Irish Day at the Wizards with Hurling and Music
Dustin Johnson of the Kansas City Wizards was telling me that at TONIGHT’S game at 7pm against FC Dallas this Saturday 23 August 2008, some Irish-themed events will take place.
The Kansas City Gaelic Athletic Club have been invited to demonstrate the Irish sport of Hurling, the stick and ball game that is our national game.
Hurling is played on the same pitches as Gaelic Football and has the same team size (15) and scoring system (points and goals). It was Gaelic Football that KC GAC just played in Springfield, Missouri.
When Irish people are feeling boastful they claim hurling as the fastest field sport in the world or the oldest.
It was famously with a hurley stick and ball that Cúchulainn earned his name, starting that fabled evening as the less famous Setanta and largely minding his own business simply hitting the the ball ahead as he ventured to join the ould fellas for a bit of a feast after staying on to finish a game with the lads.
You could argue that trouble was in the air given young Setanta’s bad habit of running on to catch each ball after striking it with the hurl. And it didn’t help that the men were getting stuck into the mead and so forgot that young Setanta was on his way to join them. So the host Culann let his guard dog out, and the most ferocious dog in the history of Ireland was only doing his job when the young show-off with the stick showed up and gave him a sliotar for a gobstopper.
Nowadays the host would be profusely apologetic for putting the child in life-threatening danger, but these were Gaelic times of legend so instead Culann whinged about his dead dog. I’ll be your dog, said young Setanta in a freudian slip, and so Cúchulainn was born.
Ireland’s GAA site has a page with basic information on hurling.
The hurling demonstration at the Wizards will be in a tent out by the playground area on the South side of CAB. On this Irish night at the Wizards some Irish music will also be played over the PA during pre, half, and post-game portions. And a Starting 11 Girl will model a new “Wizards Irish” T-shirt.
The Wizards play at Community America Ballpark (CAB) which is located just west of The Legends at Village West in Kansas City, Kansas. It is easily accessible from both I-70 and I-435.
This event has been added to the Kansas City Irish events calendar.
More About Soccer and Gaelic Games:
• David Beckham for Beginners
• Yank Abroad: A KC Wizard in Ireland
• Denmark 0 Ireland 4
• Setanta, A Defence
• San Marino v Ireland: No results within 100 mile radius
• Ireland in 7-Goal Thriller
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