Hurling

No, I did not spend too much money at the pub in too short a period of time.

Watch this clip http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luQ2Vxez2V4 at 0:26 it starts video of the actual sport and shows you some of the ways they can play. Being a fan of hockey, this was great fun, and basically on a larger scale (without cymbals on my hands and three papers due the next day).

We went to the match of Dublin vs. Kilkenny on 5 July (I'm slowly catching up?). Here are some pics I took:

There were two groups of kids (6-8 years old) in front of us, a group of boys right in front of us and a group of girls that they were annoying in front of them.

We were all in a row talking to each other and about the game and a mother of the boys turns around and asks where we are from? We are a little scared at first because we were wearing Dublin Blue and they were supporting Kilkenny (at this point considered one of the best hurling teams ever assembled), but we answer, 'Minnesota,' and she says, pointing to the boy next to her, 'He was wondering why you girls were talking so funny.' So we had a laugh and continued to watch the game. Later on, after the half, when it was painly obvious, that although Dublin was making them work for it, Kilkenny was definitely going to win the match, the boy turns around and says to me, 'We're hammerin' you!' Except in a really cute little boy Irish accent. I talked to him for a bit he and his mates also play hurling and just played at the stadium the previous weekend, like when local kids football teams get to play at the Dome. At the end of the game we talked to the mom a bit more and she said (this is quite a shocker) that her husband is a big fan of American Football! She also said she likes hockey, which I commended her on, but said it is too fast for her, after I told her that hurling was so fast to me!

Anyways, good game, good fans, and 6-8 year olds really aren't that different from Minnesota to Ireland. They get on your nerves because they aren't cute enough to get away with it, but still too excitable to not prevent themselves from missing the folding seat and slamming on the concrete.

OH MY GOSH. And there was a marching band. I cheered for them. Even though they had their music with them. I don't care.

Later,

Anna