What Is Hurling? Ireland's 2,000-Year-Old Stick-and-Ball Sport Explained
Hurling is a field sport for two teams of 15, played with a wooden stick called a hurley and a small leather ball called a sliotar. You can catch the ball, balance it on your stick while you run, and strike it over the crossbar for a point or into the net for a goal. UNESCO traces the game back 2,000 years and added it to its list of the world's intangible cultural heritage in 2018. It sits on our list of unique and unusual sports alongside other old games that communities have kept alive for centuries, like Florence's calcio storico.
Key Takeaways
Ireland's ancient game: UNESCO dates hurling back 2,000 years, and the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) says it's at least 3,000 years old.
Fifteen a side: Teams of 15 strike, catch and carry a small leather ball with an ash stick called a hurley.
Two ways to score: A goal under the crossbar is worth three points, and a strike over it is worth one.
Helmets are compulsory: Every player at every level has had to wear a helmet with a faceguard since 2010, in training as well as matches.
Camogie is the women's game: The Camogie Association runs it alongside the GAA's hurling.
Played well beyond Ireland: Bodies affiliated with the GAA run hurling across Australia, New Zealand, the US and Britain.
What You'll Find in This Guide
What Is Hurling?
Two teams of 15, a goalkeeper and 14 outfield players, play on a grass pitch that measures 130 to 145 metres long and 80 to 90 metres wide, the same pitch used for Gaelic football. Each end has H-shaped goalposts 6.5 metres apart with a crossbar 2.5 metres off the ground. Players strike the sliotar with the flat, curved end of the hurley, called the bás, either along the ground or through the air.
You can catch the ball in your hand and carry it for four steps, then bounce it on the bás and keep running with it balanced there. That move is called the solo. Hockey players can't touch the ball with their hands at all, which is a big part of why hurling looks so different.
Senior inter-county matches last 70 minutes, played in two halves of 35. Most other games run for two halves of 30 minutes, according to the GAA's Official Guide.
Where Hurling Came From
In early Irish stories, according to the GAA, the hero Cú Chulainn earned his name by killing a guard dog with a hurling ball driven down its throat, and the Brehon Laws, Ireland's early legal system, set out compensation for injuries suffered during play.
The game's exact age is disputed. UNESCO's listing dates it back 2,000 years, while the GAA claims at least 3,000 and points to a literary reference from 1272 BC.
The Statute of Kilkenny in 1366, which banned Gaelic Irish customs in the English colony, contains the first written use of the word "horlinge". The game survived, largely through the patronage of landlords, until the Great Famine of 1846–49 left it close to extinct outside a few strongholds.
The revival started with Clareman Michael Cusack, who began writing about bringing hurling back in 1882. Two years later the GAA was founded at Hayes Hotel in Thurles, County Tipperary, to restore traditional Gaelic pastimes, and it gave hurling one national set of rules. Thurles Blues of Tipperary won the first All-Ireland Championship in 1888.
On 28 November 2018, at a meeting in Mauritius, UNESCO added hurling to its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
"Hurling is more than just a sport." — John Horan, then GAA president, quoted by the GAA
A 1527 statute in Galway banned hurling with hooked sticks, and one theory traces the word "hockey" to the way the statute spelled those sticks, according to Wikipedia's history of hockey. Another theory points to the French hoquet, a shepherd's crook, and nobody knows for certain where the word comes from.
Irish settlers also took the game to Canada. In the late 1700s, an Irish school principal, William Cochran, reportedly had boys at King's College in Windsor, Nova Scotia, play "ice hurley" on a frozen pond, according to The Globe and Mail. A 2026 bill in Nova Scotia would declare Windsor the birthplace of ice hockey, but the claim is disputed. A hockey historian points to shinty played on ice in Scotland in 1607, and a Mi'kmaw leader cites a 1749 record of Mi'kmaq people playing on ice near Dartmouth, according to the BBC.
For more on why games like this carry so much meaning for the communities that play them, see our guide to the cultural significance of traditional sports.
Hurling Rules Explained
The core rules come from the GAA's Official Guide:
Fifteen a side: Each team fields a goalkeeper and 14 outfield players.
Lift it with the stick: You can't touch the ball on the ground with your hand, so you lift it with the hurley. If your first attempt fails, you have to strike the ball along the ground, because a second attempt at lifting it is a foul.
Four steps: You can carry the ball in your hand for no more than four steps, or hold it for no longer than it takes to take four steps.
Catch it twice, then play it: You can't catch the ball more than twice before you play it away.
No throwing: You can't throw the ball. A hand pass is allowed, but you have to release the ball and strike it with a definite striking action of the hand.
