Conference tallis::celt

1246.0. "The Economist knows Hurling" by SOLVIT::SMYTH () Sun Jul 18 1993 16:54

    The following article appeared in "The Economist" magazine dated July
    10th - 16th 1993. I thought it quite strange for such a "raather"
    English orientated magazine to be waxing so lyrical about that great
    sport of Hurling.
    
    <HEADER> PLAYERS BRED, NOT MADE
    
    <sub header> No sport is as quintessentially Irish as hurling.
    
    To the outsider, hurling appears to be a fratricidal dispute over a
    ball (which might or might not have some relevance  to the proceedings)
    between two sets of mem armed with clubs. Or, at best, a form of
    airborne field-hockey without any rules or regard for human life. But
    eve the crassest outsider witnessing a match between two hurling teams,
    their ash sticks clashing in mid-air and shoulders crunching into one
    another, eventually has to admit that it takes great skill to collect
    and control with a single stroke of a stick a ball travelling at high
    speed ten feet (three metres) above the ground.
    	That skill is both the triumph of hurling and its critical
    shortcoming. It is a sport which cannot travel. Unless a person has
    acquired the essential skills of the hurling stick and ball in early
    childhood, it is virtually impossible  to acquire them at all. Attempts
    to master hurling  in later years merely fill hospital casualty wards.
    	
    In consequence, hurling is an intensely regional sport, concentrated in
    the southern half of Ireland. If it is not native to a parish or barony
    then it will simply not be played. Analyses by Irish scholars suggest
    that it only exists in baronies which experienced heavy settlement by
    14th century invaders from England, who probably introduced the sport
    into Ireland. Of a group of hurlers in the 17th century, an observer
    wrote: "They have a sort  of jargon speech peculiar to themselves and
    understand not one word of Irish."
    
    <There is a map entitled "The Hurling Heartland", with the following
    parts shaded:
    Munster except West Cork and Kerry, KilKenny, Wexford,
    and East/South Galway, and two patches in Ulster, one each in Antrim
    and Down.
    The notation on the shading is: "Areas where hurling is played well.">
    
    Indeed, there is not in the Irish language a generally accepted  word
    for hurling, and the sport is entirely absent in the remaining
    Gaelic-speaking populations on the Atlantic seaboard. Evidence from the
    18th century suggests that landlords encouraged the sport of hurling
    with handsome prize money  and team sponsorship. By that time the
    Medieval English colonists had been thoroughly hibernicised and,
    because of their Catholic religion, had been as dispossessed of land as
    those of Gaelic stock. Since then the colonists have been assimilated
    completely, but even today their connection with hurling is often
    evident  in the English or Norman surnames which tend to be more common
    in areas where hurling is played. The Munster Provincial final on July
    4th featured players named Crosse, Fox, Bonnar, Fitzgerald, Markham,
    Lyons, Russell and Chaplain.
    
    All of which is something akin to heresy for those who prefer a Gaelic
    racial fantasy. For the past century or so, hurling has been one of te
    sports embraced by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA), which for the
    greater part of its existence  ahs been a republican nationalist
    organisation. It still bans members of the Royal Ulster Constabulary
    (RUC) or British Army from playing any GAA sports and until 20 years
    agao even outlawed the playing of "foreign" sports such as cricket,
    soccer or rugby by anybody who wanted to play a GAA sport.
    
    Perhaps the GAA knew somthing. Hurlers actually make good soldiers. The
    ethos of hurling so filled the Irish army in its early days that one
    veteran soldier was seen examining  the battalion notice board in
    disbelief. "God help us," he muttered sadly. "McNamara...promoted to
    corporal...and the man never held a hurley in his bloody life."
    
    Hurlers themselves have shown little interest in the political
    obsessions of the GAA. They are largely content  to play their gane.
    And what a game, to which no description can do justice. It is played
    with hurleys ,ash sticks with a wide blade at the bottom which can
    propel a ball 100 yards (90 metres). Players can catch the ball with
    their hand but may not run holding it; they can keep possession solely
    by tapping it on the blade of their hurleys. This is a prodigious
    skill-especially when a player dribbles through desparately lunging
    defenders. A visitor wrote in 1699:
    "You can sometimes see one of the gamesters carrying the ball, tossing
    it for 40 or50 yards in spite of all the adverse play. Sometimes if he
    miss his blow at the ball,he knocks one of his opponents down of which no
    resentment is shown."
    
    Hurling is still remarkably free of rancour. It is equally free of
    money. Though it can generate huge revenues-the All-Ireland Final in
    Croke Park each September attracts 70,000 people-it is a completely
    amateur sport.
    
