Seen more games than he cares to remember!
Among the followers of the game are those who played, many with distinction, many with heart and fury, along with those who never laced a boot to their foot, and many who made up numbers, established some skill, along with a deep knowledge and respect for teammates and opponents alike.
Followers are a breed.
An ace of a score, a blinding shot from the hurley of an accomplished player, struck with the force, accuracy and travelling power of a meteor, that billows the goal-net, and blurs the sight of a dazed goalie, can be described as 'a soft goal', a 'lucky hit that any eejit in the right place could've got', to 'a stroke of genius', a 'mark of the breed of the man'.
It depends on who got the score and which supporter you're talking to.
Apart from remarks reflecting rivals' or allies' views, there is a strong loyalty to the game overall and to the followers of any camp, in any circumstance.
Among the followers of the game are those who played, many with distinction, many with heart and fury, along with those who never laced a boot to their foot, and many who made up numbers, established some skill, along with a deep knowledge and respect for teammates and opponents alike.
Followers are a breed.
An ace of a score, a blinding shot from the hurley of an accomplished player, struck with the force, accuracy and travelling power of a meteor, that billows the goal-net, and blurs the sight of a dazed goalie, can be described as 'a soft goal', a 'lucky hit that any eejit in the right place could've got', to 'a stroke of genius', a 'mark of the breed of the man'.
It depends on who got the score and which supporter you're talking to.
Apart from remarks reflecting rivals' or allies' views, there is a strong loyalty to the game overall and to the followers of any camp, in any circumstance.
EACH GAME HAS ITS OWN CHARACTERISTICS. EACH ONE IS A FRESH START.
Hurling is a religion to many. Back in the 1950s, before televised games, when even radio was a rare enough commodity, hurling, and Gaelic Football, provided the entertainment, the purpose for living, and the conversation topic for most of rural Ireland.
Men were singled out as role models in sports and in life. The heroes of the day were dedicated to their sport, their skill, and in the performance of some, a sport and skill that was raised often to the level of artistry.
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THE UNRELENTING HUNT
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Possession is all.
If you don't have the ball there's no score you can take. None. The tussle for possession is endless and often fierce. On the ground, in the melees that happen in a game, where the emergence of the favoured jersey with ball in hand will inspire a tumultuous roar of approval from the crowd, or in the air, where sheer determination and belief can add two or three inches to a reaching hand for the prize of possession. 
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Club Hurling
While much of the media coverage is for inter-county hurling, the players for the counties are chosen for their performance and current form in the club games.
Form is a peculiar thing. You see it reported in every sport. A fine player may be 'off form', 'out of sorts', 'not himself', for any number of reasons.
Confidence is a huge factor.
For some reason unknown even to him/her self, a player can have confidence undermined and all the experience, skill and talent in the world will not resurrect that player's form till confidence is restored.
This is one of the reasons that Sports Psychologists are now commonly used by hurling clubs and Counties.
Elements of confidence are Belief, Thinking Patterns, and Emotion.
There are others, but these are the key activities of the player's make-up.
If they're right, a player can be unstoppable.
But even the slightest element of doubt can strait-jacket a player out of contention in a single beat of the heart.
Real leaders on the field seem to be imbued with a quiet confidence. They take to the field with a language of the body that speaks stronger than any vocal utterings.
You'll see them running, or even trotting, on to the pitch with a sureness of foot and a carriage that they are coming into their own territory.
And they are.
For it doesn't matter whether they're on their home ground or facing a majority crowd of supporters on an 'away' game; the pitch is their ground.
That's where they speak in the form of their skill, passion and ferocity of purpose.
The pitch is their home, so in that sense, they never play an 'away' game.
While much of the media coverage is for inter-county hurling, the players for the counties are chosen for their performance and current form in the club games.
Form is a peculiar thing. You see it reported in every sport. A fine player may be 'off form', 'out of sorts', 'not himself', for any number of reasons.
Confidence is a huge factor.
