The Hurling Club of Madison

Hurling, the national sport of Ireland and the “fastest game on grass.” Hurling is a passion of Ireland and is considered to be one the most skilful sports played today. It is an outdoor field sport in which teams of 15 use an axe-shaped stick to hit a ball between the opponents’ goal-posts, either over the bar for one point or under the bar for three points. When first watching a hurling match, elements of the game appear to resemble lacrosse, field hockey, baseball, and soccer, and as one becomes familiar with the sport, one will recognize that a good hurler uses many skills, requiring fitness, ambidextrous hand-eye co-ordination, agility, strength, bravery, and teamwork.

Hurling figures largely in Irish history and legend. The game is first mentioned in Irish myths describing the epic battle of Magh Tuiredh, which occurred in the 14th century BC, and the sport was probably part of the annual Tailteann Games that occurred continuously from about 1800 BC to 1180 AD. In Irish folk legend, the great hero Cúchulainn was known to be one of the greatest hurlers of all time. After the Norman Invasion, Anglo-Norman rulers attempted to eliminate hurling and other forms of Irish culture by issuing the Statutes of Kilkenny in 1366 and the Galway Statutes in 1527; however, the game’s popularity amongst both Irish and Normans enabled it to endure. In 1884, the Gaelic Athletic Association was founded to support and promote Irish games and traditions. Since then, the game’s popularity has grown, and today the All-Ireland Hurling finals held in Croke Park, Dublin, are the highlight of the sports calendar in Ireland.

The Hurling Club of Madison has been organized under the auspices of the North American Gaelic Athletic Association (NAGAA) and the Milwaukee Hurling Club, the largest hurling club in North America. The Madison Club, like the other clubs of the NAGAA, teach and play the game as it has been played in Ireland for thousands of years. The Hurling Club of Madison is always looking for people interested in participating in this great sport, regardless of skill level, age, or gender. For more information, please contact Jason Kenney at jdkenney@hotmail.com.