Today's "off" day actually had a lot of sporting action. After a late breakfast, we piled into Eric's familiar coach an motored out to the East end of Galway to the Liam Mellows Gaelic Athletic Association facility for some lessons in traditional Irish sports. The drive was worth mentioning: we followed a road to the edge of Galway Bay, and then turned onto a narrow road along a stunning beach. Looking across the Bay, we could see the rain clouds gathering over the Burren, the desolate rocky highlands on the south side of the Bay, and beyond them the famous Cliffs of Moher. The tide was out, and the sound and smell of the sea was very evocative. The clubhouse and fields are perched right the one of the edge of the water. We trooped inside the immaculate clubhouse, full of mementoes of past athletic triumphs, and were met by our instructor Stephen, who showed us a brief video describing the sports of hurling and Gaelic football. Hurling in particular is the quintessential Irish sport, dating back 3,000 years. During British rule, it became a way for the locals to train for war and carry weapons, and in many counties and at various times, it was banned. It speaks to the heart of Irish tribalism. The highest honor for Gaelic athlete is to represent his/her county in hurling. This weekend, the semifinals of the all-Ireland Cup will draw 60,000 and more fans to Croke Park in Dublin. These are all amateurs. There are no trades or transfers. If you are born in a particular country, you play for that county for life. No one would think of switching teams. Fan loyalty is the type that gave rise to the word "fan", derived from "fanatic". Yet there aren't separate sides in the stands, and all is pretty peaceable. Even in his short talk, Steven was able to convey a wonderful sense of this, and why clubs all over the country work hard to teach the sport to youngsters, and anyone interested. The cities in Ireland lean more to soccer and rugby. But out in the country, Gaelic sports rule.
Thus impressed, each of the boys was issued a stick and a helmet. There was actually an argument in the letters section of the "Irish Times" (yes, I ready the Irish Times every day) about whether these should be called 'hurls". No definitive answer. We went outside to an enclosed astroturf field, and each player was issued a ball, more like a baseball than anything else, with raised seams. Stephen patiently and expertly taught everyone the stick skills to lift, carry and hit the ball, which can also be caught barehanded before being passed (but not thrown to an opponent). Before long, the boys were moving confidently up and down the field, and hitting the ball on the run, with a bit less force than Stephen's amazing 100-mile-an-hour strikes. Goalie in hurling? No thanks. Soon we were playing seven on seven. It was remarkable to see how quickly our lads picked the game up. Stephen was complimentary, even excited, then worried a bit as the teams bashed about.
We all survived hurling, and it was on to Gaelic football, which combines soccer, volleyball, and bits of lacrosse. The balls are like soft soccer balls. They can be dribbled ofd the ground and off the foot, but no more than two in a row of one type of hit. The can be punched out of your hand to a teammate. The game moves quickly and invites tackling, although wrapping someone up football-style or hitting from behind is not legal. We did a lot of wrapping people up and hitting from behind. We progressed through the drills, and once again were fully engaged in a scrimmage that threatened at times to damage us more than some of the testy veteran players that we have encountered. So much for a light day off. Actually, it wan ideal way to break a sweat using non-soccer muscles. All ended well, and then thanks to Tom Johnson we went back to the clubhouse and were given a chance to buy some game-used old uniforms for only 5 Euros. These will be the best souvenirs some of our lads will bring back. We shook hands with Steven, presented him with an Atlantic Crossing shirt, and made it back for a late lunch. The boys had the rest of there day off as the coaches sorted their laundry. We even matched their socks. Already, we are looking towards tomorrow's culminating match with Salthill Devon at Drom, the amazing facility that is currently hosting scores of teams for the high-level Galway Cup. As the tournament winds down, we have a chance to sneak onto one of these amazing fields and play the best U16 team in Ireland. Sounds like a nice way to end the trip, and push ourselves a bit more. Full match report tomorrow. Goodnight!
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