Believe it or not, Denver's Irish do more than just sit around pubs and drink. No, it's true. For starters, they often stand around pubs and drink. But they also play some pretty competitive Gaelic sports, including Gaelic football (rugby meets soccer) and hurling (lacrosse meets field hockey). Today from 5 to 6:30 p.m., the Denver Gaels will teach both to inexperienced players of all ages during the first of three New Player Clinics.
"With St. Paddy's Day being last weekend, it's a perfect recruitment time for us to try to get the word out about our sports and get people to try them out together in a group environment," says Ciaran Dwyer, the Gaels' hurling coach. "A lot of people, when they want to try something new, feel awkward, like, 'Oh, I don’t want to make a fool of myself.' But this will be people who have no experience whatsoever, all trying the sport for the first time with coaches walking them through it."
The clinics — which are also offered on April 1 and 8 at Cook Park, 7100 Cherry Creek Drive South — are free. Even if you don't plan to join the Gaels someday, Dwyer promises you'll be hooked on the sport for years to come. "There's a lot of history and heritage involved with the sport," he explains. "When somebody tries it, they get a sense of that pretty quickly. I'm originally from Kilkenny, which is a hurling region. That was kind of like the religion. Think of the Denver Broncos and how popular they are here, then multiply that by about three, and you get the idea."
