Hurling vs Gaelic

Molloy10

Which do you like more and what do you think is more popular?

redzerologhlen

Its been done to death here and normally ends in an argument!!

Gerry91

I'm from Mayo enough said

Ah no, I live in a predominantly hurling parish in Galway and I've always had a great interest in it. Football would be more popular throughout Ireland sure but it's obviously a matter of opinion as to which is "better"

Moneymaker

I love both, but I prefer to watch hurling.

Generally more high scoring, faster and more skillful. Not that football doesn't have its array of skills either but I would slightly favour hurling.

Both amazing sports though.

corny

Moneymaker wrote: »

I love both, but I prefer to watch hurling.

Generally more high scoring, faster and more skillful. Not that football doesn't have its array of skills either but I would slightly favour hurling.

Both amazing sports though.

+1

WesternZulu

Both are great games but football gets my vote.

I think that at its best football is hard to beat.
It has the perfect mix of skill, athleticism, and physicality.

While hurling without a doubt more skillful at an individual level the tactical aspect of football is far more prevalent.
In hurling a lot of the time the ball is hoofed rather aimlessly from one of the field to another.
Score taking is also tougher in football so in that respect it gets my vote as well.

Hurling gets a far easier ride from the media and I feel this skews peoples views on football.
I cannot recall when I heard a game of hurling described as bad, whereas even when there is a great game of football the pundits are nearly falling over themselves to find faults with it!

I predict that I am in a minority in my view as hurling usually comes out on top in votes like this.

Surveyor11

They're both Gaelic? prefer hurling myself, great game

elefant

I can understand why hurling usually triumphs in these arguments, but since I was always too soft to play hurling I'm sticking with football!

KevIRL

Surveyor11 wrote: »

They're both Gaelic?

Exactly, one is football the other hurling

Tom Joad

Love the football and would follow it more than hurling as being from Cavan never got exposed to hurling until I went to College so was too late for me to learn to play the game. Love watching it though and determined that my young lad will get to try hurling so bought him his first hurl for his 4th birthday - had to google a video so I could show him the basics though :o.

catallus

elefant wrote: »

I can understand why hurling usually triumphs in these arguments, but since I was always too soft to play hurling I'm sticking with football!

you have to really be as tough as nails, really hard nails, to hurl well.

Some of the softest lads I know are good footballers. Wouldn't last a minute if playing with a hurley.

windy shepard henderson

despite coming from clare i would say football just about although the way the standards have drop'ed so much in the last number of years i am loseing patients with the game more and more espicaly with how good the hurling season was.

i attended all of clare's football and hurling championship games this year it would'nt take a rocket scientist to work out which team i enjoyed the most, but i cant understand how we are only one of a handfull of duel counties left in the country and how quick people are so quick to turn there back on one sport over the other!!!

one of my first hurling matches was in 1993 where tippeary beat us by 27 (TWENTY SEVEN) points in a munster final. we were munster football champions at the time, we could have thrown in the towel like most counties , instead two years later we won the all ireland,

far too many counties have turned there backs on hurling in my opinion to win nothing at football , carlow and westmeath are an example of what other counties should be doing.

LMK

Both.
Its a huge part of what makes us Irish and proud, long may they thrive.

Dirty Dingus McGee

I love both games but I prefer football (I'm from North Offaly so its in my blood).A bad game of hurling is sometimes more tolerable than a bad game of football but nothing beats a good game of football when it is played well its the perfect sport it has a mix of everything that is good about sport, skill , speed , tactics ,team work.

The team work aspect is what football has that hurling doesn't quite have and also I like the fact that it is more difficult to score in football I appreciate point scoring in football a lot more and in my opinion there is a higher skill to point scoring on football than in hurling even medicore hurlers can score points from the middle of the field it takes huge skill to score a point in football from the 45 or thereabouts.

Football is definitely the more popular of the 2.People think they love hurling but they don't seem to be all that bothered playing the game or attending matches in as widespread numbers as football, hurling is a bit like the Irish language load of people pretend they really care about it but the people who actually care are fairly small compared to the people who go on about how much they love the game.

I've noticed in recent years my interest in hurling as a neutral has waned slightly , I'm not really sure why that is I think because so few counties play it well all the counties play each other so often that you get bored concentrating on the same 7 or 8 teams players whereas there are always new teams coming up in football, even at a lower level which is interesting this isn't quite the case in hurling.Also the league set up in hurling and the changes this year has really pissed my off and I don't know if I'll bother going to Offalys league matches next year (I went to all the home games over the last few years) as why should I bother going to games when they become pointless in the end this thankfully doesn't happen with the football league.

