Hurling
"Hurling is a game similar to hockey, in that it is played with a small ball and a curved wooden stick. It is Europe's oldest field game. When the Celts came to Ireland as the last ice age was receding, they brought with them a unique culture, their own language, music, script and unique pastimes. One of these pastimes was a game now called hurling. It features in Irish folklore to illustrate the deeds of heroic mystical figures and it is chronicled as a distinct Irish pastime for at least 2,000 years.
Hurling is played on a pitch approximately 150 yds long and 90 yds wide - over twice as large as an American football field. The goalposts are the same shape as on a rugby pitch, with the crossbar lower than a rugby one and slightly higher than a soccer one.
You may strike the ball on the ground, or in the air. Unlike hockey, you may pick up the ball with your hurley and carry it for not more than four steps in the hand. After those steps you may bounce the ball on the hurley and back to the hand, but you are forbidden to catch the ball more than twice. To get around this, one of the skills is running with the ball balanced on the hurley. To score, you put the ball over the crossbar with the hurley (one point) or under the crossbar and into the net by the hurley for a goal, the latter being the equivalent of three points. Teams are comprised of fifteen players a side.
The Gaelic Athletic Association, based in Croke Park, Dublin, administers and governs the game in Ireland and worldwide. Ireland alone has over 2,500 GAA clubs, comprised of hurling and Gaelic Football teams.
The Allentown Hibernians Hurling Club is a registered club within the Philadelphia Division of the North American County Board GAA.
Contact info for Hurling - Pat O'Donnell, 610-737-1014, ieatgrass4breakfast@gmail.com
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SportsFest Official Photographer:
Location
Haines Mill Park FieldsSchedule
Sunday: Noon to 2:00pm
On Saturday starting around 10am, there will be an introduction to the Gaelic games of Ireland.
The two national sports of Ireland are Hurling and Gaelic football
Following the introduction, there will be a number of youth Gaelic football games and a youth Hurling game as well.
The youth games will include :
Gaelic football classes : U-8, U-10, U-12 & U-14
Hurling class: U-10
Following the youth games, the Allentown Hibernians Hurling Club (pahurling.com) will be playing the Philadelphia Shamrocks in a hurling game at 2pm. This game is the first of a three game series for the Philadelphia League Championship Cup. The winner of the Cup will advance the the North American Championship Board (NACB) finals held the Labor Day weekend in Chicago Illinois.
If you have never seen any of the Gaelic games of Ireland, you are highly encouraged to come out and see how exciting they are.
For more information about our team and how to contact us, visit our website at www.pahurling.com