Game of hurling

The game was outlawed in the 12th century after the occupation by the Normans, Hurling continues to feature in Later Medieval Gaelic Irish and English sources, with the latter generally disapproving. It is hard to believe it now but in the 14th century that bastion of the modern game, Killkenny, attempted to ban hurling.

The ban had little effect and years later, in the Statute of Galway of , the playing of hurling was again banned. Indeed, the game appears to have been widely played in the latter middle ages. Donegal clearly depicts a sword, hurley and sliotar.

Similarly in the south of the country, hurling was so prevalent, that the Lord Chancellor William Gerrarde was forced to reprimand the English settlers of the Munster Plantation for playing the game in In the post-medieval period hurling continued to prosper, often under the patronage of the Anglo-Irish gentry.

These matches drew large crowds and many colourful accounts of these games survive. Similarly in , a game at Callan, Co. The sticks were being brandished like swords. Hurling is a war-like game. The west side won the first match and the east the second. Photo from www. A growing sense of nationalism among the Irish people and the formation of the United Irishmen led to an increase in political tension.

The landowners, generally English and Protestant began to fear large gatherings and withdrew support from the game. The Rising of deepened divisions and the Act of Union, which made Ireland part of the United Kingdom, also changed the way of life. Barony hurling, which was organised by landlords and comprised teams made up of their tenants, came to an end in the early part of the nineteenth century. By the time of the Great Famine of — 49, Hurling had declined dramatically and was in danger of dying out completely but for a number of strongholds.

However, Dublin Castle itself admitted that by the late s, Hurling was being played all over Munster and records of the game survive in Donegal and Down and Kilkenny and Longford. There was much variation in the forms of the stick and ball games played in Ireland. There was the cross country scuaib in Clare and South Galway. In the s Hurling would see a new revival in the name of Michael Cusack.

From to one of these two hurling superpowers where in the finals and the two met each other at Croke Park three times to compete in some of the game's most memorable matches. The Kilkenny Cats were winners on two of these occasions, in and , but Cork won in to make it three in a row for the Leesiders. The s and s saw the rise of teams such as Limerick, Galway, Offaly and Clare who would challenge the dominance of the big three of Cork, Kilkenny and Tipperary.

But in recent years the battle between the old enemies Cork and Kilkenny have been renewed. Of the seven All-Ireland Finals that were to take place between and , only one was not contested by either Cork or Kilkenny and the two have battled it out three times. In Cork met Kilkenny in a game with it all to play; the Cats were chasing their first treble, while Cork wanted revenge for their defeat the previous year. With both teams winning 28 titles each, this final was to be the decider. After a tight game Cork won to and went on to win the next year.

Kilkenny however went on to win in through to , beating Cork in , Limerick in and Waterford in From to , Kilkenny met Tipperary in what was the first ever time that same two teams played in the All Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final for three years in a row.

Kilkenny took the wins in and , with Tipperary winning in Continuing their Hurling dominance and appearing in their seventh consecutive final, Kilkenny reigned supreme again in , beating Galway to win the Final. Throughout the years Hurling has had its share of characters and sporting heroes. These men not only won at the highest level, training as hard as any sportsman, but they also held regular jobs, playing their sport as amateurs for the love of the game - a rare quality indeed for any sport today.

Greats like Eddie Keher, who helped Kilkenny win six All Ireland titles between and and scored points in just 21 games. The sliotar can travel up to kilometres per hour over the course of a game! The female version of the game is known as Camogie and is very similar to hurling, with just a few minor rule changes.

The games are truly magnificent spectacles, with speed, accuracy, intensity and passion to the fore. Come join us and we will introduce you to the skills of the game along with the passion and culture behind it. Are you excited yet? Why not book in with Experience Gaelic Games and try your hand at the greatest game on earth.

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