Hurling - A Cornish Sport

[Ashley Cawley]

Passing this on more for Phil to see than anything. This is the poem that my dad wrote about hurling...
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/218966/Forums/NBC/images/hurling.jpg

[Roadkillphil]

Thanks for sharing :D Can't wait for the Saturday game :happy-clapping:

"The Cornish-men they are stronge, hardye and nymble, so are their exercises violent, two especially, Wrastling and Hurling, sharpe and seuere actiuties; and in neither of theis doth any Countrye exceede or equall them. The firste is violent, but the seconde is daungerous: The firste is acted in two sortes, by Holdster (as they called it) and by the Coller; the seconde likewise two ways, as Hurling to goales, and Hurling to the Countrye."

John Norden c1584


"hyrlîan yw gen gwaré nyi"

[luresalive]

So is it anything like Irish Hurling?

[Martin]

So is it anything like Irish Hurling?

No, nothing like it. ;)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPCf2iX23p8

Martin

[Ashley Cawley]

Is it just me or did the Silver Ball go through the back-window of the car at 2:25 in the video above!? lol :D

[Martin]

Yeah, apparently it did. :D

Martin

[Ashley Cawley]

There aren't that many videos online about the sport, I'd love to film it, but at the same time I fully intend to be a part of it this year!.. so those two don't mix, unless I'm wearing a head-cam lol.

[Roadkillphil]

So is it anything like Irish Hurling?

As Martin quite rightly says, nope, maybe a little, as a ball is involved... A silver ball mind. A heavy piece not unlike the size of a cricket ball. It's a game of two sides, the townsmen and the countrymen of the parish of St Columb Major.

The pitch is the largest in the world and has it's place in the Guinness book of records for this reason. It spans the whole parish town and country alike and is 3km between goals.

It is played twice yearly, on shrove Tuesday and the second Saturday after. At 16:15 the ball is "called up" and the "throw up" is at 16:30. For the first hour the ball stays in the town boundarys passed between townsmen, countrymen and spectators alike with many a ruck and a tackling and smashing of windows and dinging of any cars that fools dare to drive through town on hurlin day. The whole community turns out for the event and the ball is thrown from folk to folk, held by the young and old for luck, fertility or the joy of being a part of the hurlin!

After an hour the real game starts whereupon the teams of varying sizes do battle ( quite literally) across fields, through gardens, ditches and rivers until one person breaks free with the ball and aims for a goal (a granite trough) or carries it across the parish boundary for a win. The winner is Bourne back to town on the shoulders of his team mates where the pubs are run ragged for the drinking of the silver beer, a jug of beer with the ball sunk in it.

It be a visceral game of Celtic roots, played unceasingly in St Columb for 500 years. Although I'm not Cornish, I live in St Columb and I attend without fail every year and am proud of the sport of the hurl. This year was the first year I ran with my 5 year old boy to get the ball for he, and that I did, fielding a missed catch by diving on the Tarmac scuffing maself silly. But proud of his Da was he for dealing him the ball.

Hope this explains it for ye :D

[Roadkillphil]

There aren't that many videos online about the sport, I'd love to film it, but at the same time I fully intend to be a part of it this year!.. so those two don't mix, unless I'm wearing a head-cam lol.

I have some pics I can post of last years game and a short video of this years tues throw up and ruck, had to put the camera away though as Corey wanted to run!

[Roadkillphil]

No, nothing like it. ;)


Martin

Errrr I couldnt see the vid on my iphone, but now I've read all this on me puter and watched the video, it kinda sums it up better n' more concisely than my wafflin essay :ashamed:

[Martin]

Errrr I couldnt see the vid on my iphone, but now I've read all this on me puter and watched the video, it kinda sums it up better n' more concisely than my wafflin essay :ashamed:

:D

Martin

[luresalive]

Ta, all very educational, but why is it called Hurling?

[Martin]

Ta, all very educational, but why is it called Hurling?

Because it is. :p :rolleyes:

Martin