Irish Sports and the Outside World

If living outside of your home country does anything for you, it makes you more patriotic. I certainly found that yesterday when I spent the last official day of summer (it had to have been – today is lashing) sitting in a pub watching the All Ireland Hurling Final. Of course, I wouldn’t just watch it if anyone were playing but it was Cork boi! Naturally I frequented an Irish pub for it and surrounded by my fellow country people while watching the game and eating fish and chips, I could have been in any bar at home. Only the random German accent here and there snapped me back into my Berlin bubble. Overall it wasn’t a very exciting match and Cork barely deserved a replay let alone a win, but I felt as proud as punch sitting there. I love how hurling is so unique to the world and I was filled with pride when non-Irish people were asking how the sport was played. Sometimes, whether you live in your country or not, it is good to feel a sense of pride about your roots. I certainly needed that boost as I was starting to get disillusioned myself as a result of reading the many negative things people say about Ireland across social media networks. It is not the most perfect country in the world by no means, but as a nation we have a lot to be proud of. Having one of the most fantastic sports in the world certainly is. September 28th brings about the replay when you can find me lurking about the usual expat haunts to try to experience at least 1% of the atmosphere that will be at Croker.