Is Hurling the greatest game ever?

Yes. More exciting matches than any other sport. I've got a load of foreigners obsessed with it after seeing one match. The speed of it catches people off guard initially but the skill involved keeps them gripped.

Ush1 wrote: »

Football is too skilful to someone who has never kicked a ball. Hurling requires every player to have a very specific shaped stick, no as readily available as a pair of legs.



Football spread hugely because of colonists such as the British Empire, would be very difficult to emulate that in this day and age.


Maybe, although I would say that idea was more to do with preserving the pool of players they had, rather than trying to stop it spreading over seas. Still wouldn't be anywhere near as popular as soccer.

Not too sure about that bit tbh honest. If football spread due to colonialism surely india, australia, America etc would be giants of the game?

Also football oonly really got going in the late 19th century when a lot of european colonies, in say latin america were gone.

Football spread to other countries through british expats forming clubs in other countries, mainly in europe, no doubt expats also set up cricket clubs and bowls clubs and rugby clubs etc.

The reason football became popular in these places was because the locals loved the game itself.

In comparison, Irish expats have set up GAA clubs in every corner of the globe yet the game abroad seems to be the exclusive preserve of the expat community, food for thought?

No.

Ush1 wrote: »

India and Australia both play cricket, which are games from the colonists. America was quite a bit different as it wasn't colonised by the British solely for such extended periods as other places.

Expats are usually in places as a hangover from colonists. Look at most of the white people in South Africa today and in South America, etc...

But I agree, the game was also loved.

Yep, the spread of cricket could certainly be explained along colonial lines, but neither of the countries play football.

There is no legitimate connection between football and british colonialism. You could maybe try and argue the case in africa, but african football only took off in the post colonial era and a lot of the stronger african sides were colonised by other countries.

Football spread primarily to countries which britain had never colonised, italy, spain, hungary, germany sweden, brazil etc.

The reason it took off, rather than some of their other games, was the strngth of the game itself.

I wouldn't say it is the greatest game ever, but a good even hurling match kicks the ar*e out of most other games that are evenly contested.

Cienciano wrote: »

Hurling is so great even half of Ireland don't bother with it. People laugh at rugby for having 10 countries that take it serious. Hurling has 10 counties.

Name the ten countries please.

Hardly!
I'm not ragging on hurling, but football is the greatest game ever, hands down.

K-9 wrote: »

Plenty of upsets in GAA, sure last year Clare came from relatively nowhere to win it, Dublin beat Kilkenny in the hurling as well, Monaghan beat Donegal in football, London got to a Connacht final.

I'm sorry but your reasoning is critically flawed! You are guaranteed a few shocks every year in GAA.

Yeah, but every time you get a 'shock', you give the seeded team another go. That's not real competition. The GAA shlt themselves every year that the big counties might go out early leaving little or no interest for the rest of the season. That's why the sport will never develop in Counties that are not already up there at the top.