The Irish standard., 1895-05-04
wonderful Team Work and Open
play in the New York n E / a.
Hurley Contests.
A Revival Of Old Irisl, Sparta
which Bid Fair ID Spread
to other Sections.
An Exciting Game Where Both
Referee and Players Are Ever
On the Run. ,ts.SIsss Y

The Gaelic athletic clubs Of this !, lcin- cisl''
fly have formed a. central council, 1shlesss
purpose is to cause a revival of 1n.slt
sports in this country, says the New
York Sun. The Sun told recently Of tho
brilliant work done in Gaelic footbnlIin
the Sunday contests at the RidgeWaY
base ball grounds, a game that calls for
more open work and skill than the inter-
collegiate game now played in this couni
try. It has been played in ireland tor
centuries, and is the oldest Of the Gaelic
games that are still in vogue. The msn5
who play out at Ridgewod have all play
ed in the Green Isle, and il one would
see q bit of old Ireland almost phyBieak.
ly transported to this side of the water
he has only to go and see one Qf these
games. %#3$ III
Hurley is the parent garae OF the
schoolboy's Shiny" but there tss no
more comparison to be made between
them than there is between man oe
war and tug boat. II one likes -.
remarkable running and lodging, ,vtolent
and dangerous scrimmages, brilliant
stops and terrific batting Of a ball, cons
pared with base ball and intercollegiate
football seem to be chigd's play, he ought
go see real irishmen play hurley as they
play it in ireland, aud catch something
Of til enthusiasm that the spectators dis.
play as the excitement runs high. Thir-
ty men are running at top speed Eine>
tentls of the time; q ball that resembles
in size and speed, COO, an old snooth-
bore cannon ball is being driven fs1rlous- y
ly here and there, almost iasler than the
eye can travel; from twonty IT thntys
hurleys Instruments that resemble war
clabs Of savages as they fash ftl the afr,
swooping In curves about the heads and
legs; men, some Of them of middle s.ge,
stalwart and yet Mth, are running and
laaping, now to "swipe" the bali, now to
leap out of the way Of blow that would 4
break a leg If leg was hit, now 50 hurl
themselves prOstrate before an antaEe-
mist and trip him. There is not one dull
instant in the game, and the excitement
of tine players is supplemented by that Of
the spectators as tremendous hits, fine
stops and surprisingly fast dashes are
made. Hurley as these men play 1t is3S
an ideal "open-play" game, and there. iA
more activity in it In one minute than
there is in ten minutes Of any OF the
American amateur sports. ff%
There are fifteen men on side. Tbs i
ball is made Of leather, and is three h
inches in diameter. q hurley is like an
axe handle, With the part that goes INTO
the axe head slanted Off so that az oIIe$i2
holds it down In front of him the bsntSs
part lies along the ground. They weigh
four or five pounds and. the lat pRtt
is bound by strips of iron to keep I'm
from breaking when the implements B
meet In a clash, as they do frequently
There is on Off-side or On-side dizzy
Each man hits when and where he can,
and each man with & fash OF Judgment
as puick as tightening stroke. loks out
for his own safety at the same time that
he plans to send the ball smoking along
the ground or sailing in the air for q. dia-
tance in base ball that would meAn9Fas.
three Dagger. . A es;s
| 1t lis give and take from start to finish
One would think that there would 10 3
constant Interruptions to remove athesSSS
wounded and the dead, but the skilful} 4
way in which danger is avoided by light
ming twists and turns is something that
astonishes the spectator at hrst, ana
would probably make college athlete
green with envy. There are no stretchss
ers, no doctors, no immense Blankets st0 NJ
be seen on the grounds, and il occasion.I
ally q man gets a blow in the head, ana 81
the blood comes, he goes OF the grounda 81 &
alone and thinks no more Of It than
would of a blow FROM a shillalah at az fair
in the old country. HI sSssHS SssasHssS
On Sunday last the Wolfe Tones and
Garryowens played their first game 19 III
the. season. The Wolfe Tones are tfiA82
poll itan district. Year after year fheyss
have been victorious, but they have had
to struggle hard. The Gatryowenss hare
been creeping up to them gradnaHy y, and
now give. them as hard a tussle as any
champion club could wish Nearly ass
thousand spectators, all In their SundRyi
best 69t-0n the benches or distrt tbnte0 4
themselves about the edges Of the Held
The game requires a very large spacssSs
the distance from goal to goal sbein68H Hs
nearly 200 yards. and the width Of tAeSa
ground being nearly $50 var Dis. n a
center of each end IS q goal, its widt tll
ing Is feet. On each side Of the
posts ID q post 20 feet away. If fa ball ip5a
the goal ftseoM1tts a point" !" .Iffsit gOessss.
through the goal Itself IT simply count T. 81.
as a goal One goal, however, cunts szS zs
more than any mum Der of points thgtt
are made. 1f a ball T01l out Df st0tindss#ss
at the ends sof the field the side gnafd
ing gthatend has tue right to bat the ahallsgsS III
into the field ~ any angle and ssfeAal
sgreRteAt distance possible syreeqa f8x@
In some ma idcent dri &c y M ss
roll out of hounds 3on Tie ssides ol a
field and 7