Over the last few years, Hurley to Rise has read a few books about the sport of hurling that have helped us understand the game better. We Americans need all the help we can get understanding hurling and its finer points, and sometimes a book is just the ticket.

With that in mind, I can say I wholeheartedly recommend these as Christmas stocking stuffers for the hurling enthusiast on your gift list.

“Hurling USA: America Discovers an Ancient Irish Sport” by Denis O’Brien — An exploration of the sport as it arrived in America, disappeared and reappeared in modern times. History lessons aside, the author talks to a number of modern enthusiasts about how they first encountered the sport and brought it to their own little corner of the United States. Originally an e-book, it’s now available in print form too.  (In full disclosure: I am quoted in the book.)

• My preview of the book
• Where to buy it.

“Ireland’s Professional Amateurs: A Sports Season at its Purest” by Andy Mendlowitz – This was one of the first books I read about hurling (and its related sport, Gaelic Football) and it delved into explaining some of the background elements of the game in Ireland. In particular it looks at how the amazing athletes who play the game aren’t compensated for their play. Instead they do play out of pride for their homeland. It’s really a foreign concept to many Americans — these guys perform at a pro sport level, but don’t get paid millions for their work. Heck, they don’t even get paid thousands for their work.

• My review of the book.
• Where you can buy it.

“The Wolfhound Guide to Hurling” by Brendan Fullam — This thin book offers a look at the historical and mythical roots of the game and offers some early accounts of those who reported on the sport. It supposes that the reader knows quite a bit about hurling and its legendary players, but despite those complaints it’s quite interesting.

• My review of the book.
• Where to buy it (the typical places … Amazon, Barnes & Noble)

MORE BOOKS
I also have a few other hurling books in my to-read pile, but I just haven’t got to them yet. They are:

• “Last Man Standing: Hurling Goalkeepers” By Christy O’Connor
• “Hurling: The Revolution Years” by Denis Walsh

Expect a review on those in later entries in Hurley to Rise.

Do you know of any more? Care to write a review of your favorite? E-mail me and let’s work together!

 

 

 

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TheSlate.com, an online magazine, just did an interesting piece on hurling and its fairly new helmet and facemask rule. You can read the article, titled “The Craziest Men in Sports” here.

Since I’ve been involved in hurling, using a helmet was mandatory, except while we practiced. But after running a few drills with my helmet on and participating in a few scrimmages, it truly is a whole different experience when you’re playing with a helmet.

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A game of hurling showed up on a 2009 episode of “CSI: NY.” I didn’t see and probably never will because I have no interest in the alphabet soup of crime shows out there.

This episode centers around the death of a man who told the Queens Hurling Club to hold their hurling practices somewhere else. You can learn all about the ins-and-outs of the episode here, but let’s face it the hurling is what I care about.

Here’s the scene:

Even for me, the hurling here looks a little clumsy. First off, those guys should be running all over a giant field. Instead, they look like they’ve been confined to a pitch the size of a kickball diamond.

You need all that space because hurling is about running — running like a madman because you know another madman is about to chase you down and take your stuff. Instead, these guys look like they they’re about to break into a tasteful game of croquet.

Then there’s the handpasses. Yeesh. They’re what? A yard away from one another? And they’re standing still? What’s the point of that? If you’re making a hand pass, it’s because you’ve got one of those madmen crawling all over you and your teammate doesn’t.

Also, take a look at all the player’s hurls. Every one of them is brand spanking new. No ball marks. No dirt on the edges. No gouges. Nothing.

Why even the “Ooh, this could be evidence!” shot shows a hurley so clean you could eat off of it. If you’re gonna kill someone with your hurley, the least you would do is pick one that been well-used since it might already have blood on it. (The better to mix up those science nerds on the forensics squad, y’know.)

Finally, the prime speaking roll goes to Derek Craigie, a guy from Scotland, who speaks with a Scottish accent. What’s so hard about finding an Irish actor?

Complaints aside, I’m just glad to see hurling show up in the mass media, and if you happen to know of others, let me know!

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I missed last week’s practice in Baltimore (family in town), so this Sunday is when my fall hurling season begins.

I’m eager to jump in again, even though I currently have an achy back. Each of the fall games in Baltimore will last about an hour, so I’m pretty sure I’ll survive. You can try the game yourself, since we’re eager to get new players no matter what your skill level.

Still, as I get ready for what’s ahead, I’ve been thinking about the highlights and lowlights of my season:

• PRACTICES: I managed to make about 60 percent to 75 percent of the practices. Most of my missed time was the result of an injury or sickness. Since I have to drive  about 65 miles to and from practice in rush-hour traffic, that ain’t too bad.

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Modern hurling in America has been, in a large part, greatly assisted by one man:
Stephen Quigley.

Years ago, Quigley started the American Hurling Co. which began producing hurling sticks for American players. While his hurleys cost about the same as many Irish-made hurleys, his company was well known for its amazing customer service and speedy delivery. (And when you break your only hurley in practice and need one in a few days for a game, speedy deliveries are important.)
I personally have dealt with Stephen and American Hurling Co. a number of times, most recently this summer as I quested for a

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The Milwaukee Hurling Club is one of America’s most active teams. One of their players put together this amazing video from some clips he or she captured with a helmet camera.

Enjoy!

http://youtu.be/oUGQQv1YlmI

More on he Milwaukee team at Wikipedia.

And just in case you’re still in the dark, a tutorial on the basics of hurling can be seen here.

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