Thecentenary of the Gaelic Athletic Association celebrated 100 years since the foundation of theGaelic Athletic Association (GAA) with a series of events, commemorative releases, merchandise and competitions throughout1984.

The GAA was established in Hayes Hotel inThurles,County Tipperary on 1 November 1884 to foster and preserve Ireland's unique games and athletic pastimes.^[1] In an address to the Association,TaoiseachGarret Fitzgerald stated "During this hundred years, the association has made a profound contribution to Ireland. In a unique way, it has created a sense of community among Irish people both at home and abroad".^[2]

Plans to celebrate the centenary began in 1978,^[3] with redevelopment ofSemple Stadium estimated at£500,000.

A special booklet, published by the GAA entitled "A Centenary of Service" was launched by GAA PresidentPaddy Buggy, containing messages of congratulations from civic and religious leaders and other personalities.^[4]

A special commemorative medal was designed by Dublin jeweller Thomas Gear, whose previous work included similar items for the1979 Papal visit to Ireland ofPope John Paul II and theJoyce centenary. It featured on one side a hurling player about to strike a sliotar surrounded by the textCumann Lúthchleas Gael – GAA – Comórad Céad Bliain. On the obverse, it features a relief of Hayes Hotel, Thurles.^[5] The medals were produced in limited quantities in 20 carat gold, Irish silver and bronze. The silver was made specially available by theBank of Ireland, smelted from silver ore from the Tynagh Mines inCounty Galway.^[6]

The 'Centennial Salute' is a piece of music written specifically for the centenary by Joe Lynch, then musical director of theArtane Boys Band.^[7]

A special exhibition was held at the RDS Dublin between 16 and 20 May 1984^[8] which featured historical artifacts from across Ireland. The exhibition was officially opened by Minister for Public ServiceJohn Boland.^[9]

A special edition of theLate Late Show, Ireland's most popular talk show, was broadcast on 22 September 1984 and hosted byGay Byrne featured GAA personalitiesPaddy Buggy,Liam Mulvihill,Liz Howard and formerTaoiseach and six-time All-Ireland winnerJack Lynch.^[10]

TheWexford Centenary committee commissioned writer Nicky Furlong to write a play-pageant to outline the Association's activity in the county. It was directed byTomás Mac Anna, director and producer of Dublin'sAbbey Theatre.^[11]

Two inter-county competitions, one each infootball andhurling were organised. This competition differed from the traditional All-Ireland Championships in that it was an open draw across all the participating counties, rather than following the provincial championship format.^[12]

The football competition began on 8 April, the hurling competition on 15 April, with both finals played inCroke Park on 20 May.

That year'sAll-Ireland Hurling Final was played atSemple Stadium inThurles on 2 September, the first time the final had been played outside Croke Park since1937.^[13] The final was contested betweenCork andOffaly, which Cork won by 3–16 to 1–12.

The football final was contested betweenKerry andDublin on 23 September. Kerry won the game 0–14 to 1–6.

Gaelic football had long beencompared toAustralian Rules Football.^[14][15] Touring Australian teams had undertakentours of Ireland in 1967 and 1969, playing an early form of International Rules.Ireland played Australia in the first^[16] officialInternational rules football series with three games played between 21 October and 4 November inCork andDublin.

The Australian team won the test series 2–1 and finished with a superior aggregate of 222 points to Ireland's 208.^[17]

Four teams of the century were selected, one in football and one in hurling, and another set covering both codes involving players who had never won an All-Ireland Championship.^[18][19]

The players on the teams were nominated bySunday Independent readers and were selected by a panel of experts and former players.^[20]

• History of the Gaelic Athletic Association
• 1884 establishments in Ireland
• All-island sports governing bodies in Ireland
• Gaelic games governing bodies in Ireland
• Sports organizations established in 1884
• Organisations based in Dublin (city)
• Irish nationalist organisations
• International organisations based in Ireland

• CS1: unfit URL
• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata
• Use dmy dates from June 2020
• Use Hiberno-English from June 2020
• All Wikipedia articles written in Hiberno-English
• Pages using infobox mapframe with missing coordinates