For some reason unknown even to him/her self, a player can have confidence undermined and all the experience, skill and talent in the world will not resurrect that player's form till confidence is restored.
This is one of the reasons that Sports Psychologists are now commonly used by hurling clubs and Counties.
Elements of confidence are Belief, Thinking Patterns, and Emotion.
There are others, but these are the key activities of the player's make-up.
If they're right, a player can be unstoppable.
But even the slightest element of doubt can strait-jacket a player out of contention in a single beat of the heart.
Real leaders on the field seem to be imbued with a quiet confidence. They take to the field with a language of the body that speaks stronger than any vocal utterings.
You'll see them running, or even trotting, on to the pitch with a sureness of foot and a carriage that they are coming into their own territory.
And they are.
For it doesn't matter whether they're on their home ground or facing a majority crowd of supporters on an 'away' game; the pitch is their ground.
That's where they speak in the form of their skill, passion and ferocity of purpose.
The pitch is their home, so in that sense, they never play an 'away' game.
PERSEVERANCE
The game to which they've come is the essence of their existence.
It's the event, the chance to do what they know how to do, the meaning to the hours of training, the long hard cold winter sessions in the dark, running up sand dunes, finding those few more steps at the end of a run, experiencing the scorching lungs, the aching calves, dismissing those inevitable questions that ask what they think they're doing.
For that's what they guard most zealously, that underhanded, sneaky, malicious little hint of discouragement.
It's the event, the chance to do what they know how to do, the meaning to the hours of training, the long hard cold winter sessions in the dark, running up sand dunes, finding those few more steps at the end of a run, experiencing the scorching lungs, the aching calves, dismissing those inevitable questions that ask what they think they're doing.
For that's what they guard most zealously, that underhanded, sneaky, malicious little hint of discouragement.
Queries? Stories? Get in touch. 353 87 2321128. [email protected]
Whether it's from within or from without, they know that the foundation of their game is the spirit, the belief, the strength of the thought of what they may do.
They also know that this belief is their own and that it can fuel the stuff of dreams, of heroic action in the heat of battle, of indomitable courage in the face of adversity, of the will and the tenacity to find that extra inch for the high ball, the strength to burst from an impossible tackle, the endurance and the will to see it through, when they
"Force their heart and nerve and sinew
To serve their turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on, when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them:'Hold on'. "
They also know that this belief is their own and that it can fuel the stuff of dreams, of heroic action in the heat of battle, of indomitable courage in the face of adversity, of the will and the tenacity to find that extra inch for the high ball, the strength to burst from an impossible tackle, the endurance and the will to see it through, when they
"Force their heart and nerve and sinew
To serve their turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on, when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them:'Hold on'. "
WEXFORD'S EXPRESS
One of the most admired and respected actors on the hurling stage has to be Wexford's Lee Chin.
A former County footballer, now committed to the hurling code, he is a leader both on and off the pitch.
With a work ethic that would dazzle the severest of critics, a practised skill-set developed over countless hours and many years, and a quiet confidence , he is the role model for many up and coming younger players.
This is the essence of hurling and hurling people.
They are the amateurs who practise, prepare and play with a professionalism that puts many a so-called professional athlete to shame.
They take hard hits, suffer serious injuries , and sometimes brutal criticism when a result is not what the followers wanted, or when, as every human has, they have an off-day.
In spite of that, they hold fast to their belief in their mission, give heart and soul to performance, and do their level best to honour the support and loyalty of their genuine followers.
Like Lee Chin, there are leaders all over the country, from every county.
For example, there's the redoubtable TJ Reid, from Kilkenny. He's not only a prolific scorer, as deadly with a placed ball as he is dauntless in the field. He's also a true leader, as worthy a coach in the challenges of life and business as he is on the hurling pitch.
They are ordinary men, performing with extraordinary drive, passion, and skill, who continue to provide an appreciative audience with the colour, speed and splendour of this spectacular sport.
