Hurling

So an Indian, an Egyptian, a Welshman, a Dutchman, half a German and one and a half Irishmen walk into Croke Park. It's not the start to a bad joke, it's a trip to the hurling.

None of us had been before (some hadn't even heard of it!) but with the 3rd, 4th and 5th tier intercountry finals on we thought we'd all give it a go.



If you've never heard of hurling before, it has been variously described as the fastest field sport on Earth or a mix between hockey, lacrosse and murder. The idea is to get the ball (sliotar slit-her, which evolved into the modern baseball) into the opposing team's goal (3 points) or between the uprights (1 point) by smashing it with the hurley. The hurley's are made of ash and often have a metal band around the broad end to prevent them from splitting. Players have no protection except the helmet (and even then only since 2010) and like all Gaelic Games the sport is strictly amateur. 

Anyway, the matches were exhilarating! Huge congratulations to Fermanagh, Donegal and Kildare for winning their respective cups. Looking forward to going back again.