Hurling is to Ireland as Hockey is to Canada

This past Sunday the All Ireland Hurling final took place at Croke Park in Dublin in front of a crowd 80,000 plus.  With all the buzz we heard about the sport, we decided to go to one of our local pubs to see what all the fuss was about.  After about 2 minutes of watching I was completely captivated.  

It didn’t take too long to catch onto the game as the basic principles are straight forward - two teams, one ball, players bat the ball with sticks to try and score points and goals.  Even with this being the case, I have never really seen anything quite like Hurling.  The pace of play is  ridiculously fast and combines the skills of so many other sports.  Here’s a good intro video so you can see for yourself: Hurling Video.   

The game on Sunday ended in a draw.  They deal with draws differently in Ireland.  No extra time or shootouts take place.  Instead everyone shakes hands and goes home, with a replay match to be played in a few weeks.  You have to admire the Irish, extending the craic whenever they can!