The history and geography of hurling

[GalwayBayBoy]

http://www.historyireland.com/18th-19th-century-history/the-geography-of-hurling-11-2/

Interesting article although it's about 20 years old so slightly out of date by now.

THE PRESENT HURLING REGION
If one looks at the present hurling core region, it is remarkably compact. It also exhibits striking continuity with the earlier 'iomán' region. (Fig. 3) The hurling heartland is focused on the three counties of Cork, Tipperary and Kilkenny, with a supporting cast of adjacent counties – Limerick, Clare, Galway, Offaly, Laois, Waterford and Wexford. In the hurling core, the game is king, and very closely stitched into the fabric of the community. Describing the situation in Rathnure, Billy Rackard claimed that in the absence of hurling, 'the parish would commit suicide, if a parish could commit suicide!' The boundaries of the hurling region are surprisingly well-defined.

To the north, the midland bogs act, as in a way they have done throughout history, as a buffer zone, resolutely impervious to the spread of cultural influences from further south. The western edge of the hurling zone can be traced over a long distance. In County Galway, for example, its boundaries run along a line from Ballinasloe to the city; north of this line is the Tuam-Dunmore area, and west of it is Connemara, both footballing territories. In County Clare, the boundary runs from Tubber on the Galway border through Corofin and Kilmaley to Labasheeda on the Shannon estuary. Last summer, the tremendous achievement of Clare in winning a Munster football championship was most thoroughly relished in the footballing bastion of west Clare, from Kilkee and Doonbeg to Milltown Malbay. One could easily establish this pattern by looking at the thickening density of the forest of flags as one drove from east to west in August.

Across the Shannon in Limerick, the football-hurling divide runs clearly along the scarp dividing hilly west Limerick from the lush limestone lowlands of east Limerick. West of this is an enclave of hurling parishes in the footballing kingdom of Kerry in the area north of Tralee, in Ardfert, Bally heigue, Causeway and Ballyduff. From Limerick, the hurling boundary loops through County Cork from Mallow to the city and then to the coast at Cloyne – home to the maestro Christy Ring, who famously expressed his strategy for promoting the game in Cork – by stabbing a knife through every football found east of that line. Outside this core region, there are only the hurling enclaves in the Glens of Antrim and on the tip of the Ards peninsula, where the clubs of Ballycran, Ballygalget and Portaferry backbone Down's hurling revival.

The interesting question then is how these boundaries formed. In almost every case, that boundary divides big farm and small farm areas and marks the transition from fertile, drift-covered limestone lowland to hillier, hungrier, wetter shales, flagstones, grits and granites. In County Galway, for example, hurling has not put down roots in the bony granite outcrops of Connemara, and in Clare the poorly drained flagstone deposits are equally inhospitable. If ash is emblematic of hurling areas, the rush is the distinctive symbol of football territory.

[armaghniac]

the rush is the distinctive symbol of football territory.

Why have Monaghan not won more so?

[Premier Emperor]

The grey area on that map looks too big to me.

[Farrandeelin]

Funny, I'd say it covers a lot more in Clare to be honest.

[muppet]

Funny, I'd say it covers a lot more in Clare to be honest.

Clare hurling seems to seems to be in the shape of a wee knob.

[GalwayBayBoy]

Funny, I'd say it covers a lot more in Clare to be honest.

It's probably not too far off in Clare. Thing is most of the population would be in the hurling area as it would cover Ennis and surrounding areas and the greater Limerick city area.

[Farrandeelin]

I'm very surprised at the large part of Cork that's not covered in grey. I thought it was just the peninsulas and Kerry border areas that were football mainly.

[Aaron Boone]

And it also begs the question why are the Antrim Glens and Ards Peninsula hurling country?

[Tony Baloney]

And it also begs the question why are the Antrim Glens and Ards Peninsula hurling country?

Both areas would have had strong maritime connection with Scotland so maybe a shinty connection?

[johnneycool]

And it also begs the question why are the Antrim Glens and Ards Peninsula hurling country?

Up until the 1930's there was two clubs playing out of the parish of Portaferry, the hurling parts of Down then were Kilclief ( strangford) and Newry. Kilclief still hold the most Down senior championship wins AFAIK.
As with everything the local national school in Ballycran got a new head teacher some time in the 30's and he was from Kilkenny, hence the colours, Master McKenna was his name, hence the name of the pitch. He was the big driving force behind the new club. At this time the two Portaferry clubs had amalgamated to form St Patricks and it was the Portaferry club who lent both Ballygalget and Ballycran players to get them up and running, Ballygalget officially formed in 1939, Ballycran something similar so it'd be hard to attribute the hurling in the area of the big farm, small farm scenario seen in Munster and Leinster which probably happened centuries before this.

[Kid Twist]

And it also begs the question why are the Antrim Glens and Ards Peninsula hurling country?

Up until the 1930's there was two clubs playing out of the parish of Portaferry, the hurling parts of Down then were Kilclief ( strangford) and Newry. Kilclief still hold the most Down senior championship wins AFAIK.
As with everything the local national school in Ballycran got a new head teacher some time in the 30's and he was from Kilkenny, hence the colours, Master McKenna was his name, hence the name of the pitch. He was the big driving force behind the new club. At this time the two Portaferry clubs had amalgamated to form St Patricks and it was the Portaferry club who lent both Ballygalget and Ballycran players to get them up and running, Ballygalget officially formed in 1939, Ballycran something similar so it'd be hard to attribute the hurling in the area of the big farm, small farm scenario seen in Munster and Leinster which probably happened centuries before this.

really interesting reading Johnny. It is funny how individual school masters were behind the drive of hurling in the early days in Ulster. Correct if I'm wrong but I believe that Dungiven and Lisbellaw had similar influences. Is this the real answer for Ulster- import a load of teachers from Kilkenny and Cork to spread the gospel of hurling!

[Plain of the Herbs]

I am led to believe that Banagher, Co Offaly was a traditional football area until a Garda from Clare, Garda Carrig by name, encouraged hurling in the town during the 1930s.

[Feckitt]

I'm pretty sure that Keady in Co Armagh is the same scenario.  Christian Brothers from down the country brought hurling to the school.  It may be a small corner of the county, but around Keady and Middletown, Hurling is King.

[johnneycool]

I'm pretty sure that Keady in Co Armagh is the same scenario.  Christian Brothers from down the country brought hurling to the school.  It may be a small corner of the county, but around Keady and Middletown, Hurling is King.

There's hurling blood lines in Keady all the way from the Ards as well.


We got Bisto instead. 

[Milltown Row2]

It was the Christian brothers that brought it to the schools in Belfast I always thought. After beating you with it they told you to go out and hurl like fook