The emergence of hurling in Australia 1877–1917

Abstract

Hurling was an early example of transnational sport, in the context of Irish sport. It was a means by which Irish emigrants maintained a cultural bond with their homeland. Hurling in Australia, as popularised by the emerging Irish communities, was an instrument of identity. If these new, colonial Irish were playing hurling in the antipodean lands, then it follows that the game was not in total freefall in Ireland. Yet, the story of hurling among the Australian Irish is akin to that of a reclusive ancestor. Hurling narratives have not countenanced the potential of its worth. Hurling in Australia, in the era before the foundation of the Gaelic Athletic Association, in Thurles in 1884, had codification, structure and competition, however limited the player base was. The untold story of hurling in Australia has a historic significance for both the nascent Gaelic association and the transnational appeal of sport across two continents.

Acknowledgements

This paper would not have been possible without the fantastic resource which is the National Library of Australia's online resource Trove. Newspaper quotations have been sourced from this outstanding online initiative. I wish to thank Dr. Tom Hunt for insightful comments that he gave in terms of my research. I also thank Terence J. O'Connor, Essendon, Victoria for information on hurling clubs in the state, especially those at Lauriston and Kyneton.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.