HISTORY OF HURLING
Hurling is a game that should be watched by any visitor to Ireland. Played with a stick (known as a hurley) and a ball (known as a sliothar) it is played both in the air and on the ground and is often very confusing to the uninitiated! Played between villages, towns and Counties throughout most of the year, it is the All Ireland Senior Hurling Championship that is the most fought after.
Every dot on this map of Ireland is a Hurling field, now that is culture.
Hurling was originally a form of martial arts training before it was watered down and made a national sport. It is the oldest of all European field games and the fastest!
One of the earliest descriptions of hurling is given in the Battle of Moytura, when the Tuatha de Danaan went up against the Fir Bolg in a violent clash with many casualties that ended in a Fir Bolg victory. Early forms of hurling go back to the Iron Age. It was probably a part of the Tailtean Games, annual gatherings at Tara held more or less continuously from about 1800 BC through 1180 AD. The Youthful exploits of Cuchulainn from Táin Bo Cuailgne (Cattle Raid of Cooley, Ulster Cycle) mentions "camán" which is "hurley" in Irish. According to these stories, Cuchulainn excelled at hurley. As a game, it gave young warriors a sense of combat and the chance to hone their fighting skills.
An illustration of the Hurling legend, Cú Culainn