    Each team has 15 players and they paly on a pitch about 150 yards long
    and 90 wide. They amy propel the ball by hitting it with their hands,
    feet or hurleys, but may not throw it. the object is to a goal under
    the bar and between the posts of a rugby <or american football> style
    goal, which is defended by a goalkeeper. A goal is worth three points.
    One point is awarded for hitting the ball over the bar and between the
    posts. Physical contsct is essential to the game, but holding or rugby
    style tackling is not allowed.
    Oter wise hurling is essentailly ruleless and is governed by its own
    profoundly honourable culture. In the southern counties, such as
    Kilkenny, Tipperary, Wexford, Limerick and Cork where 70% of the
    players are concentrated, the result is a free-flowing game which
    should enthral even the most sceptical of outsiders. Hurling may also
    be seen in Northern counties but, except for limited areas of Down and
    Antrim, it is usually embarassingly bad there. The players are so
    unskilled that ugly , if superficial , head wounds are common.
    
    Simply because of the difficult skills involved, there are probably no
    more than 50,000 hurlers at all levels in all of Ireland. Yet each year
    only big soccer internationals and the Gaelic football final attract a
    larger television sports audience in Ireland than the hurling
    All-Ireland Final. St Patrick always takes complete charge of the
    weather on the day of the final and it is played on an invariably balmy
    Sunday in September.
    
    <A picture of a Wexford Hurler with full headgear, just about to skelp
    a sliothar is in the top right hand corner with the caption "Sure, it's 
    a man's game.">

    
    
    ..Interesting article...I understand Channel 4 (UK) are showing games
    every saturday. Actually Its not just a Male game..the GAA also hold
    competitions for Women ("Camogie") which are under more or less the
    same rules.
    
    Its often said that the wearing of Helmets should be manitory (it is
    for Juvenile games)..But I can't see it ever being implemented. You see
    some bad injuries..and not just from the unskilled teams. In yesterdays
    game one kilkenny payer played most of the game with a broken
    collar bone and a gashed head..no bother to him..
    
    Down the country some club games CAN get out of hand..I recall being
    asked to keep the scoreboard at the age of 10!..I lost track of the
    game and made a "slight" mistake not registering a score..Mid way
    through the second half a MOTHER of all rows started...which saw
    all players and a number of specators getting involved...As they neared
    the scoreboard a number of players started "looking for clarification"
    from us......All I remember was an umpire turning
    to us and saying "RUN..for gods sake RUN" ...records were broken
    clearing ditches and rivers.....
    
    True there is a ban on Northern Ireland security forces joining the
    GAA. There are a number of sides to this..One being the security forces
    use of an armagh GAA pitch as a landing ground for helicopters...which
    has caused bad feeling. The soccer ban is more or less gone..
    
    Its a game which has to be attended to be appreciated...Next big one
    will be the Tipperary Galway game on Maarch 8th in Dublin....Tipp will
    then go on to play Kilkenny in the final -) -).
    
    slan,
    
    Mick
    

	Mick...one mail and you steal my thunder re Channel 4. In the UK,
every Saturday morning from 11:00 during the summer, Channel 4 screens 
highlights of the previous Sundays games...no need to listen to crackly old
radio on Sunday afternoon although we still do of course!

	Must admit I believe there are some inaccuracies in that report. 
Remember all those tales of Cuchulainn and his caman...surely there must be
some truth in there which would dispel the assertion it was introduced by
Anglo-Normans....also shinty is played in the Gaelic areas of Scotland which
suggests to me that its a game who's roots go back to Celtic times.

	Mick, you can now give up the Al Jolsen lessons. The semi-finals are
at Croke Park on August 8th (Tipp v Galway and Kilkenny v Antrim/Meath) from
which I hope Tipperary will progress and probably line up against those fine?
feline fellows from over the provincial border on the first Sunday in September.

	Sean

    Hey Se�n,
    
    Will the semi-finals on August 8 be sold out already?
    
    What's shinty?  A cousin of hurling?
                      
    /George

    
    I wouldn't think they are sold out yet. Also you can usually get
    tickets on the day..somehow..
    
    Should be good games...Sean..Will you be there???
    
    Mick

Re: .3  George, yes shinty is a variation of hurling played in the gaelic
speaking area of Scotland....no reason to assume it was introduced by Irish 
emigrant workers in the last couple of centuries as they mainly went to the 
industrial areas (Glasgow Celtic) or to the lowlands of Scotland as potato
pickers. Incidentally, there used to be an annual match between Irish hurlers/
Scottish shinty-ers, but I dont know whether its still held. Re the match, I'm
sure Mick will be able to get you a ticket.....provided you wear blue_n_gold!!
BTW..a little bird tells me you might be down in Cork in August...I 'll be 50
miles up the road in the Premier county.

Re: .last Mick,  Probably in spirit only...I'll have the kids over with me and 
I'd get ostracised if I took off to Dublin for the day. Mail me your Tel: number
and I'll give a call nearer the date...if not this time, I'll see you hopefully
for a week-end later in the year.

Up Tipp...........

	Sean