Hurling

For the Cornish sport, see Cornish Hurling.

The counties of Ireland, coloured by dominant sport. The blue counties are hurling's heartland, hurling and Gaelic football are equally popular in the green counties, while hurling is a minor sport in the yellow counties.

Hurling (Irish, Iomáint) is an outdoor team sport of Celtic origin, played with sticks and a ball. The game, played primarily in Ireland, is arguably the world's fastest field team sport in terms of game play (however the ball travels faster in other field games such as hockey). It resembles 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. Hurling played by women is also known as camogie. One of Ireland's native sports, it shares a number of features with Gaelic football, such as the field and goals, number of players, and much terminology.

Contents

Game

Hurley and sliotar (hurling stick and ball)

The objective of this field game is for one of two teams to score more goals and points, during a match, than the other. A team comprises 15 players.

The stick, which is known as a hurley or camán, is made traditionally from the root of the Ash tree and is generally 64–97 cm (25–38 inches) in length with a flat face opposite its handle called a bas. The ball, which is known as a sliotar, is made of leather and is 65 mm (2.55 inches) in diameter. The goalkeeper's hurley has a bas twice the size of other players' hurleys to provide some advantage for the fast moving sliotar. A good strike with a stick can propel the ball up to 150 km/h (93 mph) in speed and 80 m (262 feet) in distance.

During a match, players attack their opposing goal and protect their own. When the ball is on the ground, it must be played by striking or lifting it off the ground with the hurley into the air where it may be struck again or placed into the hand for four seconds or four steps, whichever comes first. If the ball is caught, the catching player may not throw it or carry it for the shorter of four paces or four seconds, but is allowed to strike the ball with a stick or hand, or by kicking. The hurley's bas may be used to carry the ball while a player controls it.

Accidental collisions between players and equipment do occur and so a plastic protective helmet with faceguard is recommended (mandatory for players under 18 ).

Rules

Playing Field

The pitch is of grass and rectangular, stretching 130-150 metres long and 80–90 metres wide. There are H-shaped goalposts at each end with a net on the bottom section. The same pitch is used for Gaelic football; the GAA, which organises both sports, decided this to facilitate dual usage. Lines are marked at 13 m, 20 m and 65 m from each end-line. Shorter pitches and smaller goals are used by under-13s and younger.

Teams

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Teams consist of fifteen players (a goalkeeper, two corner backs, a full back, three half backs, two midfielders, three half forwards, two corner forwards and a full forward) plus three substitutes. Each player is numbered 1-15, starting with the goalkeeper, who must wear a different coloured jersey.

Timekeeping

Senior inter-county matches last 70 minutes (35 minutes a half). All other matches last 60 minutes (30 minutes a half). For age groups of under-13 or lower, games may be shortened to 50 minutes. Timekeeping is at the discretion of the referee who adds on stoppage time at the end of each half.

If a knockout game finishes in a draw, a replay is played. If a replay finishes in a draw, 20 minutes (10 minutes a side) extra time is played. If the game is still tied, another replay is played.

In club competitions replays are increasingly not used due to the fixture backlogs caused. Instead, extra time is played after a draw, and if the game is still level after that it will go to a replay. Some club competitions have used penalty shoot-outs also.

Technical Fouls

The following are considered technical fouls ("fouling the ball"):

Picking the ball directly off the ground
Throwing the ball
Going five steps with the ball in the hand. It may be bounced or carried on the hurley though.
Catching the ball three times in a row without it touching the ground (touching the hurley does not count)
Putting the ball from one hand to the other
Handpassing a goal or point
Dropping or throwing the hurley
Square ball, an often controversial rule: If, at the moment the ball enters the small rectangle, there is already an attacking player inside the small rectangle, a free out is awarded.

Scoring

Scoring is achieved by sending the sliotar (ball) between the opposition's goal posts. The posts, which are at each end of the field, are "H" posts as in rugby football but with a net under the crossbar as in soccer. The posts are seven yards (6.37 m) apart and the crossbar is seven feet (2.12 m) above the ground.

If the ball goes over the crossbar, a point is scored and a white flag is raised by an umpire. If the ball goes below the crossbar, a goal, worth three points, is scored, and a green flag is raised by an umpire. The goal is guarded by a goalkeeper. Scores are recorded in the format - . For example, the 1995 All-Ireland final finished: Clare 1-13 Offaly 2-8. Thus Clare won "one thirteen to two eight" (16 to 14). 0-11 is referred to as "eleven points", never "zero eleven". 2-0 is referred to as "two goals", never "two zero". 0-0 is said "no score".

Tackling

Players may be tackled but not struck with a stick. Jersey-pulling, wrestling, pushing and tripping are all forbidden. There are several forms of acceptable tackling, the most popular being:

the block, where one player attempts to smother an opposing players strike by trapping the ball between his hurley and the opponent's swinging hurley;
the hook, where a player approaches another player from a rear angle and attempts to catch the opponent's hurley with his own at the top of the swing; and
the side pull, where two players running together for the sliotar will collide at the shoulders and swing together to win the tackle.

