Hurling
No, nothing to do with food poisoning or excessive drinking.
The (wonderful?) Irish sport of hurling has re-entered my mind recently - there is a club based in Perivale, and I happened upon their match(es) two Sundays ago. Intriguingly for me, hurling seems to be the only organised sport that has not yet bowed to health and safety concerns (think of ice hockey, American football, etc) - although the 8-10 year old boys playing were wearing headgear, once you reach your teens, no protection seems to be employed, be you male or female. I remember as a child watching Irish footballers who had grown up playing hurling and being amazed at the physical punishment they could endure - but, having seen the game close up and repeatedly on TV, it is no surprise - a ball the size of those used in hockey is hit/flicked into the air using the hurley (sorry, the only images are of Liz) and hit. Whilst running. This (seemingly) has changed little over the centuries - the game is mentioned in old Irish legends, and the famous sports channel, Setanta, is named after its greatest practitioner.
The (wonderful?) Irish sport of hurling has re-entered my mind recently - there is a club based in Perivale, and I happened upon their match(es) two Sundays ago. Intriguingly for me, hurling seems to be the only organised sport that has not yet bowed to health and safety concerns (think of ice hockey, American football, etc) - although the 8-10 year old boys playing were wearing headgear, once you reach your teens, no protection seems to be employed, be you male or female. I remember as a child watching Irish footballers who had grown up playing hurling and being amazed at the physical punishment they could endure - but, having seen the game close up and repeatedly on TV, it is no surprise - a ball the size of those used in hockey is hit/flicked into the air using the hurley (sorry, the only images are of Liz) and hit. Whilst running. This (seemingly) has changed little over the centuries - the game is mentioned in old Irish legends, and the famous sports channel, Setanta, is named after its greatest practitioner.
posted by lukeski at 1:32 pm
2 Comments:
I'm pretty sure the big teams use helmets now. And I'd be damned if they don't protect the balls somehow, too.
I'm from Cork, by the way - reigning all-Ireland hurling champions!
U-18's are required to wear helmets.Adults however are not (altough most do). And the day a G.A.A. ma wears something to protect his balls is the day I stop playing.
Joseph, Co.Clare
Up THE BANNER!
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