Kilkenny

Game day! For those back in the states I am not referring to Notre Dame versus Texas, however, Go Irish and congrats on the 38 to 3 win.

It is the All-Ireland final of hurling today. Little background history, hurling is Ireland's number one sport. This is closely followed by Gaelic football at number two and rugby at number three. It has been a fantastic sporting weekend for Irish fans. Friday night saw the football/soccer game between Ireland and Gibraltar, with Ireland the victor. Saturday was also full of excitement: England took on Ireland in rugby; sadly England won. It also saw the rematch between Dublin and Mayo in Gaelic football. They played two weekends ago but it ended in a tie. This was important as the final for Gaelic football is on 20 September, and this was the match to decide who would meet Kerry in that final. I had never watched Gaelic football but partook in observing this match and it is a very exciting sport. Reminds me a lot of Aussie rules football. In the end Dublin was the victor, exciting all at Croke Park (the stadium) in Dublin. They will meet Kerry in the final back in Croke Park in two weeks' time. I will still be in country for this and I'm trying to figure out if I can get tickets (haha, no way!) to this game as it would be amazing.

Back to hurling. Hurling is played on the same pitch as Gaelic football and would remind you of a cross between field hockey and Gaelic football. There are 15 players on the field per team at a time. There are 3 fullbacks, 3 halfbacks, 2 midfielders, 3 half forwards, 3 full forwards and the goalie. It is played using a stick called a Hurley that would remind you of a field hockey stick with a rounded flatter head, somewhat resembling a large spoon. There are two ways to score: goals and points. Goals are worth three points and a point is worth just that, one point. The object is to get the ball either into the net for a goal or over the H shaped bars for points. The score is kept by separating out goals and points. For example if my team has scored one goal and 12 points the score would read 1–12. To determine the final score, and thus the victor, goals are converted into points and points are totaled up. So my 1–12 score would actually total 15 points. To highlight this further, let's say my opponent scored two goals and eight points, 2–8, their total score would only be 14 points. Even though my team didn't score as many goals, the total number of points was more. Got it? If not, I'd like to refer you to this lovely Wikipedia article on the subject because I'm exhausted: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurling

What made the final such a big deal for a girl currently in Kilkenny is that the two teams in this final are Galway and Kilkenny. When I arrived on Friday the town was decked out in the teams colors of black and gold. Banners flying, jerseys being worn, sheep spray-painted (seriously); all citizens were pulling for their team. The rest of the nation, however, is not. Kilkenny has won so many times in the past years that they are tired of them. Alas.

I decided to cheer on the KilCats (Kilkenny cats) at a bar called Kyteler's. It would remind you of the fairly typical Irish pub: dark wood, low hanging beams that will catch your head if you're not careful, flowing Guinness and plentiful banter. As game time approaches, the amount of black and gold increases exponentially as does the volume in the bar itself. I'm amazed at the skill of the barkeeps – their ability to keep up with bar orders, restaurant orders and managing tabs for all is impressive. The game is thoroughly exciting and is close from the start. Galway was definitely the better team in the first half and it was not looking good for us here in Kilkenny. The second-half showed a stronger, more aggressive Kilkenny team and the game stayed within a few points throughout. It was nerve-racking, but as the second half progressed, Kilkenny was definitely the stronger team and started to pull away from Galway. In the end the final was Kilkenny 1–22, Galway 1–18. The KilCats have won it and the bar goes wild!

While the team won't return until tomorrow, those who went to Dublin to watch the game will be returning in a few hours for continued partying and celebrating. It promises to be a long and fun night. I am sad, however, that I will be missing the return of the team. I can only imagine what that celebration would be like...