THIS YEAR’S HURLING championship may have burst into life with Limerick’s thrilling victory over Clare in Thurles, but it will have a royal watcher this year after Prince Charles expressed an interest in it.
But the prince also expressed amazement that more players were not injured in the exchanges.
Prince Charles met his first hurling manager when he visited Ireland last week and told Galway boss Anthony Cunningham that he was impressed by the game. He is the second royal to show an interest in Gaelic games after the Queen last year told then-GAA president Liam O’Neill that she had watched it on Sky.
Prince Charles met a number of sports personalities when he went to NUI Galway on Tuesday on the first day of his Irish visit. Galway football manager Kevin Walsh, Connacht Rugby CEO Willie Ruane and the Tribesmen hurling manager Cunningham were among those to meet him.
“I would say he chatted to everyone for a minute or two, it was well done,” said Cunningham. “He said hurling was a bit like the Scottish game, shinty, and I told him it was, but that there were a few differences.
“I told him how we lift the ball and catch it in the air and try to strike it faster but he was surprised that there were not a lot more injuries. But I said to him that when you are brought up with it you are able to control it.”
Last year GAA president Liam O’Neill said he was shocked when the Queen told him she had watched hurling and was impressed by it. O’Neill dined at the Queen’s table when she visited City Hall in Belfast.
“She saw it on television on Sky, saying it was very fast and it was a wonderful game,” said O’Neill.
Good man charlie
Hopefully he has a word to him about water charges. I for one ament going to pay them
Gary to deserve a belt of a hurl for that comment
You
You’re some bore Gary
What’s Ament ?
Are not , in border county parlance .
I’m no monarchist but I’m beginning to like the cut of Charlie’s jib
Hurling is the fastest game in the world!! :)
Er no, ice hockey methinks
Fastest ball game I believe
Nope it’s hurling :)
A good strike of a Hurley can propel a ball at 159km/hr +
Basque pelota.
The king Kong is correct, it’s the fastest field game, a Mexican game has been the fastest game overall for quite some time
Hurling is the fastest field sport, ice hockey…..
Laser tag
Ah jaysus lads, it’s not just about speed, like is formula 1 better than rallying just because of greater speed? In fact if anything hurling has slowed down a lot and is increasingly a lot more possession based, all those hand passes ain’t travelling at a speed of light, if you look at a free flowing game from the 70′s it looks more like shinty than modern day hurling
Charlie can hurl on a horse!
Just because he married one.?
Charlie would slot in lovely as an aul junior B centre forward at my club! Tog out there Charlie!!
Sure they get injured Charlie, but they’re real men and don’t go on about it like your soccer player Prima Donna style acting.
Apart from the weekend when they did….
Greatest game in the world,season only warming up too
its not the greatest game in the world !!
Prince Charles is coming to Thurles!!!!! C’mon the Premier!!!!!!! Nice one
Hes a Limerick man (I’m a Clare man :-)
maybe i cynical, but i dont think he is really a fan. i think he said it for politcal reasons and so he is not rude.
Cunningham ” what would you know about it Charlie ya bollix”
Jai alai is the fastest ball game. Played in Spain. Smaller ball and more weight for size helps propel the speed. But hurling far better to watch!
Hurling is the fastest TEAM game in the world…simple fact.
hed proably be a supporter of the royal county making me hate him more
I wonder when a member of the royal family will play in croke park.
Surely, he’d support the Kingdom?
He’d hate Queen’s County though.
Oh yeah, which Golf course is the free membership to? If its Moate ya can feck off!
Clay pigeon shooting is the fastest. ………. langer..
Laughing because my husband and I had the ” its a hurl…no its a hurley” debate last week. I can see it varies between counties from the comments
It’s deffo a Hurley in Munster
There was a spider in the bath
Good for him bla bla Was wondering, why can Irish people living in the England vote in the UK referriundum on leaving the European Union? While people from the UK can not vote here.
Affinity….because our Government don’t trust anyone not brainwashed by our own media.
Because it’s in our constitution.
UK citizens can vote in all elections here, but only Irish citizens can vote in referendums.
N O hUallaigh don’t u think it’s great that more of the world is finally getting to see the greatest game on earth? When someone like the Queen or Prince Charles comment on something like that it encourages people in the UK to have a look to see what they’re talking about (they adore them and that’s just the way it is). Surely widening the audience of hurling can only be a good thing??? I’ve pucked around with a hurly and ball many times in royal parks in London and we do get some odd looks from people wondering what we’re playing, but that’s not because these people are being rude, they’ve just never seen it before and are curious! You are right about 1 thing tho, none of this will ever affect or change how much u enjoy watching a game such as Limerick V Clare at the weekend but wouldn’t it be great there were also lots of people in the UK enjoying it just as much???
Ryan I take your points. But your assertion that all English people adore the royal family is patently wrong. I lived in England and had many English friends and they all invariably thought they were an embarrassing cringeworthy racist inbred self-preservating affront to meritocracy. They changed their name during world war 1 to make themselves less German and they did a bunk during world war 2. They’ve a long history of hiding unwanted children in attics and being generally superior just because their 15 times removed grandparents won a battle in some distant central European skirmish
The fastest team ball game in the world is polo!
prince