©INPHO/Ryan Byrne.
The GAA is has announced the return of the Shinty/ Hurling International Exhibition match, which will see Ireland take on Scotland in a composite rules game for the first time since 2019.

This event will be held at Páirc Esler in Newry on Saturday October 21. The Shinty/Hurling International Exhibition match has been a long-standing tradition, bringing together top talents from both Scotland and Ireland.

***Is anyone looking forward to this?!?

Trump2020 (Galway) - Posts: 2260 - 17/09/2023 19:36:50    2504530

I have never been able to make a game but keep an eye on it every year regardless. Amazing skill from the Scottish lads.
I'm surprised it does not get more interest than it does. It's the only time any hurlers will get to wear an Ireland shirt and that must surely be a great point of pride for the players involved.

35OLT (USA) - Posts: 99 - 17/09/2023 20:27:48    2504543

Have never been to one of these matches myself, but have watched on TG4, and would go sometime if it was somewhere relatively convenient to Wexford and I wasn't tied up in club games that day.

I think part of the reason it doesn't get more attention is that the last few Ireland teams have been made up of players from the lower tiers of the championship (i.e. Joe McDonagh Cup downwards), rather than household names from the Liam McCarthy Cup sides.

No disrespect to anybody involved, and I'm not suggesting there's anything wrong with that....am just putting it forward as a possible reason for why there's not more interest in it.

Anyway, will watch again this year if TG4 are showing it. But I won't travel to Newry for it!

Pikeman96 (Wexford) - Posts: 2621 - 18/09/2023 09:20:36    2504570

I see the IRELAND HURLING SQUAD and to be honest I've never heard of 90% of them. Why bother with this if we don't have the BEST POSSIBLE HURLERS there?!? What's the point?!?

Trump2020 (Galway) - Posts: 2260 - 06/10/2023 02:57:51    2507105

Great game was lucky enough to play this twice. Would highly recommend going to it if anyone can.

Think selection is to give players from the weaker counties the chance to play with Ireland and also tbh if we where to pick our best players game wouldn't be close.

ITSCHOLAR (Carlow) - Posts: 302 - 06/10/2023 09:46:40    2507116

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 13866 - 06/10/2023 09:48:35    2507118

Doylerwex (Wexford) - Posts: 3143 - 06/10/2023 10:08:30    2507120

To be honest, I'm even surprised to see a few names I actually recognise in the squad, like Pádraig Walsh of Kilkenny and the Clare and Cork lads. Ireland teams of the past have generally been made up exclusively of players from the lower tier counties.

For example, there's a man who finished up playing for Buffers Alley here in Wexford, who lived and played in Kildare before moving here. He was on the Ireland team for three or four years in a row, about 15 years ago when he was a Kildare hurler. But he would never even have come into serious reckoning for a place with Wexford after he moved here (and he wouldn't mind me saying that himself).

But hey, he's still an Ireland international, which is more than most of us could ever say!

Pikeman96 (Wexford) - Posts: 2621 - 06/10/2023 11:17:11    2507131

Past hurler (None) - Posts: 806 - 06/10/2023 12:27:37    2507142

BarneyGrant (Dublin) - Posts: 3118 - 06/10/2023 13:29:23    2507157

BarneyGrant (Dublin) - Posts: 3118 - 06/10/2023 13:31:41    2507158

It is not much of a game and truth be told, many top players are still involved in club activity.
I know 2 county players who declined the offer. Playing it in Newry wouldn't exactly entice Cork or Limerick players up now would it!

StoreysTash (Wexford) - Posts: 1785 - 06/10/2023 14:40:19    2507171

The game got too uncompetitive for awhile so Ireland had to stop picking lads from top Liam McCarthy counties iirc.

It's mainly limited to lads outside the top tier now and is more competitive for it.

An enjoyable game to watch, the Scottish lads have some strike off the ground with their camán.

Any "hurling" that was played in Ulster, North Leinster before the foundation of the GAA was essentially the same as Shinty in Scotland today but was killed off by the codifying of the game basically just being the game as was played further south. Hence the lack of hurling in most places north of the Eiscir Riada today.

MesAmis (Dublin) - Posts: 13779 - 06/10/2023 19:28:46    2507205

PoolSturgeon (Galway) - Posts: 1953 - 07/10/2023 07:49:59    2507218

Seanfanbocht (Roscommon) - Posts: 1952 - 07/10/2023 09:53:15    2507224

oneoff (UK) - Posts: 1472 - 07/10/2023 10:13:24    2507226

BarneyGrant (Dublin) - Posts: 3118 - 07/10/2023 12:21:06    2507240

Bon (Kildare) - Posts: 2085 - 07/10/2023 15:55:21    2507259

I don't know why they bother with it, the fact that it is played before a Down intermediate final shows the level of interest in it. Also is it not technically an insult to be selected for the team? the selectors are essentially telling you that you aren't a big name in hurling as previous posters have said that they can't pick big names.

PattyONeill (Derry) - Posts: 246 - 08/10/2023 12:13:17    2507323

Monaghanlad (Monaghan) - Posts: 30 - 08/10/2023 12:41:54    2507324