GAELIC ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION. Official Guide, 1913–14. (Rule changes reducing teams to 15 a side)

Small 12mo. pp. 67. Original grey printed wrappers, the upper cover within decorative border enclosing G.A.A. device and titled Official Guide 1913–14; stapled as issued. A clean, well-preserved copy, light vertical crease to upper cover, minor edge wear, internally fresh.

A scarce and important early Official Guide of the Gaelic Athletic Association, issued at a pivotal moment in the standardisation of Gaelic games. This edition is particularly notable for recording the rule changes reducing teams to fifteen-a-side, a fundamental development in the evolution of Gaelic football, bringing the game into its modern form.

The guide contains the Constitution, Laws, and Rules of the Association, revised to date, together with Central Council officers and provincial structures, illustrating the growing administrative sophistication of the G.A.A. in the years immediately preceding the First World War.

Included is “Dr. Croke’s Letter,” the foundational endorsement by Archbishop Thomas William Croke, alongside a distinguished list of patrons including Charles Stewart Parnell and Michael Davitt—firmly situating the Association within the broader currents of the Gaelic Revival and Irish cultural nationalism.

The bilingual Irish/English text and detailed rules—covering pitch dimensions, scoring, and regulations—render this an essential primary document for the codification of Gaelic football. Guides from this early period, especially those marking structural changes to the game, are increasingly scarce in commerce.

An important and transitional G.A.A. handbook, marking the move to the modern fifteen-a-side game.

[WR GAA folder]