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True Stories of an Irish Upbringing and Other
lies by Dan Daneen
Price $ 17.00>> 
 The
Hurley Game and Other Village Events
The major sporting event of the valley was the annual Hurley Match
against a village from the next valley. This game always took place
on our territory, as their village did not have a large field that
was level enough. Playing on our own field had several major advantages;
the foremost was that we knew where all the wet spots, rocks, holes
and tree roots were located. Another minor advantage was, of course,
the fact that the spectators were mostly members of our village
and were strongly inclined to participate in the game at critical
moments, such as stopping breakaways by the opposition forwards
and assisting in minor - or for that matter - major altercations.
The layout of the field was at best disorganized. The goalposts
were not the same size but that did not matter as each team had
half the game with the small goal end. The sidelines were never
marked, as there was nothing to mark them. Thus the game had a tendency
to wander and become embroiled with the spectators, sideshow entertainers,
beer tents and the doctor’s first aid station.
The positioning of the beer tent came second to the positioning
of the goalposts. It was essential that it be located conveniently
for the players to obtain this sustenance without being too
distantly removed from the game. The consumption of all this
beer required that the players regularly relieve themselves of
the extra load. This function was usually performed wherever the
player was standing and was performed by the simple necessity of
turning his back on the majority of the assembled spectators...
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