HURLING Fast and Furious from the Heart

"We are blessed with the most wonderful field game in the world. No sport is more skilful, more graceful, more revealing of those who play it, and nobody who has seen hurling played by it's greatest exponents can be in any doubt about what beauty is, or graciousness or courtesy either . There is something else that is innate to hurling; the spirit in which the game is played. You can hurt, maim or even kill a man with a blow from a caman. You can certainly intimidate an opponent more persistently and to more effect than in any other game. The caman can be a skilful instrument or a bloody weapon ; that traditionally it has been the former rather than the latter is something to be proud of - something to be properly cherished and nurtured.. Without a certain decency of spirit, hurling would be rendered ugly. Decency in this sense is, like the game itself, distinctly Irish. ". Beautiful words there about a beautiful game as spoken by that beautiful hurler Joe Salmon.

There is increasingly a spring in the step of the Galway hurlers this year, and we will know a lot more about them after their game next Sunday against the All-Ireland Champions. We thought it timely therefore to show you the Galway team that played in the league in November 1949 against Limerick.

They are, back row, left to right M.J. "Inky" Flaherty (Ballinasloe); Lory Murray (Ardrahan); Joe Salmon (Eyrecourt); Ned Quinn (Ardrahan); Willie Fahy (Killimordaly); Tommy Moroney (Army); Frank Flynn (UCD); John Farragher (Clonthuskert).

Front row: Miko McInerney (Ardrahan); Colm Corless (Kinvara); Bernie Egan (Liam Mellowes) who was goalkeeper that day; Hubert Gordon (Tynagh); Sean Duggan (Liam Mellowes) who played out field that day; Mick Hughes (Liam Mellowes) and Tom Boyle (Ballinasloe).

Joe Salmon

Joe Salmon Personal information
Irish name Seosamh Ó Bradáin
Sport Hurling
Position Midfield
Born Galway, Ireland
Club(s)
Years Club
Liam Mellows
Glen Rovers
Inter-county(ies)
Years County
1949-1964 Galway
NHL 1


Joe Salmon born 1931 in meelick/Eyrecourt Galway, Ireland is a former hurler who at various times with his local clubs, Meelick/Eyrecourt, Liam Mellows, in Galway and Glen Rovers in Cork. Salmon also played with the Galway senior team from 1949 until 1964. He is regarded as one of the greatest players never to have won an All-Ireland medal.

Playing career

Salmon played his club hurling with his local Meelick Eyrecourt club and enjoyed some success. He also played with the famous Glen Rovers club in Cork. In all Salmon collected five county championship medals.
Inter-county

Salmon first came to prominence with the Galway minor inter-county team in the 1940s. He lined out in the All-Ireland final of 1947, however, Tipperary were the victors on that occasion.

Salmon later joined the Galway senior team, however, Galway hurling was in the doldrums at the time. The fact that the county faced no competition in Connacht meant that the team went straight into the All-Ireland series every single year. This was not a happy hunting ground for the county.

Salmon first tasted success with Galway in 1951. That year his side reached the finals of the National Hurling League. Galway defeated Wexford and New York giving Salmon a coveted National League medal.

Two years later in 1953 Galway defeated a star-studded Kilkenny team in the penultimate stage of the championship. This victory allowed Salmon's side to advance to the All-Ireland final where Cork provided the opposition. The game itself is remembered as one of the ugliest championship deciders ever and is clouded in controversy due to the injury to the Galway captain, Mick Burke. Galway lost the game by 3-3 to 0-8. After the match at the Gresham Hotel in Dublin a fight broke out when another Galway player struck Cork's Christy Ring. The following morning another fight broke out when another member of the Galway panel attempted to hit Ring. The fights, however, ended just as quickly as they had started.

Five years later in 1958 Galway were given a bye into the All-Ireland final in an effort to improve the standard of hurling in the county. Tipperray provided the opposition on that occasion.Liam Devaney, Donie Nealon and Larry Keane all scored goals for Tipp in the first-half, while Tony Wall sent a 70-yard free untouched to the Galway net. Tipp won the game by 4-9 to 2-5.This defeat saw Galway enter the Munster Championship in 1959. It was not a happy hunting ground for the county. Salmon retired from inter-county hurling in 1964.

Hurling Laochra Gael

Hurling (Irish: Iománaíocht/Iomáint) is an outdoor team game of ancientGaelic origin, administered by the Gaelic Athletic Association. The game hasprehistoric origins, has been played for over 3,000 years,^[1] and is thought to be the world's fastest field team game in terms of game play.^[1][2][3] One of Ireland's native Gaelic games, it shares a number of features with Gaelic football, such as the field and goals, number of players, and muchterminology. There is a similar game for women called camogie(camógaíocht). It shares a common Gaelic root with the sport of shinty(camanachd) which is played predominantly in Scotland.

The object of the game is for players to use a wooden stick called a hurley (in Irish a camán, pronounced /ˈkæmən/) to hit a small ball called a sliotar ( /ˈʃlɪtər/) between the opponents' goalposts either over the crossbar for one point, or under the crossbar into a net guarded by a goalkeeper for one goal, which is equivalent to three points. The sliotar can be caught in the hand and carried for not more than four steps, struck in the air, or struck on the ground with the hurley. It can be kicked or slapped with an open hand (the hand pass) for short-range passing. A player who wants to carry the ball for more than four steps has to bounce or balance the sliotar on the end of the stick and the ball can only be handled twice while in his possession.

Baiting people is allowed although body-checking or shoulder-charging is illegal. No protective padding is worn by players. A plastic protective helmet with faceguard is mandatory for all age groups, including senior level, as of 2010. The game has been described as "a bastion of humility", with player names absent from jerseys and a player's number decided by his position on the field.^[1]

Hurling is played throughout the world, and is popular among members of the Irish diaspora in North America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa andArgentina. In many parts of Ireland, it is a fixture of life.^[1] It has featured regularly in art forms such as film and literature. In 2007, Forbes magazine described the media attention and population multiplication of Thurles town ahead of one of the game's annual provincial hurling finals as being "the rough equivalent of 30 million Americans watching a regionallacrosse game".^[1] U.S. soldiers have also expressed their love of the game's warrior ethos.^[4][5]

All Ireland Gaelic Hurling Final 2012 Galway vs Kilkenny Full Match

The Wests Awake

All-Ireland hurling final Galway and Kilkenny Draw

Galway's Joe Canning equalized with free instoppage-time to make an All-Ireland hurling final replay with Kilkenny.

Kilkenny came from behind and were leadin 0-19 to 2-12 up with seconds left but Canning, who also scored a 10th-minute goal equalized for Galway 2-13, Kilkenny 0-19. The first All-Ireland hurling replay since 1959 will on the 30 September at Dublin's Croke Park. Canning had a total of 1-09 while Kilkenny's Henry Shefflin matched the total with 12 points.

Galway started well when Canning angled a shot past Kilkenny keeper David Herity and they had a healthy lead of 1-09 to 0-07 advantage at half-time.However their lead melted away and Shefflin brought Kilkenny level before putting them in front with a brilliant free.Niall Burke's goal moments later saw Galway regain the lead. In a truly exciting finish, with the sides level, Kilkenny got a penalty with Shefflin choosing to take a point. It looked like  enough until Portumna's Canning sent his last gasp free over the bar.

Link

All-Ireland hurling fans 2012