In attendance are Uachtarán Chumann Lúthchleas Gael Jarlath Burns with, from left, Liam Mac Maghuna, Professor of Irish at UCD, Brendan McGrath, Allumni, David Rafferty, Allumni President, Stephen McGrath, Allumni and Michael McGrath, Allumni at Croke Park during the launch of the remarkable book The Epic Origins of Hurling, endorsed by the legendary Brian Cody. This publication presents an abridged version and translation of Scéal na hIomána, considered the definitive historical and cultural heritage, brought to life through the collaborative efforts of past pupils and the dedicated Joeys Past Pupils Union. Photo by David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile.
By John Harrington
We all know that hurling is something uniquely Irish, a real cultural artefact of this island.
But it’s something we often take for granted rather than ask the questions ‘how?’ or ‘why?’
Many people will know it’s part of our mythology thanks to tales of Cúchulainn, and they’ll have a good grasp too of how the modern game was codified and then blossomed after the birth of the GAA in 1884.
Everything in between has long been a bit of a mystery, but not anymore.
The publication of the remarkable book, ‘The Epic Origins of Hurling’, shines a light on the rich history of how hurling evolved over the centuries into the sport we know and love today.
It’s a sociological study as much as a sporting one and gives great insight into Irish culture and society in the 18th and 19th centuries.
How the book came to be is a good story in its own right. It was originally written as an academic thesis as Gaeilge by Brother Liam Ó Caithnia, a teacher in St. Joseph’s, Fairview.
After around 20 years of painstaking research, it was published in 1980 as Scéal na hIomána, but wouldn’t have been widely read because it was written in Irish.
Various attempts to translate it were made over the years but such a project has finally come to fruition thanks to the St. Joseph’s Past Pupils Union (Joey’s Alumni) who recently launched this newly translated, abridged, and edited version of Ó Caithnia’s work.
Brendan McGrath, a former pupil of Brother Ó Caithnia’s at St. Joseph’s Fairview, was one of the driving forces behind it, and is thrilled that one of the most important hurling histories ever written has been given new life.
"It’s hugely satisfying that a book that has been hidden in full sight for the last 40 or 50 years is now available to a broader audience,” told GAA.ie
“From a personal satisfaction point of view, it's something done, it's something concrete, it's something that's there now and available to people.
“Brother Ó Caithnia’s original work an academic element to it, but what we wanted to do was to get it to a stage where someone who is interested in hurling can pick it up and read it chapter by chapter.
“I can imagine a guy down in the club or pub on a Friday night saying, 'Do you know that...?' Just throwing out a bit of knowledge from the book, such as how they made sliotars back in the day with the braided hair from a cow.
“As the saying goes, not many people know that, but this book brings those things back to life.”
Brendan McGrath, Allumni St Josephs Fairview during the launch of the remarkable book The Epic Origins of Hurling, endorsed by the legendary Brian Cody. This publication presents an abridged version and translation of Scéal na hIomána, considered the definitive historical and cultural heritage, brought to life through the collaborative efforts of past pupils and the dedicated Joeys Past Pupils Union. Photo by David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile.
‘The Epic Origins of Hurling’ brings so much more back to life. The chapters on how the game was effectively sponsored by Landlords in the 17th and 18th centuries are especially fascinating.
“They basically owned the game and promoted the game,” says McGrath. “It was a bit like the Premier League in the UK at the moment with the Oligarchs owning the teams.
“That was the case here, and an awful lot of it was about gambling. 300 guineas could be gambled on a game. That would be huge money today (roughly €80,000).
“And all the landlords played the game too and there were games just for landlords or squireeens as they were called at the time.”
Were you to travel back in time and watch a game of hurling in the 17th or 18 century, you’d recognise some elements of the modern sport but be bemused by others.
“In the south the hurleys used developed with a bas, in the north it was more like a hockey stick and was played with a harder ball,” says McGrath.
“The ball bounced and you could bounce it on the stick so soloing was always part of the game.
“There was an off-side rule, you could play the ball behind the goals, and wrestling and scrums were a big part of the game too.
“The current game of hurling encapsulates a lot of the things that were there previously, but there were also elements to the game in the past that are no longer there for good or for bad.”
Perhaps one of the greatest failings of the GAA is that after 140 years of the Association’s existence hurling remains a minority sport in most counties on this island.
The Epic Origins of Hurling is now available to purchase.
This is often explained away by the argument that it will always be stronger in the ‘traditional’ hurling counties, but ‘The Epic Origins of Hurling’ teaches us that the game was once much more widely played than it is now.
“I spend a lot of time down in Kerry and you know the summer has come when you see the hurleys arrive because that's when the Cork kids come down to Kerry down around Glenbeigh where there are a couple of caravan parks,” says McGrath.
“But when you actually read the book you see that one of the strongest records of hurling is in Kerry. The earliest records of hurling being played are from all along the coast from Kenmare around to Killorglin. There are numerous references to hurling there.
“One of the things that people aren't aware of is that hurling was played in Kerry, Mayo, Donegal, because people had access to the beaches. They didn't own the land and didn't have a choice where they could play the game because the landlords owned the land.
“And unless the landlords were sympathetic to the game, well then it didn't happen. But they had access to the beaches so it was played all along the coast-line.
“People generally speaking don't know that. People perceive counties like Cork, Tipperary, and Kilkenny to be the hurling heartland, but the reality was different. It was played everywhere. That's one thing that really struck me.”
Hurling’s hidden history is a fascinating one, and very well told by ‘The Epic Origins of Hurling’.
