Origins: What are 'the hurley and the bowlin''?

Subject: RE: Origins: What are 'the hurley and the bowlin''?
From: GUEST,Learaí na Láibe
Date: 04 Nov 16 - 03:30 PM

Road Bowling is pronounced "bouling" in Cork, rhymes with "fouling" and "howling".

That distinguishes it from other forms of bowling. "Ten-pin bowling" would be pronounced in the conventional manner by most.

Hurling is not a very dangerous sport despite what non-followers think. You'll get bad bruises regularly, but serious injuries are very rare. Long-term injuries are the same as suffered in all field sports -they are caused by over-training and over-stressing the body -not by blows of the hurley.

Subject: RE: Origins: What are 'the hurley and the bowlin''?
From: The Sandman
Date: 04 Nov 16 - 12:51 PM

the mind boggles about london,hopefully on the m25

Subject: RE: Origins: What are 'the hurley and the bowlin''?
From: The Sandman
Date: 04 Nov 16 - 12:50 PM

Yes, it is still played by local people generally sunday afternoon, very popular in west cork and apparently certain parts of ulster, the first sign is generally tufts of grass, yards ahead of the players, to those that have come across it before that is a warning in itself, another warning sign is lots of parked cars along the roadside in places where there is normally no one to be seen for miles.
here is a quote from the irish road bowling websiteAbout Us
Bowl playing, road bowling, road bowls. The terms are familiar to all followers of the sport. To the uninitiated, the variation in descriptive terminology serves to generate intrigue with a competitive game which is unique in its history.

Tradition, style and proven clarity to survive social and cultural changes of passing generations.

The sport Road Bowling Ball is played with a 28 oz. (793.8 grams) solid iron bowl, or ball, with a circumference of approximately 18 centimetres. Two contestants match their individual skills in throwing the bowl with optimum speed, controlled delivery, and international accuracy along a carefully considered and tactically selected play - path over a predetermined course distance of normal roadway. The winner is the player to reach the finishing line in the least number of throws or shots.

Course distances vary in accordance with the nature of the contest, which nowadays are usually around four kilometres in length. A score, or match, between two road bowlers may be watched by anything from several dozen spectators to many thousands, depending upon the importance of the event and the attraction of the particular pairing involved.

In Ireland numerous bowling courses exist in counties Armagh and Cork (where the sport is more prevalent) and also in Mayo (Castlebar), Limerick, Waterford and Louth.

In more recent times courses (roads) have been developed in Tyrone and Wexford and also in London (G.B.). Furthermore there is now a course in Boston (U.S.A.).

Subject: RE: Origins: What are 'the hurley and the bowlin''?
From: Jim Carroll
Date: 04 Nov 16 - 06:32 AM

Agree Martin - but not in a sports crowd
Pat and I shook hands with Michael D when he visited the Willie Week (Pat escorted him to his seat) and I am sure you were there with us when the 'Blessed Mary' opened the Irish Traditional Music Archive
There's a lovely story told by a BBC interviewer who had the job of interviewing President Hillary at his family home at Spanish Point at the height of 'The Troubles' in the seventies when all dignitaries were accompanied by an armed bodyguard.
They were carrying out an interview in his kitchen when the Pres spotted a shadowy figure climbing over the dividing ditch between his back garden and the neighboring field.
He rose from his chair, went into the garden and returned shortly carrying two bottles of milk.
Jim Carroll

Subject: RE: Origins: What are 'the hurley and the bowlin''?
From: vectis
Date: 04 Nov 16 - 06:10 AM

Ah! I had forgotten about road bowling. another mad Irish game.

Subject: RE: Origins: What are 'the hurley and the bowlin''?
From: GUEST,Martin Ryan
Date: 04 Nov 16 - 05:38 AM

the idea of coming within feet of the president is unthinkable...

Welllll....

A couple of months ago, Josephine (my wife, as you know) was one of a garden party of yogi (you can draw the picture yourself!) doing their exercises on the lawn of Arus an Uachtaráin (the presidential residence, formerly the Viceregal Lodge) as the bould Michael D walked among them!