If you 'd like to purchase any of the sketches or coloured paintings you see on this site, get in touch on 087 2321128, or [email protected]
Jersey colours can be altered to your club or county preference.
Signed Originals are €155.00 Signed prints are €35.00
Or you may like a picture, or a collection of pictures, with appropriate captions.
Let me know. 353 87 2321128.
[email protected]
Jersey colours can be altered to your club or county preference.
Signed Originals are €155.00 Signed prints are €35.00
Or you may like a picture, or a collection of pictures, with appropriate captions.
Let me know. 353 87 2321128.
[email protected]
SPEED OF REACTION
A feature of the modern game has been the physical development of the players.
Training has changed significantly.
The modern hurler is a year-round player.
There is no off-season.
Years ago, when a county exited the championship, that was more or less the end of team training till the beginning of the League games sometime around January.
Then teams started to shake the cobwebs out, resolve to do make a few changes in their drinking or eating habits , or both, and start getting themselves back into a routine that would let them train and get ready for the coming season.
League games, to the eyes of the public, were very much experimental and try-outs for new recruits to the county squad.
They were also reminders to some regulars on the county teams that their places were not to be taken for granted and that there were hungry young newcomers champing at the bit to replace them.
This always produced competitive hurling.
Things may not have changed that much in principle. But they have in style.
The players today use every moment of off-day skill training to improve their physiques in muscular development, power, and speed. Their diets are focused on body fat content, muscular strength and stamina. They make sure that they get adequate rest, not just in quantity, but quality. You'll hear players speak of sleeping details like 'REM', (Rapid Eye Movement) in the same tone and earnestness as they speak of the quality of training. The athletic level of today's players is as it was never before.
The speed of the fastest field-game in the world has increased. The performance of top players today is similar to the development of Formula 1 cars. The sciences of Nutrition, Exercise Physiology and the value of strategically practised Rest and Recovery weren't known 50 years ago. A training programme 50 years ago was about exercise and skill practice.
Today it's a 24 hour schedule that covers everything from R & R, (rest and recreation) to skills training, speed training, strength training, stamina and mental training. And I'm sure there are a few aspects I've missed. New traits and systems are developing all the time.
The result is an athlete trained in the Physical, Mental and Emotional aspect of his/her game and his/her personality and how to best use them.
Training has changed significantly.
The modern hurler is a year-round player.
There is no off-season.
Years ago, when a county exited the championship, that was more or less the end of team training till the beginning of the League games sometime around January.
Then teams started to shake the cobwebs out, resolve to do make a few changes in their drinking or eating habits , or both, and start getting themselves back into a routine that would let them train and get ready for the coming season.
League games, to the eyes of the public, were very much experimental and try-outs for new recruits to the county squad.
They were also reminders to some regulars on the county teams that their places were not to be taken for granted and that there were hungry young newcomers champing at the bit to replace them.
This always produced competitive hurling.
Things may not have changed that much in principle. But they have in style.
The players today use every moment of off-day skill training to improve their physiques in muscular development, power, and speed. Their diets are focused on body fat content, muscular strength and stamina. They make sure that they get adequate rest, not just in quantity, but quality. You'll hear players speak of sleeping details like 'REM', (Rapid Eye Movement) in the same tone and earnestness as they speak of the quality of training. The athletic level of today's players is as it was never before.
The speed of the fastest field-game in the world has increased. The performance of top players today is similar to the development of Formula 1 cars. The sciences of Nutrition, Exercise Physiology and the value of strategically practised Rest and Recovery weren't known 50 years ago. A training programme 50 years ago was about exercise and skill practice.
Today it's a 24 hour schedule that covers everything from R & R, (rest and recreation) to skills training, speed training, strength training, stamina and mental training. And I'm sure there are a few aspects I've missed. New traits and systems are developing all the time.
The result is an athlete trained in the Physical, Mental and Emotional aspect of his/her game and his/her personality and how to best use them.
Queries? Stories? Get in touch. 353 87 2321128. [email protected]