TTG #12 – Hurling: Myth and/or history of Europe’s ancient sport

What started as a “simple” look by an unsuspecting American at the GOAT two- (or more) sport stars of Ireland – particularly those of hurling and Gaellic football ­­– instead ballooned into researching over 3,000 years of Irish myth and history on the game of hurling alone.

Back when folks in Mesoamerica were just getting interesting ideas about putting rubber balls into vertical hoops, the Celts were already playing an intricate sport involving equipment and agreed-upon rules (albeit incredible variable rules).

Truly The GOATs’ conclusion: To recount the history of hurling is to tell the history of Ireland – and really, the  most important chapters in European sports history as well. Ready for a long, strange trip in sports history? Join host Os Davis and guest journalist/sportswriter Emmet Ryan on a quest to find a GOAT amid three millennia plus of hurling in Ireland.

And here’s a non-spoiling spoiler: Irish sportswriting of the 18th century is awesome.

Truly The GOATs: The newest fan of hurling…

Music used in this episode includes “Funeral Battle” and “I've Not Fear” by Damiano Baldoni; “Beyond the Warriors” by Guifrog; “Guardians”, “Streets of Sant'ivo”, and “Land of a Folk Divided” by Mid-Air Machine; and Orbiting the Hurley, a DJ Dream Joker remix of “Orbiting the Earth” by Ultracat. Used with Attribution Noncommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 License via FreeMusicArchive.org.