Hurling Heroics

The UM Griz Hurlers defeated a squad from St. Thomas Aquinas College to claim the national collegiate hurling championship this past May in New York.

Seven teams from across the country participated. Hurling, an ancient Irish game based on single-person combat, has been played for more than 3,000 years.

“It was a game played by the great heroes of Ireland, champions like Cuchulainn and Fionn Mac Cumhail, who showed their warrior mettle through their exploits on the hurling field,” says Traolach O’Riordain, director UM’s Irish Studies Program. “No game in Ireland has been as celebrated in song and story like hurling. It is the national game.”

It was recently announced that the 2015 national tournament will be played at Washington-Grizzly Stadium. (Photo by Todd Goodrich)