Old Parish Ciarán Murphy in conversation with Sinéad O’Carroll

Hurling is Ireland’s national game – a source of fascination and pride even to people who have never played it. Ciarán Murphy, a lifelong Galway club footballer, used to be one of those people. Then he spent a summer trying to play hurling with Old Parish, a small GAA club in the West Waterford Gaeltacht. Along the way, he embarked on a quest to understand the history, geography and mystique of the sport. The culmination of that quest is Ciarán Murphy’s funny and heartfelt new book, ‘Old Parish- notes on hurling’.

 Old Parish is the club of Ciarán’s father, where relatives of his are still involved. He finds out just how difficult hurling is to pick up later in life, playing against people who’ve played since childhood.

He also explores why hurling is played in only half the country, the origins of some clubs’ resistance to football, and the challenges of establishing hurling in new areas. He investigates the craft of hurley-making and the enduring belief that hurling is “the greatest game ever”.

Galway man Ciarán Murphy is a podcaster with Second Captains and a GAA columnist with The Irish Times. His first book was shortlisted for Eason Sports Book of the Year.

Sinéad O’Carroll is a journalist, broadcaster and news editor of The Journal. Sponsored by: Kevin and Suzanne Cronin