believe

[mojo]

yes, it's the new guiness commercial

http://193.45.143.56
http://193.45.143.56/BELIEVE2.jpg

[Hiro]

heh

[Nija]

looks like rugby... or curling :P

[Hiro]

I believe!! :P

[Nanotech9]

must be *curling*....

next thing you know, manecuring will be an olympic event... :rolleyes:

[sho.gun]

I believe he missed

[Kevster]

What they are playing is Hurling. It is the national sport of Ireland. I've seen it several times when visiting Ireland (I go at least once every couple of years). :D

My family's town is Kilkenny - they have been one of a select few teams that dominate Hurling in Ireland. In the 70's and 80's the Kilkenny team had 4 players with my last name and whenever I'm there people sometimes do a double-take because they know they've heard my name before. Here's the Kilkenny Hurling site:

http://kilkenny.gaa.ie

Here is the description of Hurling from the GAA:

http://www.gaa.ie

Hurling is a game similar to hockey, in that it is played with a small ball and a curved wooden stick. It is Europe's oldest field game. When the Celts came to Ireland as the last ice age was receding, they brought with them a unique culture, their own language, music, script and unique pastimes. One of these pastimes was a game now called hurling. It features in Irish folklore to illustrate the deeds of heroic mystical figures and it is chronicled as a distinct Irish pastime for at least 2,000 years.

The stick, or "hurley" (called cam·n in Irish) is curved outwards at the end, to provide the striking surface. The ball or "sliothar" is similar in size to a hockey ball but has raised ridges.

Hurling is played on a pitch approximately 137m long and 82m wide. The goalposts are the same shape as on a rugby pitch, with the crossbar lower than a rugby one and slightly higher than a soccer one.

You may strike the ball on the ground, or in the air. Unlike hockey, you may pick up the ball with your hurley and carry it for not more than four steps in the hand. After those steps you may bounce the ball on the hurley and back to the hand, but you are forbidden to catch the ball more than twice. To get around this, one of the skills is running with the ball balanced on the hurley To score, you put the ball over the crossbar with the hurley or under the crossbar and into the net by the hurley for a goal, the latter being the equivalent of three points.

Each team consists of fifteen players, lining out as follows: 1 goalkeeper, three full-backs, three half-backs, two midfielders, three half-forwards and three full-forwards. The actual line out on the playing field is as follows:

Goalkeeper

Right corner-back Full-back Left corner-back
Right half-back Centre half-back Left half-back
Midfielder Midfielder
Right half-forward Centre half-forward Left half-forward
Right corner-forward Full-forward Left corner-forward

Players wear a jersey with their team colours and number on the back. Both teams must have different colour jerseys. The goalkeepers' jerseys must not be similar to the jersey of any other player. Referees normally tog out in black jerseys, socks and togs.

Goalkeepers may not be physically challenged whilst inside their own small parallelogram, but players may harass them into playing a bad pass, or block an attempted pass.

Teams are allowed a maximum of three substitutes in a game. Players may switch positions on the field of play as much as they wish but this is usually on the instructions of team officials.

Officials for a game comprise of a referee, two linesmen (to indicate when the ball leaves the field of play at the side and to mark '65'' free kicks and 4 umpires (to signal scores, assist the referee in controlling the games, and to assist linesmen in positioning ''65' frees).

A goal is signalled by raising a green flag, placed to the left of the goal. A point is signalled by raising a white flag, placed to the right of goal. A '45'/'65' is signalled by the umpire raising his/her outside arm. A 'square ball', when a player scores having arrived in the 'square' prior to receiving the ball, is signalled by pointing at the small parallelogram.

[Kevster]

Originally posted by chosenfool
this is what came to mind when you said hurling: :puke:


:)

:nono: :bonk:

Now you know better!

:P

[leemaj]

weird...well...ireland...beer..makes sense

[mojo]

and this is what came to mind when he said kilkenny

http://images.snapfish.com/3336%3B43523232%7Ffp7%3Enu%3D3232%3E295%3E8%3C5%3E23232959%3B6734ot1lsi

[jase71]

Originally posted by chosenfool
this is what came to mind when you said hurling: :puke:


The other national sport of the Irish...

Usually done after pub closing...

:D

[Kevster]

Originally posted by jase71


The other national sport of the Irish...

Usually done after pub closing...

:D

Not really - the Irish people can hold their alcohol quite well.

It's when they start thinking they can sing like a tenor is when its time to cut them off for a little while.

In Irish, the word pronounced "crack" (it's irish, but I don't know the irish spelling) generally means "to have a good time". This is what they call good times at the pub - "crack".

When I was in Ireland in the spring of 1994, the USA was hosting the world cup and New York was having the matches that Ireland was playing in. Apparently the NYPD had to brief its officers that in case someone with an Irish accent asked them where some good "crack" was (and it did happen), to point them in the direction of a good pub/bar. Different countries... different ways.

Oh - if you're hitchhiking in Ireland, and don't ask for a ride - they'll give you a really weird look because asking for a ride means http://community.theunderdogs.org/smiley/noughty/icon_hump.gif.

[ThanatoGratus]

Originally posted by cpugeek04

:bonk::P

ummm.... yah....
Thanks for the history Kevster. my family is from Ireland, Scotland, and England. Sadly, there are no relatives there any longer, so I would never have known that tidbit.

[jase71]

Originally posted by Kevster


Not really - the Irish people can hold their alcohol quite well.



I know, I know... I'm at least half Irish myself...

Just playing up the "heavy drinking" stereotype, that's all.

[ironchef]

Kev, got any Kilkenny relatives in New Jersey? I knew one from high school.