Screaming at the sky
July 12th, 2010 by Gavin
The game isn’t over until the Hurling Queen sings . . . she may look like she plays sweet music but it is not a song you want to hear.
My brother and I spent Saturday afternoon watching the most manly of all sports - Hurling. It was the first time I had watched a live hurling match in Croke Park - Dublin vs Clare. Those boys put some things in perspective for me !
There I was feeling sorry for myself with my inflammed knee cap whilst within minutes my sister in-laws cousin was stretchered off the pitch after being beaten with a stick. The hurling queen sung early for him.
There I was nursing a sore elbow (from swimming with only a pull bouy and band for 3 weeks) whilst the men on show attacked the goal and each other. So skillful. So fast. A little bit crazy. A cross between Nadal, Federer, Roy Keane, Murdoch and Hannibal from the A-team.
On the plane out of Dublin I began to read my friend Tony Griffins new book - Screaming at the Sky - Tony is famous in Ireland for being a Clare Hurler but so far the book isn’t about that. I sort of thought it would be a ‘hurling book’ - but in fact its more of a read about the man, his journey and his charity work . . . I have just started it so I won’t spoil it for you. Paula Radcliffe wrote a review and there are some interesting experiences recorded with Lance Armstrong . . . he’s some boy.
Back in the Shire and catching up with Maccers before he races in Hamburg this weekend. He talked me through my injury this morning over breakfast whilst reading through a new Triathlete Magazine article
“so what stage of the injury are you in now ? Denial ? Pampering ? Annoyance ? Fear ? Delusion ? Heard the hurling Queen yet Acceptance ? ”
“I’m somewhere between denial, annoyance and delusion . . beginning to get the fear . . . thought I heard the hurling queen last night at 1 am but it was just some chick in a short skirt on her way home for the pub”
“Jeese look at your mate Conrad Stoltz, he looks like a bit of a weapon ” he said as he turned the page.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
