It takes a lot of practice before you can deck out in your county colors and hit the field in Croke Park, so the phrase “They were born with a hurl in their hand” is quite an accurate description of the young age at which many of Ireland’s greatest hurling stars first laid their hands on the honored piece of ash.

For some, however, the prospect of handing a child a piece of wood that could be heavy for them to carry and cause some damage if they decide to practice their shot in the living room, may not be good for the nerves and so Galway-based company Kite Sport Ltd have developed a specially-designed starter hurley made from foam to save us all a few bruises.

Kite Sport, and it’s owner Christy Moran, began the development of Hurlóg in 2009, working on a suggestion made by his daughter Ciara. Researching the concept of a softer, lighter hurl with over 500 trainers and parents, the safer alternative Hurlóg was released, with Irish Mammies everywhere breathing a slight sigh of relief.

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hurlóg from Kite Sport on Vimeo.

Made of a hard-wearing foam hurl that looks exactly like ash wood, Hurlóg only comes in at about half the weight of an ash hurl of the same size, allowing kids to have a proper good swing while attempting to take a point or running at goal.

With the ever-growing GAA fan base across the world, orders for Hurlóg have been coming in from all corners of the globe, and with thanks to the increasing number of sports fans being introduced to our fantastic native sports via TV, the company have received a great many requests from the US also.

One American man even bought new Hurlógs for all his children after seeing a game of hurling on TV!

The hurl itself is also paired with a larger and lighter ball, easier to hit than a sliotar, building up confidence in children as young as two years old as they try their arm at emulating their favorite hurling players.

You can find more information on Hurlóg on their website here. Products are currently only sold online in the US. 

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