01/01/2016

HybridofScotsShintyandIrishHurlingcreatedTheScotsman

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HybridofScotsShintyandIrishHurlingcreated

Scotland'sShintyplayerstakeonIreland'sHurlersonceayear
Published:12:34 Thursday24October2013

Anewchapterisbeingwritteninsportinghistorywiththelaunchofanewhybridgameof
ScottishShintyandIrishHurling,calledIomain.
For120yearsScotlandandIrelandhavecompetedinchallengematchesinvolvingamixofShinty
andHurlingandnowthenewgame,whichcouldre-writetherules,istobepilotedfollowingthe
televisedMarineHarvestShinty/HurlinginternationalSeriesmatchatCrokeParkinDublinon
Saturdayevening.
OfficialshavereturnedtotheoriginsofbothsportstodeveloptheconceptwiththewordIomain
beingoneoftheGaelicwordsforbothShintyandHurling.

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However,inamajorbreakfromtraditionwhichhaslastedoveracentury,playerswilluseauniversalstickthatisneithera
ScottishcamanorIrishhurley.
Presently,thehickorystickorcaman,isathinnerwedgedclubevolvedforgroundplaywhiletheashhurleyisaflatter
bladedstickdesignedforaerialhitting.
ThestickwhichwillbeusedinSaturdaysdemonstrationhasbeendevelopedbyhighlandcamanproducer,Alan
MacPherson,inconjunctionwithIrishhurleymaker,MichaelBarron.
Thebottomthirdofthestickwillbethesamedimensionanddesignforbothteamswiththedesignandlengthofhandle
beingoptional.
Inafurthershiftfrommoderncompositerules,onlygoalswillcountratherthanhitsoverthecross-bar;asignificant
departurefortheIrish.
TheideahasbeendevelopedbytheGaelicAthleticAssociation(GAA)inIrelandinconjunctionwiththeCamanachd
AssociationinScotland,withtheIrishseekingtoreintroducetheforgottenartofgroundhurling.
AndalthoughIomainmaynotimmediatelysuitallthepurists,officialsonbothsidesoftheIrishSeabelieveitcouldspread
beyondtraditionalcountryboundaries.
DonaldStewartoftheCamanachdAssociationsaid:ThetenminutedemonstrationgameonSaturdaycouldrepresent
thefirststeptowardsanexcitingprogressionforShintyoutsideofScotland,whereitisanaimthatitisplayedamongthe
diaspora.
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01/01/2016

HybridofScotsShintyandIrishHurlingcreatedTheScotsman

TheGAAwishestointroduceagameofgroundhurlingaroundtheworldtoincreaseparticipation,particularlyatyouth
level,andtheCamanachdAssociationsimilarlywishestopromoteShintywiththeGAAssupport.
Headded:Wedlikeonedaytoplayotherinternationalsagainstothernations.
Evolution
IomainistherootsourcefromwhichbothGaelicstickandballgamesdescendedalthoughthegamehasevolved
differentlyoneithersideoftheIrishSea.
ThefirstrecordedShinty/HurlingchallengebetweenScotsandIrishwasin5thCenturyADbutthefirstrecognisedmixed
rulesgamewasatCelticParkin1897.
Sincethen,anagreedsetofcompromiseruleshaveenabledthetwonationstofaceeachotheronaregularbasis,although
neverwiththesamestick.
PatDaly,DirectorofGaelicGamesatTheGAA,saysare-unifiedgamecouldbepopularwhereverScotsandIrishexpats
havesettledintheworld.
GroundhurlingwasabigpartofthegameinIrelandrightuptothe1980sand1990sbutisprettyredundantnow.
Wefeltitwasincumbentonbothcountriestolookatthesportsoriginsandtakeitbacktotheessenceofbothgames.
Havingonestickwouldalsoenableustopotentiallyinternationalisethesport.Werecentlyhadhurlingteamsoverto
IrelandfromArgentina,IndianapolisandMilwaukeeandIomainwouldhavebroadappealinplaceslikethis.
ThedemonstrationmatchwilltakeplaceinthehalftimebreakbetweentheInternationalRulesfootballmatchwhich
immediatelyfollowstheShinty/HurlingInternational.
ShintyhistorianHughDanMacLennanfeelsitisonlyrighttolookatthedevelopmentofthecross-codesgame.
Itiscertainlyworthassessingandhasvalueasatrial.Oneoftheissueshasalwaysbeenaboutfindingatrulylevelplaying
fieldandifyoucantdoitbythescoringsystem,thenlookingattheequipmentseemslogical.
SEEALSO:
AquestionofprideasGaeliccodesofshintyandhurlingcollide

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