Restarting play

The match begins with the referee throwing the sliotar in between the four midfielders on the halfway line.
After an attacker has scored or put the ball wide of the goals, the goalkeeper may take a puckout from the hand at the edge of the small square. All players must be beyond the 20 m line.
After a defender has put the ball wide of the goals, an attacker may take a "65" from the 65 m line level with where the ball went wide. It must be taken by lifting and striking.
After a player has put the ball over the sideline, the other team may take a sideline puck at the point where the ball left the pitch. It must be taken from the ground.
After a player has committed a foul, the other team may take a free at the point where the foul was committed. It must be taken by lifting and striking.
After a defender has committed a foul inside the large rectangle, the other team may take a penalty from the ground from the centre of the 20 m line. Only the goalkeeper and two defenders may guard the goals. It must be taken by lifting and striking.
If many players are struggling for the ball and it is not clear who was fouled first, the referee may choose to throw the ball in between two opposing players.

Officials

A hurling match is watched over by 8 officials:

The referee
Two linesmen
Sideline Official/Standby Linesman (inter-county games only)
Four umpires (two at each end)

The referee is responsible for starting and stopping play, recording the score, awarding frees and booking and sending off players.
Linesmen are responsible for indicating the direction of line balls to the referee.
The fourth official is responsible for overseeing substitutions, and also indicating the amount of stoppage time (signalled to him by the referee) and the players substituted using an electronic board.
The umpires are responsible for judging the scoring. They indicate to the referee whether a shot was: wide (spread both arms), a 65 m puck (raise one arm), a point (wave white flag), or a goal (wave green flag).
All officials are also supposed to indicate to the referee anything he may have missed, although this is a rare occurrence. The referee can over-rule any decision by a linesman or umpire.

History

Fragments of law predating the Brehon Laws refer to hurling and may have been written before AD 400.

12th century

The tale of the Táin Bó Cuailgne (drawing on earlier legends) describes the hero Cúchulainn playing hurling at Emain Macha.

Meallbreatha describes punishments for injuring a player in several games, most of which resemble hurling.

The Seanchás Mór commentaries on the Brehon Law state that the son of a rí (local king) could have his hurley hooped in bronze, while others could only use copper. It was illegal to confiscate a hurley.

13th century

Statute of Kilkenny forbids hurling due to excessive violence.

14th century

15th century

16th century

1527: Statue recorded in Galway City: "At no time to use ne occupy ye hurling of ye litill balle with the hookie sticks or staves, nor use no hand balle to play without the walls, but only the great foot balle."

1587: Lord Chancellor William Gerrarde complains that English settlers of the Munster Plantation are speaking Irish and playing hurling.

17th century

18th century

19th century

The GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association) is formed in 1884 in Thurles, Tipperary.

20th century

The 20th century saw greater organisation in Hurling and Gaelic Football. The all-Ireland Hurling championship came into existence along with the provincial championships. Cork, Kilkenny and Tipperary dominated hurling in the 20th century with each of these counties winning more than 20 all-ireland titles each. Wexford, Waterford, Clare, Limerick, Offaly, Dublin and Galway were also strong hurling counties during the 20th century. The last all-ireland of the 20th century was won by young Cork teamwith players such as Joe Deane and Brian Corceran. This team would also dominate the sport for parts of the early 21st century

21st century

National and international

Although many hurling clubs exist worldwide, only Ireland has a national team. It and the Scotland shinty team have played for many years with modified match rules(as with Gaelic football and Australian rules football). The match is the only such international competition. However, competition at club level is growing in Europe with teams in several countries. In June 2006, the first ever European County Hurling team played Donegal Senior Panelists (from Setanta Hurling Club, Killygordon) in Brussels with plans to compete in the 2007 Nicky Rackard Cup.

Major hurling competitions

All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship
*Munster Senior Hurling Championship
*Leinster Senior Hurling Championship
*Ulster Senior Hurling Championship
*Connacht Senior Hurling Championship
National Hurling League
Christy Ring Cup
Nicky Rackard Cup
All-Ireland Senior Club Hurling Championship
All-Ireland Under-21 Hurling Championship
All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship
Poc Fada
Féile na nGael

Famous former players

Famous present players

External links

[Official website of the Gaelic Athletic Association]
[Sports.ie Hurling] — Hurling News Fixtures and Results

Gaelic Games in Ireland
Football The GAA Hurling
Football Championship Hurling Championship
National Football League Handball National Hurling League
Tommy Murphy Cup Christy Ring Cup
International Rules Rounders Nicky Rackard Cup
Club Football Championship Club Hurling Championship
Sam Maguire Cup Croke Park Liam McCarthy Cup
Ladies' Gaelic football Camogie
Ladies' Football All-Ireland Interprovincial Championships Camogie All-Ireland
Cic Fada Poc Fada

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Gaelic Games in Ireland
Football	The GAA	Hurling
Football Championship	The GAA	Hurling Championship
National Football League	Handball	National Hurling League
Tommy Murphy Cup	Handball	Christy Ring Cup
International Rules	Rounders	Nicky Rackard Cup
Club Football Championship		Club Hurling Championship
Sam Maguire Cup	Croke Park	Liam McCarthy Cup
Ladies' Gaelic football		Camogie
Ladies' Football All-Ireland	Interprovincial Championships	Camogie All-Ireland
Cic Fada		Poc Fada