No goals by hand: You can score a point with your hand, but an attacker in possession can't score a goal with it.
How Scoring Works
A goal, which means sending the sliotar under the crossbar and into the net, is worth three points. A point, sent over the crossbar between the posts, is worth one. Umpires wave a green flag for a goal and a white flag for a point.
Scores are written as goals and points. In the 2026 All-Ireland final, Limerick beat Galway 1-29 to 1-18, which works out at 32 points to 21. Both teams scored one goal, so points decided the title.
The Kit: Hurley, Sliotar and Helmet
The hurley: Made from ash, with a flat, curved bás at the striking end. Lengths generally run from about 61 to 91 centimetres to suit the player, and a goalkeeper's hurley has a bás roughly twice the size of everyone else's.
The sliotar: A ball with a cork centre and a leather cover. Under the GAA's specification it measures 69 to 72 millimetres across and weighs 110 to 116 grams, and match balls carry the GAA's mark of approval.
The helmet: Compulsory for every player at every level since 2010, in training and warm-ups as well as matches. The faceguard has to meet the Irish standard IS:355 and can't be modified.
According to the GAA, making helmets mandatory at underage level cut serious facial and eye injuries by 40%.
Camogie and Shinty
Camogie is the women's form of hurling. Women who play are called camógs, and the game is run by the Camogie Association rather than the GAA. According to UNESCO, both organisations look after the game and pass its skills on through schools and clubs.
Hurling's closest relative is Scotland's shinty, which you'll also find on our unique and unusual sports list. Ireland and Scotland have played each other for many years under composite rules that blend the two games. Ireland's men beat Scotland for the third year running in 2025.
The All-Ireland Championship
The top level of the sport is the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, and the winners lift the Liam MacCarthy Cup. The 2026 championship had 11 teams, six from Leinster and five from Munster, with the final at Croke Park in Dublin.
Kilkenny have won the most titles, with 36 according to the roll of honour. The current champions are Limerick, whose 2026 win was their 13th title and their sixth in nine years, according to I Love Limerick. Tipperary won in 2025 and Clare in 2024.
The players are amateurs. When inter-county players began receiving government funding in 2008, the GAA stressed that the scheme didn't affect its amateur status, so even All-Ireland winners aren't paid to play.
New Hurling Rules on Trial
A set of experimental rules is in trials from October 2026. The GAA's Hurling Expert Advisory Group, chaired by John Meyler, finalised the changes in September, and they're being trialled in the GAA's Higher Education Division One league, according to The Irish Times. The headline changes include:
Six steps: Players could carry the ball for up to six steps instead of four.
No consecutive hand passes: A player who receives a hand pass and hand passes it straight on would give away a free.
Two-point sideline cuts: A sideline puck struck over the bar would be worth two points, as long as no teammate touches it on the way.
Puckout restrictions: Three players from each team would have to stay between the 45-metre line and a line closer to the goalkeeper taking the puckout.
None of these are permanent. The Official Guide's four-step rule still applies everywhere outside the trial.
Is Hurling Right for You or Your Kids?
If you like fast field sports and enjoy learning a skill from scratch, hurling is a good fit. Striking a moving sliotar cleanly takes time to build, and the grade system means beginners don't have to play against county stars.
For children, the GAA's Go Games are small-sided versions of hurling, camogie and Gaelic football for children aged 12 and under. Teams start at four a side for under-7s, every child plays the full game, and scores aren't published.
Hurling involves a hard ball and swinging sticks, which is why the helmet rule applies to training and warm-ups as well as matches. The GAA advises buying only helmets on its IS:355-compliant list and never removing or shortening the faceguard bars.
Getting kitted out. You need a hurley and a helmet, but ask the club whether it can lend you both for your first session before you buy anything. Get fitted for your own once you're hooked.
Hurling in Australia
Irish settlers brought hurling to Australia in the 19th century, and newspaper reports suggest it was being played here from the 1840s, according to the ABC.
On 12 March 1863, Irish settlers in Germantown, now the Geelong suburb of Grovedale, met at the Royal Charter Hotel to agree rules for a St Patrick's Day match between 25 Geelong players and a team from the country. The players came from different parts of Ireland, so they needed one set of rules to play by. They adopted six, which banned tripping, allowed shoulder-to-shoulder contact and expelled anyone who came onto the field drunk. The Geelong Advertiser published them on 14 March 1863. Australasia Gaelic Games describes them as the oldest published set of hurling rules, written more than 20 years before the GAA's first rules in 1885.
