I'm wondering if anyone here plays/ knows a lot about hurling. For those of you who don't know (probably many of you) hurling is an Irsih game that is kind of like field hockey except the ball is in the air more than on the ground. If you know a good website with a good explanation of the game, please post it here (or if you just have any thoughts about it) because I'm hoping to get a better understanding of it. Thanks
Hurling is an ancient gaelic game, earliest records of it date to 1300BC but it was probably around a lot longer then that. Basically you have a hurl (stick) which is used to hit the ball on the ground and in the air. You balance the ball on the hurl while running. You can catch the ball in your hand but only take 4 steps unless u balance it on the hurl. Anyways u can easily find the rules elsewhere. Its a very physical game and the fastest field game in the world, you have to be very skillful to even attempt to play in a match. The aim of the game is to score more then your opponent. The goals are shaped like a H with a point for getting it over the crossbar and 3 points (a goal) for getting it underneath.
Theres no real protective gear besides a helmet which is optional and i don't think i need to tell you that getting hit with a 34-38 inch long piece of wood is going to hurt.
Thanks for the explanation. Very helpful. Basically, I'm interested in it because I saw semi final match in August '03 (between Cork and Waterford, I think) in a pub in Ireland, specifically in Dingle. It was very fun to watch, but I didn't fully understand it. When I came back to the States, basically no one I knew had heard of it. So I realized that with people from all over the world here, someone was bound to know about it.
Theres probably someone in your general area that plays the game. A lot of Irish people go over and play in America for a few months. New York has what you might call a permanent team that competes in the All-Ireland every year.
. My bad 
