“Legend has it the game of hurling originated from an ancient Celtic warrior with super-human strength.”
You don’t get much better intros than that.
TRT World zoomed Samantha Johnson, their intrepid reporter, to Ireland to learn all about the sport of hurling. Johnson checked out a feisty contest [is there anything but?] between Wexford and Kerry and instantly fell in love with hurling.
In detailing some of the sport’s main rules, she notes:
“When it comes to contact, it’s shoulder to shoulder. Now, you’re not supposed to strike your opponent with the stick but when there is a field as big as this, one referee and two sides umpires, they may not see everything.”
Johnson harks back to the legend of Cú Chulainn, speaks to some fans of both counties and catches up with Wexford star Lee Chin to learn more about the game.
After grabbing Chin to one side for a chat, the English reporter asks a question that has long perplexed Saxons when looking at their Celtic cousins horsing into each other.
“You guys are amateurs and you don’t get paid, so why do you do all of this?
“Why do you do the training? Why do you come out here every week?”
Chin is straight in with an answer that will resonate with Gaels across the land. He replies:
“We play for the love of the game. For our friends, our families, our counties and our clubs. When you speak about us being amateurs, we almost accept that because that’s what we love playing for.”
Johnson is clearly impressed and says the passion of amateur players is something professional sportspeople could learn from.
The full video is definitely worth a watch. As Johnson says: “It’s not just G.A.A, it’s D.N.A.”
