Two Irish Counties go into Battle Today

Céad Míle Fáilte and welcome to your Letter from Ireland for this week. How are things in your part of the world today? We’re enjoying a lovely mid-summer here in County Cork, with warm sunny days perfect for getting outside and enjoying some sport.

Speaking of sport, today is a very special day in the Irish sporting calendar – the All-Ireland Hurling Final between Clare and Cork. So I thought we’d take a look at this uniquely Irish game and explore some of its history and connections to our shared Irish heritage.

I’m sipping on a cup of Barry’s tea as I write – why don’t you join me with a cup of whatever you fancy as we dive into the world of hurling?

The Fastest Field Sport in the World?

Hurling is often called the fastest field sport in the world, and with good reason. The small leather-covered ball – called a “sliotar” (pronounced “shlit-or”) – can travel at speeds of over 110 miles/hour when struck by a player. It’s a team game of strength, lightning-fast reflexes, incredible skill, and no small amount of bravery.

What makes hurling even more remarkable is that it remains a completely amateur sport. The players you’ll see battling it out in Dublin today are teachers, policemen, farmers, and tradesmen who play purely for the pride of their parish and county. There’s something special about that in this age of big-money professional sports. What do you think?

But perhaps the most unique thing about hurling is just how Irish it is. While it shares some similarities with field hockey or lacrosse, hurling is a sport that developed entirely on this island of ours over thousands of years. It’s as much a part of our cultural DNA as traditional music or the Irish language.

The Mythical Origins of Hurling.

Like many aspects of Irish culture, the origins of hurling are clouded by myth and legend. The game is said to date back up to 3,000 years. One of the most famous hurling stories from Irish mythology tells of the boy Setanta, who would later become the great hero Cú Chulainn. As a child, Setanta was said to have accidentally killed a fierce guard dog with his hurley and sliotar. To make amends, he offered to take the dog’s place guarding the house of the smith Culann – hence his new name “Cú Chulainn”, meaning “The Hound of Culann”.

Whether this and other tales are true or not, archaeological evidence shows that stick-and-ball games very similar to hurling were indeed being played in Ireland as far back as 1200 BC. Hurling is truly ancient.

The resurgence of Hurling as a modern Irish Game.

Despite its long history, hurling nearly died out in the 19th century, but was revived and standardised with the founding of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) in 1884.

The GAA was established not just to promote Irish sports like hurling and Gaelic football, but as part of the wider Gaelic Revival movement that looked to preserve and celebrate Irish culture in the face of increasing Anglicisation.
The first All-Ireland Hurling Championship was held in 1887, and the sport has gone from strength to strength ever since. Today, the All-Ireland final is one of the biggest sporting events in Ireland, with 82,000 fans packing Croke Park in Dublin and hundreds of thousands more watching on TV.

Counties Cork and Clare go into Battle today.

Since that first championship in 1887, a handful of counties have dominated hurling at the highest level. While County Kilkenny leads the roll of honour with 36 All-Ireland titles, they are followed by County Cork with 30, County Tipperary with 28, and County Limerick with 10.

Further down the list we find County Clare – which has won only 4 titles. However,  they’ve been one of the most exciting teams to watch in recent years. Nicknamed “The Banner County”, Clare’s hurling team lists surnames such as Quilligan, McInerney, Hogan, Cleary, Ryan, Malone, Reidy and Kelly.

The County Cork team, meanwhile, are known as “The Rebels” – a nickname that dates back to their support of a rebellion against Henry VII in 1491. Today, on the team you’ll find plenty of Cork surnames such as O’Leary, Collins, O’Mahony, Horgan, Connolly, Barrett, Twomey, Kingston and O’Flynn.

Both counties have deep hurling traditions, and today’s match promises to be a classic. As I write, the teams are warming up in Croke Park, getting ready to add another chapter to hurling’s long and storied history.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this little journey through the world of hurling. Even if you’ve never seen a match, I hope you can appreciate how this ancient game connects us to our shared Irish heritage. You might even catch the highlights of the game on youtube a little later today.

Do you have any memories of watching or playing hurling? Or perhaps you have ancestors from Cork or Clare?

That’s it for this week’s letter. As always, do feel free to share any thoughts or comments you might have.
Slán go fóill,
Mike.