Hurly Time

On April 2nd, a bunch of Mercyhurst Students including myself went to the local GAA pitch for a hurling match, the teams playing were County Waterford vs County Clare. Since we are studnet,s we bought student tickets, which were only €5 and that was nice to have. This isn't the first time that I have been to a GAA game though, as I went to a Gaelic Football game before. The last time we went, we helped Waterford break their loosing streak, so we felt like a good luck charm. I assumed the same thing might happen this time, and I was right up until halftime. That is when County Clare began to pull ahead and secure a lead that they kept until the end of the game. Afterward I was comparing the Gaelic football game with the hurling match and decided that I though hurling was a little more interesting. It also reminded me of lacrosse back home and so I felt connected to it in some bit as I have played lacrosse before and enjoyed it. I felt surrounded by irish culture and identity and saw how each hurly was marked with each players colors so they could grab it easier. This feeling and symbolism can be attributed to Seamus Heaney and his poem "Markings" in which he reflects on the game and childhood relating to it. This culture is still very prevalent today and I don't see it going away anytime soon.

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