History of Hurling
History of Hurling
Article by Owen Jones
While hurling is normally recognized as a Gaelic sport it should perhaps be called a Celtic one. For the history of hurling is in fact older than the history of Ireland itself. It predates Christianity, arriving in Ireland more than three thousand years ago with the Celts.
The first references to hurling in Ireland is in early Irish laws dating from the fifth century. Hurling played a prominent part in early Irish mythology. Legendary Irish heroes such as Cuchulainnt and Fionn Mac Cumhail and his Fianna are both written of as playing hurling.
Hurling is, in essence, a stick and ball game. The game is thought to be related to the games of shinty that is played primarily in Scotland, cammag on the Isle of Man and bandy that was played formerly in England and Wales.
The stick was, and indeed, still is called a hurley and the ball a sliotar. Early Irish lawn Law stated that the son of a r? (local king) could have his hurley hooped in bronze, while others could only make use of copper. It was unlawful to confiscate a hurley.
The object of the game is for players to use the hurley to hit a small ball through the opponent’s goalposts either over the crossbar for one point, or under the crossbar into a net guarded by a goalkeeper for one goal, which is equivalent to three points.
The sliotar can be caught in the hand and borne for not more than four steps, hit in the air, or struck on the ground with the hurley. It can be kicked or slapped with an open hand (the hand pass) for short-range passing. A player who desires to carry the ball for more than three steps has to bounce or balance the sliotar on the end of the stick and the ball can only be handled twice while in his possession.
The English occupation of Ireland led to many statutes prohibitting or proscribing the playing of hurling as it diverted people from archery practice. The earliest of these goes back to the 13th century.
However, it was the Eighteenth Century that came to be known as the