Hurlers place great care in their choice of helmet.
There are many different factors considered, from safety regulations, to comfort, to colour and attractiveness, to the type worn by their heroes.
Those who benefit the most from the wide-ranging variety of helmets on offer are supporters. If all hurlers wore the same helmets, how the hell would we know who’s who?
Some hurlers are famed for their helmets, from Kilkenny legend Tommy Walsh with his bright red Mycro, to Tipperary hero Lar Corbett’s smashing yellow Cooper.
It’s how we know them, it’s the way we remember them.
We all like to have our own identity, our own personality on the GAA pitch and a hurling helmet can go a long way in defining this.
There are various different types of helmets and there are various personalities associated with each one.
1 – The Black Mycro – This bad boy is undoubtedly the most common form of head gear worn by club players around the country. Many of us began our GAA days as under-six’s or eights and were handed down a beloved black Mycro by our parents.
And Jesus we thought we were the bees knees for a while.
It may have been the first one they saw in the shop, or it may have been provided by the club’s resident helmet dealer, but lots of us somehow managed to get our hands on one of these.
We get older, we get wiser, we get tempted by the faraway hills, many of us cast aside the black Mycro that has served us so well through good days and bad.
We move on to the glitz and glam of the helmet market – the old style coopers.
Those who hold on to that Black Mycro, however, they must be commended.
They are loyal, they are staunch, they are resolute and their heads are not easily turned – many might call them stubborn.
They’re one of the hardy boys who just doesn’t give a shit what they look like on the pitch, all they want is the ball.
JJ Delaney was their most famous ambassador.
2- The Old Style Cooper – Old is gold, as they say.
Hurlers around the country just can’t get enough of these vintage Cooper creations that are, unfortunately, no longer being made.
They were initially designed for hockey players in Canada but were brought to the attention of Irish hurlers by pioneers like Joe Deane.
They are slim, slick and class – but cost an absolute bomb of money. You could pay up to €400 for one on Done Deal or Adverts.ie, where they are most usually sourced.
Some of us were lucky enough to have one passed down to us through the generations, and boy were we the envy of all others.
If you don one of these bad boys, you care what you look like on the pitch, you are fairly flashy or you could be just emulating your heroes.
You’re down with the latest trends in the GAA.
What does each colour say about you?
- Yellow – Flashy boy, you like to stand out.
- Green – Gets the job done.
- Blue – Safe choice, very common, fitting in well.
- White – Ballsy, you like to stand out as well. Borderline shaper.
- Black – You know well that this looks good, but you’re just pretending it was passed down to you to look hardy.
- Multicoloured – Give us a break.
3 – A new style Cooper – Cooper released their new creations in 2015, but they just haven’t come close to living up to the standard they set for themselves all those years ago.
In fairness, how could they?
If you wear one of these, you’re not really into the good looks or the fashion. You respect the safety regulations that were laid down so recently or maybe you were just given one as a Christmas present by a relative who thinks new is the best.
You’re no-nonsense, you mean bloody business, or maybe you’re just a newbie who has taken up hurling and has kitted yourself out with the most recent equipment on the market.
Galway full back John Hanbury is a famous ambassador.
4 – Marc helmet – The above photo of Colin Fennelly brings us onto a fading member of the helmet game. The Marc helmets burst into fashion around 2011 when Joe Canning undertook an ambassadorial role with the company.
In fairness, these were a tasty enough creation.
Canning soon moved back to Cooper, and that spelled the end of the Marc’s days.
If you still wear one, you are a man of principal, or else you just couldn’t be arsed getting a new one.
5 – Old Mycro space helmet – If you still wear one of these, well then you really are one of a kind.
They are not very aesthetically pleasing, but you’re not in it to look well.
If you’re marking a lad who’s wearing one of these, you’d better be weary – he could turn out to be a mad man.
6- Kilkenny Guards – Okay, these may not be a helmet, but they’re used by so many hurlers to replace the conventional guard that you wouldn’t believe.
The reason players say they use the Kilkenny guard is because it’s good for vision of the ball.
Can it really make that much of a difference?
All we know is they look damn well.
