British Pathe has shared this amazing footage of the Limerick GAA hurling team taking on the New York-based hurling team on the hallowed grounds of Yankee Stadium in 1936.
The historic footage, which unfortunately does not include sound, features the Limerick hurling team posing as a group on the pitch, as well as longshots of the match and the crowds in the grandstands.
British Pathe notes that M. Mackey and T. Ryan scored for Limerick, and the final score was 16 points to 9 points, with Limerick as the victors.
You can watch the amazing footage here:
The Pathe description of the video is as follows:
"M/S of County Limerick Hurling Team posing as a group on pitch. Various L/Ss of hurling match between Limerick and a team of New York American Irish men. Some shots of crowds watching from grand stands. M. Mackey and T. Ryan score for Limerick. Final score is 16 points to Limerick, 9 to New York. (sic)"
What is hurling?
Hurling is an ancient Irish sport that is widely believed to be the world’s oldest field game, hurling combines agility, strength, and intensity, earning it the reputation as the “fastest game on grass” among its loyal and passionate followers.
Hurlers use a wooden stick called a hurley to hit a small ball called a sliotar (pronounced slitter) between the opponents’ goalposts either over the crossbar (1 point) or under the crossbar into a net guarded by a goalkeeper (3 points). For the New York Hurling Classic, the teams will play a modified version of hurling called “Super 11s” which reduces the pitch to 11 players and the only way to score is under the crossbar into the net.
* Originally published in 2019, updated in August 2023.
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