Ireland: The A-Z Irish Glossary - 'H' is for 'Hurling'
'Hurling'
The Irish national sport, sort of like hockey on PCP.
Note to all Ozzies, Kiwi's and American's: When in Ireland Hurling does not mean throwing up!!
Hurling involves
two teams of fifteen very large culchies
(fine countrymen!) beating
the crap out of each other with large sticks for 70 minutes. Is that
entertainment, or what?
Actually,
there's a bit more to it than that, involving a leather-covered ball
that feels like it's made of concrete and something about scoring goals
and points, but when you get down to it, it's about chasing people
around a field with a stick.
Hurling is meant to be the fastest field
game in the world - and why wouldn't it be, with a stick-wielding muck savage the size of a small car bearing
down on you with murder in his piggy eyes? Many
Irish people think that hurling was the reason why the Romans never
invaded Ireland; they discovered what we did for fun and decided it was
better not to see what we did in a fight.