When you look at old documentaries, it’s usually with a little bit of a smirk on your face. They are quaint, often silly and terribly outdated.

But today I ran across an old hurling video starring Christy Ring, one of the game’s best players ever. In it, Ring and his narrator provide some absolutely wonderful advice on some of the basic skills of the game.

Ring, by the way, is so well respected in Ireland that hurling’s mid-level county championship cup is named after thim.

For modern Irish players, this video might be full of what I call “no duh” information. But for Americans? It can help us understand some of the basics that we haven’t ever been educated on.

Indeed, this is some timeless advice on playing this great sport.

As for the parade music, well, that is definitely not so timeless.

Christy Ring statue image from http://www.donal.ie in this post. Please take a moment to check out the site!

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Joe.ie, a “man’s stuff” website from the Emerald Isle, posted a story this week about a County Wexford, Ireland, hurling club that went the extra mile.

Well, not the extra mile, but the “extra time” by hosting a game that lasted 24 hours. The guys should be doubly proud of themselves, since they also managed to nab a spot in the upcoming Guinness Book of World Records for their feat of sportsmanship

According to the article, the game included 46 players and ended with a score of 217-324  to 220-286. That all adds up to a match with 975 points scored by the winning team and 946 for the losers.

If you think your goalkeepers are moody, just imagine how awful those goalkeepers felt after a game like that.

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Once again, the HurlingGoals YouTube channel has offered up a complete broadcast of one of 2012′s best games of hurling. This is the senior championship matchup between County Galway and County Kilkenny. In fact it proved to be such a great game, they’re planning a sequel on September 30! (You’ll understand what I mean by the end of this game.)
So until then, enjoy the show. http://youtu.be/oBx7ZsjziHQ

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As the Minors Hurling match was closing down, the stands at Croke Park began to fill up as all of Ireland settled in to watch the 2012 All-Ireland Seniors match between Galway and Kilkenny.

In the minors match, the stadium in Dublin had only filled to about one-quarter of its capacity. But by the end of that game, which leads directly into the seniors match, the crowd had blossomed to more than 80,000.

As the seniors game broadcasters and analysts hit the field, the crowd proved too noisy for them to even hear well, as they started to clutch their headphones to hear one another.

Before the start of the game, their was a short pregame show featuring a procession of the two senior teams, flags from every county in Ireland. The most amusing sight was two balloons that carried massive flags for County Galway and County Kilkenny.

After theatrics with the flags, the hurling teams assembled on the field for a minute of silence — but I didn’t hear for what. After that rather noisy minute, the game commenced.

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As the various North American Gaelic Athletic Association champions celebrate their wins last weekend, the rest of the Irish-friendly world is turning its eyes to Dublin’s legendary Croke Park where the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championships are set to be played on Sunday.

Where the North American games in Philly were played by enthusiasts of the game of hurling, Sunday’s match is all about the best teams in the entire world, not just the best in the U.S. and Canada.

This year’s match pits perennial favorite County Kilkenny against the County Galway team lead by Joe Canning.

Personally, I’m rooting for Galway in this match, but it seems that Kilkenny has the edge in this “Super Bowl of Hurling.” You can read some previews and news on the games here, here and here.

WHERE TO WATCH

For the Irish stuck here in America and American fans of the game, Sunday’s Galway v. Kilkenny match will be tough to find. As usual, the game broadcast is being kept under strict control.

Most American fans will zip out to a local Irish pub or sports bar that has decided to foot the bill for the broadcast. You can check out the venues available in your area by going here.

For those of us who don’t have a nearby GAA-friendly establishment. There is another option — and honestly it isn’t too expensive assuming you have a computer with a super-speedy connection. For about $30 (plus taxes and fees), you can watch the game here.

I haven’t actually tried watching any of the games this way, so buyer beware.

WHEN TO WATCH

Here’s a schedule for the upcoming games (for hurling and men’s gaelic football) and their associated talk shows. All times are in Eastern Standard Time.

• 8:15am — GAA Minor Football Championship Final: Meath vs Dublin
• 10:30am –  GAA Senior Football Championship Final: Donegal vs Mayo
• 4:30pm –  The Sunday Game – GAA Match Highlights and Discussion

 

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With the Irish financial crisis deepening, U.S. immigration officials are being especially watchful of Irish nationals showing up in American airports.

In this news story from the Irish Independent, Liam Watson, an Antrim hurling player, was detained while entering the country in San Francisco. He was with a group of All-Star hurling players coming to the U.S for exhibition games this weekend.

“I told them I wasn’t aware of that and was only coming in for a week to play hurling but they kept saying I would have to go home straight away. They thought I was out looking for work,” Watson told the newspaper.

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