Hurling, a sport born of ancent Irish Celts!
Hurling is a game of ancient Ireland and rooted in the traditions of the warrior and clan world of the Iron age. A better history than I can write is provided by others if you click this link(Once more, thanks to Clan na bheithir) but it is rooted in the same celebrations of victory as polo. In these ancient sports, the head of a fallen foe is wrapped in leather or another material and used as a "puck" to show the power of spirit gained over that enemy clan or force's power. Of course these were the times of spirit worship and personal magic where a fight was not simply physical but also spiritual. While it did not in the Celtic case, in some polyniesian cultures this led to cannabalism to consume and inherit the powers of their foe. But eventually the modern sports evolved from their ritualistic ancestors. below I have added two pictures of the event. The first being taken during the practice and the second being taken during the actual play. It was great fun and only one significant injury but fun was had by all!
Enjoy the pics!
The Practice: The Game:
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