Twirling and Hurling

This past weekend I had the opportunity to not only observe Irish culture in action, but also participate in it. On Friday night the International Society held a traditional céilí (pronouced kay-lee) in the campus bar, The Stables. There was a traditional music trio of button accordion, fiddle and guitar supplying reels and jigs for the evening. I participated in a circular dance that had everyone moving back and forth as a circle, plus twirling and stamping around your partner. Afterwards our instructors, who were real dancers at the Irish Academy, gave a demonstration. Safe to say they blew the rest of us out of the water... you wouldn't believe how high they can kick their legs!

Now, the 'hurling' in this blog's title neither refers to the aftermath of spinning too fast in dancing, or an Irish drinking game as my father so candidly suggested. Hurling is perhaps the oldest, traditional sport in Ireland, dating back almost 3,000 years. The female equivalent is called Camogie. Hurling seems to be an interesting combination of baseball, handball, and field hockey. It is one of the fastest team sports on earth, and I'm guessing one of the most violent. Every player is equipped with a hurley (curved stick made especially from mountain ash) and a very important helmet (which only became compulsory in 2010). The idea is to bat a sliotar (baseball-sized ball) around a field larger than a soccer pitch. You can catch the ball, bounce it, carry it on your hurley, slapshot it, and knock it away from your opponent. Tackling is of course allowed. You are awarded one point if you hit it through the field-goal poles, or three points if you get it in the net passed the goalie.

Here is a short video explaining the fine art of hurling: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgEMvRrOCRI

I tried my hand at hurling, and I was really awful. No surprise there really. I also got the chance to try Gaelic Football. Both sports are organized and promoted by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA).  GAA was formed back in 1884, after the great famine inspired a renaissance in Irish culture. The highest level of competition is between counties and players are all amateurs (unpaid) despite the physicality of the sport. The final match of the season was on Sunday and our instructor said "If your team is playing, it's bigger than St Paddy's Day," so I suppose it's equivalent to the Stanley Cup in Canada.

Gaelic football is a little more accessible to non-Irish folk like me because it is a combination of soccer, basketball and rugby. The field and scoring methods are similar to hurling, as well as the brutal contact. Players can drop-kick the ball or bat it with their hand. You can run with the ball, but every four feet you either have to bounce the ball like a basketball or bounce it off your foot.  It is pretty impressive to watch. Check out this clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEAbWrdB9XU

I was better at Gaelic football than hurling, though both were loads of fun. Apparently there are Gaelic leagues all over the world. Make some inquiries and see if there is a team in your area!

Here's a couple pictures of Gaelic football:

Until I can share more adventures, All the Best!
Shannon