The Geelong Cosmopolitan Hurling Club, whose members were mostly Irish immigrants, had nearly 200 members within three months of forming in April 1863, according to the Geelong Historical Society. One of its matches, a three-and-a-half-hour draw against the West End club, drew more than 1,000 spectators.
Hurling and camogie here are still played mostly by Irish expats, but a growing number of Australian-born players are taking up Gaelic games, according to the ABC. About 400 players in 19 teams from across Australia and New Zealand took part in the 2025 Australasia Championships in Brisbane, and Victoria's hurling squad alone drew players from 15 Irish counties. The 2026 championships moved to Perth in October, the first time Western Australia had hosted since 2017.
For Irish people who've just moved here, the local club is often where they find work and friends, according to the ABC.
"A home away from home." — Ciara Holden, former Kilkenny camogie player, speaking to the ABC
In Victoria, the state finals are played at Gaelic Park in Melbourne. In June 2026, Garryowen won the hurling final against St Kevin's, and St Kevin's won the camogie final against Sinn Féin, according to Australasia Gaelic Games. If you're in Melbourne, any of those three clubs is a good place to start.
Where to Play Hurling
In Australia, Australasia Gaelic Games governs Gaelic football, hurling and camogie across Australia and New Zealand. Founded in 1974, it works through nine regional affiliates, including Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania, and more than 5,000 players take part each year. Its website has a club finder. For the game's long history here, see Hurling in Australia above.
In the United States, the USGAA has more than 130 adult and youth clubs and an interactive map to find the one nearest you. Clubs play in divisional competitions to qualify for national finals.
In the UK, the Provincial Council of Britain governs Gaelic football and hurling across seven counties, including London, Scotland and Yorkshire, with 82 affiliated clubs. It's the only GAA provincial council outside Ireland.
To watch first, search "All-Ireland hurling final highlights" on YouTube. A few minutes of footage explains the solo and the high catch better than any description.
Who Governs Hurling
Ireland and worldwide: The Gaelic Athletic Association governs hurling and sets the playing rules used by its overseas units.
Camogie: The Camogie Association runs the women's game.
Australia and New Zealand: Australasia Gaelic Games, with regional bodies such as Gaelic Games Victoria.
United States: The USGAA, which runs its competitions through 10 regional divisions.
Britain: The Provincial Council of Britain, the GAA's only provincial council outside Ireland.
Final Thoughts
Hurling survived a colonial ban and a famine that nearly ended it, and it's still an amateur game run by local clubs. If you're in Ireland, get to a championship match. If you're not, find the nearest GAA club, borrow a hurley and see how long it takes you to solo the length of the pitch.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: What is the stick used in hurling called?
A: It's called a hurley. It's made from ash, and the flat, curved end used to strike the ball is called the bás.
Q: What is the ball called in hurling?
A: The ball is called a sliotar. It has a cork centre and a leather cover, and it measures 69 to 72 millimetres across.
Q: How many players are on a hurling team?
A: Fifteen, made up of a goalkeeper and 14 outfield players. Children's Go Games use smaller teams, starting at four a side for under-7s.
Q: How long is a hurling match?
A: Senior inter-county matches last 70 minutes in two halves of 35. Most other matches last 60 minutes in two halves of 30.
Q: Is hurling dangerous?
A: It's a fast contact sport with a hard ball and swinging sticks, so injuries do happen. Helmets with IS:355 faceguards have been compulsory at every level since 2010, and the GAA reports that mandatory helmets at underage level cut serious facial and eye injuries by 40%.
Q: What is the difference between hurling and camogie?
A: Camogie is the women's form of hurling. It's run by the Camogie Association rather than the GAA, and players are called camógs.
Q: What's the difference between hurling and lacrosse?
A: Lacrosse players catch, carry and throw the ball with a netted stick, while hurlers catch the ball in the hand, balance it on a flat wooden bás and strike it. Hurling's H-shaped posts also let you score over the crossbar, while lacrosse is scored only by putting the ball in the net.
Q: Is hurling related to hockey?
A: Both are stick-and-ball games, and one theory traces the word "hockey" to a 1527 Galway ban on hurling. In play, hurlers can catch the ball and carry it on the stick, while hockey players can't touch the ball with their hands.
Q: Can you play hurling in Australia?
A: Yes. Australasia Gaelic Games runs hurling and camogie through regional bodies across Australia and New Zealand, and its website has a club finder.
Q: Are hurlers paid?
A: No. Hurling is an amateur sport, so even All-Ireland winners aren't paid to play.
Q: Was hurling ever an Olympic sport?
A: It was a demonstration sport at the 1904 St Louis Olympics, but it has never been on the Olympic program.
