Heated discussion regarding the sport in this photo!

[Mike in Cumbria]

Now I can really go in with gun blazing! 

Isn't that a little extreme?

[Newbie in SA]

  All just friendly banter, I assure you! But nice that I can be in the right every now and again..

[carol8353]

My father in law Christy Coleman was a championship hurling player in the late 1920's and 30's in County Clare.

Here is a picture of him and his team with their 'stick's,which seem to have much wider ends than hockey sticks.

Carol

[Newbie in SA]

I do believe Hurling is the world's fastest field team game! Thank you for the visual comparison, VERY different for sure!

[KGarrad]

I'm somewhat of a sports nut - and I was watching the Kilkenny v Tipperary All-Ireland Hurling, Qualifiers Phase II match last Saturday! (in an Irish bar, of course!)

And next Saturday I will be watching the Kilkenny v Waterford, Phase 3, match

So I was fully aware that the team in the photo were not a hurling team.

[Mike in Cumbria]

I do believe Hurling is the world's fastest field team game! Thank you for the visual comparison, VERY different for sure!

Shinty's fast too. I used to watch it in the Highlands. It's similar to hockey, of course, but you can swing your stick as high as you like, whereas in hockey you have to keep it below shoulder height. You could always tell the hockey players at a shinty match, going in for a tackle with their heads bent over forwards instead of backwards - nasty!

[Mike in Cumbria]

Shinty tackle

[Mike in Cumbria]

And a hockey tackle.

[Newbie in SA]

I am from South Africa and until now had never heard of Hurling or Shinty .. We out in the bundu's play Hockey.. I am so grateful for the experts on Rootschat, can you imagine showing off in my family history book that my father played Hurling just for someone to point out it is Hockey? Epic fail!