Hurling: 22 June 2008

Today the group (12) went to its first hurling match. We took the bus to the pitch which was in the suburbs of Cork. The stadium was surprisingly large and surprisingly expensive to go watch a game. It was a ten Euro entrance fee but it was worth it, when am I going to see a hurling match? The game seems relatively simple: two squads of 13 and a goalie attempt to score by either putting the ball in the net or between the uprights by hitting the ball with the “hurl” in a similar fashion to a baseball. It is a combination of lacrosse, hockey and baseball. The craziest thing is that the only protective device that people have the option of using is a helmet, and not everyone even uses them. These guys are whirling these hefty paddles around each other’s heads with no real regard for the opponents. I was shocked people were not hurt more often. I learned later that it was an inter-county league as opposed to the national league which is made up of the different counties playing each other. Now I just need to see a cricket match, a soccer match and a rugby match.