On the 15th of August I travelled to Dublin by train to see Cork take on Wexford in the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Semi-Final. Cork produced a flawless dispaly and trashed Wexford.
Hurling is a game similar to hockey, in that it is played with a small ball and a curved wooden stick. It is Europe’s oldest field game. When the Celts came to Ireland as the last ice age was receding, they brought with them a unique culture, their own language, music, script and unique pastimes. One of these pastimes was a game now called hurling. It features in Irish folklore to illustrate the deeds of heroic mystical figures and it is chronicled as a distinct Irish pastime for at least 2,000 years.

The Dublin Spire
Taken of the 15th of August 2004
The Dublin Spire was the winning entry in an architectural competition to provide a replacement for Nelson’s Pillar which was blown up in 1966 by the IRA. After a planning appeal and a High Court case, the Spire finally got the go ahead. It was erected between December 2002 and January 2003 to great public excitement. The Dublin Spire is one hundred and twenty metres tall, making it by far the tallest structure in Dublin city centre.
Click on the picture to see it in its original size

Murphy’s Irish Stout
Taken of the 15th of August 2004
This was a flag belonging to my sister who was at the match. Cork fans use flags that have connections to Cork. Murphy’s Brewery was founded by James J. Murphy in Cork, Ireland in 1856. Since then, the brewery has been using the finest ingredients and traditional skills to produce great Irish beers. I fell if drank in the right pubs, its better than Guinness.
Click on the picture to see it in its original size

Croke Park Stadium – Ireland
Taken on the 15th of August 2004
Croke Park Panoramic shot. I sticted 6 shots together to give you a better view of this great national stadium. You need to click on in to see it fully. Its going to look VERY silly otherwise.
Click on the picture to see it in its original size
Related Websites for this post
CROKE PARKE Online. Website for the National Stadium.
GAA.IE ONLINE. The official GAA Site. All you need.
REBEL GAA.COM. Cork GAA fan site.
CLUB GAA.IE
HOGANSTAND.COM
AN FEAR RUA GAA Site. Fan site.
Murphy’s Irish Stout. Irish Stout at its best.. and made in Cork.
Check out the sites if your interested. Rebel GAA has excellent fan forums. Tickets were 40 Euro to the Canal end and approx 64,000 people attended the match. Its a great stadium and the views from the canal were excellent. Now a world-class stadium, Croke Park is the largest stadium in Ireland and the fourth largest stadium in Europe.
It was a long day. We left at 8.15am to get the train and arrived home around 10.00pm.