The most Irish of all Irish holidays is upon us, and that means hurling clubs around the U.S. are out in force in their local media. Their job? Promote the sport. Recruit more players. And befuddle the broadcasters.

Most Americans have three reactions when they hear about hurling. First and foremost, they make a joke about the name of the sport and make sure their hurler isn’t actually talking about curling, the shuffleboard-on-ice game. Next they make a joke about drunken Irishmen swinging sticks at each other. And lastly, and most importantly, they acknowledge that it seems to be a pretty awesome game.

With that in mind, here’s a round up some of the hurling promotions that have hit the U.S. airwaves recently.

Members of the Baltimore GAA talked with the 98 Rock morning show.

The Baltimore GAA talked to the morning DJs of the city’s 98 Rock station.

Listen to the broadcast here: http://kiwi6.com/file/38638mcpe0

Meanwhile, members of the Indy hurling club talked with Indianapolis’s Nuvo magazine in this article.

Likewise, the Orlando Hurling Club was featured here in Orlando Weekly.

The Eugene Trappers from Oregon are touting a great video they produced last year. http://youtu.be/GewZfK4v5rk

And, of course, there’s a bazillion clubs participating in St. Patrick’s Day parades from Coast to Coast. Many others go another route: They’ve scheduled a practice or an exhibition game.

But the best publicity ever? That’s from the Allentown Hibernians’ hurling club. They’re getting into the action with coasters that will be tucked under everyone’s St. Patty’s Day glass of Guinness.

The Allentown hurling club, found at pahurling.com, is promoting their club with coasters for local saloons.

Good thinking, guys!

This year the National Football League (the American type, not the Gaelic type) has brought the Super Bowl to Indianapolis, where the New York Giants will square off against the New England Patriots.

Like any Super Bowl, there’s more to it than just the game at 6:30 on Sunday. In the days in advance of the big game, there’s something of a festival around the stadium where fans get a chance to learn more about the game and test their football skills in a variety of mini-games and competitions.

Along with that football-themed activity, the NFL has created a Super Bowl Village where it stresses the culture of Indianapolis in all of its forms.

This year the NFL has asked that the Indianapolis Hurling Club be part of that Super Bowl Village and offer presentations of what the game of hurling is all about, discuss its origins in Ireland and its growing popularity here in the United States.

Along with that local exposure, you can bet that media outlets from New York, New England and any town with a player in the big game will be roaming around the village. My hope is that those writers and broadcasters take note of hurling and decide to look up their local club when they get back home.

And, while I’m at it, if you’re a member of a hurling club or gaelic football team, now’s the time to start contacting your local media outlets and tell them what you’re doing. If you give them enough information and enough time to plan, you’re sure to get a story about your team in the days leading up to St. Patrick’s Day.