You are reading

Irish Sport of Hurling to Come to Citi Field This November

Hurling (Wikimedia Commons)

Aug. 16, 2019 By Shane O’Brien

Citi Field will play host to a traditional Irish sport called hurling for the first time ever this November.

The New York Hurling Classic is a three-game tournament which will take place at Citi Field on Saturday, Nov. 16 and will feature teams from Kilkenny, Tipperary, Limerick and Wexford, four of Ireland’s most prominent hurling regions.

The tournament follows three successful hurling events at Fenway Park in Boston in 2015, 2017 and 2018 where teams competed for the Players Champions Cup. Limerick are the defending champions after they won the trophy last year.

Commonly referenced in Irish folklore, hurling is one of the oldest sports in the world and is widely regarded as the fastest field sport on the planet.

Fenway Sports Management and Metropolitan Hospital, which manages non-Mets games at Citi Field, are staging the Hurling Classic in conjunction with the Gaelic Athletic Association, the sporting body which oversees the sport of hurling.

Hurling is a completely amateur sport played by two teams of 15 players who use sticks, called hurls or hurleys, to hit a small leather ball, called a sliotar, through their opponent’s goalposts. A shot that goes over the crossbar is worth one point, while a shot that goes under the crossbar into a goal guarded by a goalkeeper, is worth three points.

No player transfers are permitted in hurling and players play purely for the pride of their county.

Every year, 15 counties in Ireland compete for the All Ireland Hurling Championship, the most prestigious trophy in the sport. The All Ireland hurling final takes place in Dublin in front of 82,300 people on the third Sunday of August.

Kilkenny and Tipperary, two of the teams set to play in Citi Field, are two of the most successful counties in Ireland and will do battle this Sunday for the coveted trophy.

The game is also widely played across New York City by the Irish community.

The game at Citi Field will be a modified version of the game of hurling, with only 11 players on each team and players only allowed to score goals worth three points.

The New York Hurling Classic will also feature a festival of Irish music and dancing at Citi Field.

Tickets go on sale on Wednesday, Aug. 28 at 10 a.m., with a presale option available on Aug. 26 and 27. Tickets can be purchased from https://www.mlb.com/mets/tickets/specials/hurling.

email the author: news@queenspost.com

One Comment

Click for Comments 
Robert O'Leary

Shannon Gaels Gaelic Athletic Association. We are a Queens based Club that fields teams in Gaelic Football, Hurling & Camogie with Boys and Girls Teams ages 6 up to 18. We can be contacted through our web site ShannonGaels.org Or call David 347-583-9030 New members are always welcome.

Reply

Leave a Comment
Reply to this Comment

All comments are subject to moderation before being posted.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Recent News

JFK Airport contractors arrested for stealing $70K in copper wire after Port Authority sting: DA

Two Queens contractors were arrested by officers from the Port Authority Police Department on Saturday for allegedly stealing copper wire from a warehouse at JFK Airport.

Anildat Arnold, 46, of 114th Street in South Ozone Park, and Vejai Ramsarup, 54, of 214th Street in Queens Village, were separately arraigned in Queens Criminal Court on Tuesday on a six-count criminal court complaint charging them with grand larceny, burglary, and criminal possession of stolen property for allegedly stealing approximately 1,100 feet of copper cable wire valued at more than $70,000. The defendants were busted after they tried to steal an additional 150 feet of wire from the warehouse.

Spring blooms bright in Queens: your guide to cherry blossom hotspots around the borough

Apr. 1, 2025 By Jessica Militello

Cherry blossoms are already blooming across Queens, marking the arrival of spring. The sight of the delicate pink flowers marks the start of the special season in Queens, letting admirers take photos or simply appreciate the cherry blossoms’ beauty. The season, while brief, offers a chance to slow down and enjoy nature’s beauty and appreciate its fleeting nature. The cherry blossom isn’t just pretty to look at; the flower has tons of symbolism and history to learn about to make you enjoy them even more this Spring.