Hurling strongholds in footballing counties and vice versa?

Tooreen in Mayo. There are some hurling loving villages on the Roscommon-Galway border. Four Roads won the Connacht club hurling championship in 1988.

RMAOK wrote: »

So does this thread exclude strong duel counties like cork and Galway (for example)?

A strong hurling club in Connemara or north Galway would presumably be as much a rarity as it would be in Mayo.

Railyard in Kilkenny is often mentioned as a football stronghold in the county.

While Cork has historically been competitive in both codes, hurling is by far the preferred sport. But in large areas of west Cork, it's entirely football with no hurling whatsoever. I remember being brought there as a child and passing a club ground, the nets behind the goals had very large mesh. I couldn't understand it at the time, that surely the sliothar would pass through the net every time. Obviously the nets were designed with just football in mind.

That's not to say many from that area don't have an interest in watching hurling - I'm sure there's plenty from West Cork that will be travelling to the U20 hurling final tomorrow.

Duffy the Vampire Slayer wrote: »

How popular is football in the stronger hurling areas?

It's mixed but most still try to be some bit competitive even at junior level. Unlike the football areas, pretty much every predominantly hurling club will also field football teams. I can think of only two that don't, although there may be others. So there are actually more football clubs in Cork than hurling.

I once met a girl from that part of Kerry and she said they barely played football at all.

Fr Tod Umptious wrote: »

Kerry county hurling final is tomorrow by the way.

Causeway v Lixnaw.

By God.

St Mullins in Carlow would be a traditional hurling stronghold in a predominantly football county.

RMAOK wrote: »

So does this thread exclude strong duel counties like cork and Galway (for example)?

I'm afraid Cork ain't strong anymore

cms88 wrote: »

Technically two clubs. Ardfert in football and St Brendans in hurling. Some lads from the other hurling clubs play football with them

I remember Johnny Egan played hurling for Kerry and won two club All Irelands with Ardfert, I think, about 15 years ago,

In Wexford, Oulart the Ballagh, Buffers Alley and Rathnure would be the three predominatedly hurling strongholds, with the first two neighbours and the third in a small pocket of their own in the blackstairsmountains. To be fair to the Alley, at least they more often than not field a football team at junior B level but the other two don't concentrate on it as a rule (even though Rathnure won a senior football title in 1950s!). It must be said though that the majority of clubs within the county would side towards hurling.

The football pockets wouldn't be as concentrated, although it probably could be argued that the countryside around New Ross is probably football-orientated considering the amount of senior clubs in the code from that area. My own club Castletown and Kilanerin are definitely 'football first' and are indeed the only two senior teams north of Enniscorthy and are surrounded by clubs in the district that concentrate on hurling (with Naomh Eanna and Ferns the only two at the top grade). But Castletown and Kilanerin still compete in hurling and will actually meet in the Inter A quarter finals in a fortnight (well under different names ).

There is a sort of snobbery towards football in the county though. Shelmaliers and Starlights are the last two senior football champions, and are dual. But a lot of 'experts' claim its impossible for a dual senior club to win a hurling title because of the extra workload, when often it works the other way with momentum etc. St.Martin's too have had massive underage success, have a tonne of talent coming through, won a maiden senior football title in 2013, get to the quarter-finals at least in the competititon every year, and always seem to claim that football is a hindrance to their hurling credentials!

Bonniedog wrote: »

North County Dublin and Meath be exceptions to the good land part!. Hurling didn't exist in north county until relatively recently. Not exactly sure what the history in Meath is, but imagine it be similar.

Hurling in city was brought by people coming here from places like Tipp particularly in early 1900s.

Hurling was historically played more in the south of the country. The midland bogs generally act as a northern boundary on the sport. Places that didn't have a history of it didn't take it up when the GAA was founded.

If Tripp’s John McGrath was a dub ,he’d be playing next Sunday