Old Parish: Notes on Hurling

By Ciarán Murphy

Hurling is Ireland's national game, captivating even those who have never played it. Ciar n Murphy, a lifelong club footballer, was one of them--until he spent a summer trying to play hurling with a small club in the West Waterford Gaeltacht. Along the way, he embarked on a journey to understand the history, geography, and mystique of this extraordinary sport.

Old Parish is the club of Ciar n's father, where many of his relatives remain deeply involved--and possibly the only place bold enough to welcome a forty-one-year-old newcomer. Predictably, and often hilariously, Ciar n discovers just how challenging hurling can be when taking it up later in life against men who have played since childhood.

Alongside his personal trials, Ciar n explores why hurling is played in only half the country, the historical tensions between hurling and football clubs, the challenges of establishing hurling in new areas, the secrets of hurley-making, and why the words of hurling legends--calling it "the greatest game ever played by any man"--carry weight.

For anyone who has watched hurling and wondered what makes it so unique, Old Parish explains why.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1844886891
• ISBN13: 9781844886890
• Release Date: September 2025
• Publisher: Sandycove
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.0" x 9.1"