermediate, equivalents, for example the All-Ireland Football Championships.

J

*Junior: A grade of competition for players not quite good enough to play at senior level.

K

L

*"Liathróid": Irish word for "football", i.e. the ball itself. See also "peil" (below).

M

*Minor: A grade for players under 18; also, a player who qualifies to play in the minor grade.

N

O

*Official Guide ("Treoraí Oifigiúil"): The playing and organisational rules of the GAA. Part 1 contains the Association's constitution and rules, while Part 2 contains the playing rules of hurling and football.

P

*Panel: The Gaelic games equivalent of a squad.
*"Peil": Irish word for "football", i.e. the game of Gaelic football. See also "liathróid" (above).
*Point: A score in football and hurling, awarded when the ball legally passes over the bar, between the posts. See also "goal" (above).

Q

R

*Red card: Card shown to a player who has been sent off for committing a serious foul, or who has been shown a second yellow card.
*Rule 42: A rule in the GAA's Official Guide which prevents foreign sports being played on GAA-controlled property. See List of non-Gaelic games played in Croke Park for exceptions to this rule.

*Sam: The Sam Maguire Cup, awarded to the winning team in the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship.
*Selector: A person who helps pick a team. Usually a team has two of these, as well as a manager.
*Senior: The highest grade which a player can play at, not limited by age or ability.
*"Sliotar": the ball used in hurling.
*Sideline: The two longer sides of a football or hurling pitch.
*Sideline ball: A kick (football) or puck (hurling) awarded when the ball passes over the sideline. It is awarded to the opposite team to that of the player who last touched the ball.
*Sixty-five: Puck awarded in hurling to the attacking side 65 metres from the defending side's goal when a player for the defending side last touches the ball before it goes over that side's end line. Formerly known as a "seventy" (65 metres is roughly equivalent to 70 yards).
*Square ball: A type of foul in hurling and football which occurs when a player on the attacking team enters the opposing team's penalty area before the ball does.

T

*Tick: a mark made by the referee in his notebook against a player who has committed a certain type of foul, but not so serious as to warrant a yellow card (see below). The referee indicates when a player is "ticked" by holding his notebook above his head. A player who is ticked twice in a match is cautioned and shown the yellow card.

U

*Umpire: One of four officials in a game of football or hurling, identifiable by his/her white coat, and whose responsibilities include to signal a point by waving a white flag, to signal a goal by waving a green flag, to indicate which side last touched the ball before it crossed the end-line, and to alert the referee to certain foul play.
*Under-21: A grade of competition for players under 21 years of age.

V

W

*Wide: When the ball passes over the end line having last been touched by a player on the attacking side. The defending side is awarded a kickout (football) or puckout (hurling).

X

Y

*Yellow card: Card shown to a player who has been cautioned ("booked") for committing certain types of fouls, or who has been ticked twice (see Tick above). A played who is cautioned twice in a match is cautioned and shown the yellow card.

Z