Irish Sports Exhibition: A Bit O’ The Emerald Isle

The Irish are a proud lot you hear about mostly on St. Paddy’s Day.  Their culture, however, burns fiercely inside of them and will be in full display at the 11th Annual Irish Sports Exhibition & Post Match Party on June 12 from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. on the lush fields of Seton Hall Prep in West Orange. This family event is sponsored by The Friendly Sons of the Shillelagh, Essex Division. 

According to Kenneth Burke, a spokesman for The Shillelagh Club, the Sports Exhibition has taken place for the last 10 years.  “It was started through a joint venture with the Essex Chapter of The Friendly Sons of the Shillelagh and the Ancient Order of Hibernians, Division 9 Montclair.  The event was established to expose the community to Irish sports and to help preserve the history associated with these sports. The profits from this event are distributed through scholarship programs for high school and college students.” Donations are also made to Seton Hall Preparatory School upon whose fields the activities take place. 

The day will be filled with exciting events, sports, vendors, music and food. Entertainment will be provided by the Eamonn Ryan Show Band, Will O’Connor, and the Shillelagh Pipe & Drums of Essex County.  According to Livingston resident, Jimmy Cooney, “My whole family always has fun at the Sports Exhibition.  There’s so much for everyone to do and it’s all for charity.”

Americans may be a  familiar with rugby since it’s similar to what we call football, but if you don’t know anything about hurling, here are a few  interesting facts:

• It is the oldest and fastest field game in Europe

• Equipment consists of a stick, known as a `hurley, and a small ball called a sliotar.

• A hurling game consists of two halves, 30-35 minutes each (depending on the competition) with a 10-minute halftime period.

• A goal is scored when the sliotar is played over the goal line, between and posts UNDER the crossbar. A goal is worth three points and is signaled by an umpire raising a green flag.

• A hurling point is scored when the sliotar is played over the goal line, between the posts but OVER the crossbar and is signaled by an umpire raising a white flag.

• Players may tackle each other to get the ball.

For more information on this event, contact The Shillelagh Club at (973) 325-9338 or visit them online at www.shillelaghclub.com.