Regards

Subject: RE: Origins: What are 'the hurley and the bowlin''?
From: Jim Carroll
Date: 04 Nov 16 - 04:44 AM

I hitched around Ireland with a tent with a friend in the mid 1960s - disastrous weather for over a week and nobody had cars in those days.
My mate was, and still is a sports nut - I am not, but on the day we landed in Dublin I succumbed to his demands that we should go to the National Hurling Final at Croake Park - in those days it was possible to just buy a ticket at the gate and walk in.
Neither of us were familiar with the sport and five minutes into the game, my mate turned and said, "Why are they trying to kill each other with those sticks?"
As we were leaving, I nearly had my foot run over by a limousine containing The President of Ireland, Eamon DeValera, and his guest, Grace Kelly.
The following day we climbed Nelson's Pillar in O'Connell Street.
You couldn't do any of those things now - you pay a fortune for final tickets and have to buy them in advance, the idea of coming within feet of the president is unthinkable and - well - we know what happened to the symbol of Imperialism on O'Connell (at the end of that year).
We encountered the illegal game of road bowling at least three times on our way round the coast roads, all enthusiastically attended by uniformed members of The Garda Síocorna (Irish Police)
We haven't see the game in years, but it's comforting to know it still happens.
Jim Carroll

Subject: RE: Origins: What are 'the hurley and the bowlin''?
From: BobL
Date: 04 Nov 16 - 03:23 AM

A bit like Morris dancing in the road then. North West sides with irons on their clogs, striking sparks from the road surface, can be most effective at producing restraint in impatient drivers.

Subject: RE: Origins: What are 'the hurley and the bowlin''?
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 03 Nov 16 - 08:29 PM

I certainly wasn't complaining.

Subject: RE: Origins: What are 'the hurley and the bowlin''?
From: The Sandman
Date: 03 Nov 16 - 06:53 PM

McG,The road is not closed in the legal sense, MOTORISTS JUST HAVE TO WAIT A FEW MINUTES WHILE THE BALL IS THROWN. TO OBTAIN LEGAL ROAD CLOSURE YOU HAVE TO APPLY TO THE COUNTY COUNCIL AND IT COSTS HUNDREDS.It then appears as a notice in the local paper , that is Road Closure.
the roads are not closed but motorists are temporarily made to wait a few minutes, something quite different, more akin to having to wait at lights, speaking from experience, I would say I have been rarely made to wait, they generally throw when their lookouts tyell them their is no oncoming traffic

Subject: RE: Origins: What are 'the hurley and the bowlin''?
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 03 Nov 16 - 06:34 PM

That's what I meant by closing the road. You could drive on through if you were crazy.

Subject: RE: Origins: What are 'the hurley and the bowlin''?
From: The Sandman
Date: 03 Nov 16 - 03:23 PM

its road bowling, if anyone tried to stop it there would be trouble, so in effect its legal, it happens virtually every sunday around here, the roads are not closed but there are people posted ahead warning motorists.

Subject: RE: Origins: What are 'the hurley and the bowlin''?
From: Murpholly
Date: 03 Nov 16 - 02:19 PM

It may not be legal but it still goes on. Another trick is to try and throw a ball over the local viaduct - especially in Co. Cork.

Subject: RE: Origins: What are 'the hurley and the bowlin''?
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 03 Nov 16 - 01:38 PM

I'd agree about that being road bowling. The sport lying in the fact that the narrow roads used don't go straight. To win you'd be trying to cut the corners. It's not legal, since it requires closing down the road to save the lives of motorists when an iron ball flies over the hedge to go through the windscreen. And of course, as Murpholly's husband found, it's a high-risk sport for spectators.

Subject: RE: Origins: What are 'the hurley and the bowlin''?
From: Murpholly
Date: 03 Nov 16 - 05:09 AM

I think the bowling refers to road bowling with an iron ball about the sized of a cricket ball. It is usually plyed along country roads and is a contest to see how few throws over a given distance. My hubby has a mark on his leg which he received as a young child being hit by a bowl whilst out with his Dad following the game.

Subject: RE: Origins: What are 'the hurley and the bowlin''?
From: vectis
Date: 03 Nov 16 - 03:16 AM

Hurling - Gaelic sport like a really Rambo version of hockey.

Bowling - skilled game played on a very flat closely mown lawn rolling weighted balls towards a target ball. Widely played throughout the British Empire.

Subject: Origins: What are 'the hurley and the bowlin''?
From: GUEST,Luke Bretscher
Date: 03 Nov 16 - 02:34 AM

In "Whiskey in the Jar," the narrator says that some take delight in the hurley and the bowlin'. What exactly are those two pastimes?