The Dublin Kerry match this year had me a good mood for the next week but despite there being some very good hurling matches this year they didn't have the same effect on me.

Anyway despite adding to the thread it is a pointless debate and is like comparing apples and oranges they are both great games, and I love them both I just slightly prefer football.

Tim the Enchanter

Has to be hurling for me, but i'm from Waterford. The skill, speed, intensity and physicality is unreal. Also you will never have an all ireland hurling final with a score line which reads 12 - 9 or 11 - 9.

ProudDUB

Football all the way for me. I'll be thrilled if the hurlers bring Liam to Dublin, but we just don't have a hurling tradition here, so it doesn't really resonate with me emotionally the way that the football does. I also have a hard time getting into a so called " All Ireland " hurling championship when only 12 or so counties play it. It's a cracking sport, but if 2/3 of the country don't play it, how can it really be an All Ireland championship?

windy shepard henderson

ProudDUB wrote: »

Football all the way for me. I'll be thrilled if the hurlers bring Liam to Dublin, but we just don't have a hurling tradition here, so it doesn't really resonate with me emotionally the way that the football does. I also have a hard time getting into a so called " All Ireland " hurling championship when only 12 or so counties play it. It's a cracking sport, but if 2/3 of the country don't play it, how can it really be an All Ireland championship?

so called hurling championship?? in fairness over the years it has been far more open and unpredictable then the football championship. there is a hell of alot of bluffers in the football championship that rarely ever win anything but are often in the mix where's in hurling nearly all of the 12 teams have won a provincal/league/or all ireland title in the last 10 to 15 years?

i personaly preferd to play football over hurling but when it comes to the championship the hurling is miles ahead of the football in recent times.

Gerry91

windy shepard henderson wrote: »

so called hurling championship?? in fairness over the years it has been far more open and unpredictable then the football championship. there is a hell of alot of bluffers in the football championship that rarely ever win anything but are often in the mix where's in hurling nearly all of the 12 teams have won a provincal/league/or all ireland title in the last 10 to 15 years?

i personaly preferd to play football over hurling but when it comes to the championship the hurling is miles ahead of the football in recent times.

??

Had Mayo beaten Dublin two weeks ago we would have had our 6th different All Ireland champion in a row. Instead we have 5 different winners between 2008 and 2012. In that time KK won every All Ireland bar 2 (and lost one of those in the final).

I like hurling but one thing you can't say about it is that it has been unpredictable. KK have dominated completely over the last decade and a half. The last "surprise" winner before this year was Tipp in 2001. Hurling went through a spell in the late 90's where the All Ireland was shared between a few different teams and it was certainly unpredictable. From 2000 it has been dominated by Cork and KK with Tipp then becoming competitive from 2009-2011. The last time one of these didn't win it before this year was 1998

robbiezero

Dirty Dingus McGee wrote: »

I love both games but I prefer football (I'm from North Offaly so its in my blood).A bad game of hurling is sometimes more tolerable than a bad game of football but nothing beats a good game of football when it is played well its the perfect sport it has a mix of everything that is good about sport, skill , speed , tactics ,team work.

The team work aspect is what football has that hurling doesn't quite have and also I like the fact that it is more difficult to score in football I appreciate point scoring in football a lot more and in my opinion there is a higher skill to point scoring on football than in hurling even medicore hurlers can score points from the middle of the field it takes huge skill to score a point in football from the 45 or thereabouts.

Football is definitely the more popular of the 2.People think they love hurling but they don't seem to be all that bothered playing the game or attending matches in as widespread numbers as football, hurling is a bit like the Irish language load of people pretend they really care about it but the people who actually care are fairly small compared to the people who go on about how much they love the game.

I've noticed in recent years my interest in hurling as a neutral has waned slightly , I'm not really sure why that is I think because so few counties play it well all the counties play each other so often that you get bored concentrating on the same 7 or 8 teams players whereas there are always new teams coming up in football, even at a lower level which is interesting this isn't quite the case in hurling.Also the league set up in hurling and the changes this year has really pissed my off and I don't know if I'll bother going to Offalys league matches next year (I went to all the home games over the last few years) as why should I bother going to games when they become pointless in the end this thankfully doesn't happen with the football league.

The Dublin Kerry match this year had me a good mood for the next week but despite there being some very good hurling matches this year they didn't have the same effect on me.

Anyway despite adding to the thread it is a pointless debate and is like comparing apples and oranges they are both great games, and I love them both I just slightly prefer football.

Dublin v Kerry match for me was the game of the year across both codes.

windy shepard henderson

robbiezero wrote: »

Dublin v Kerry match for me was the game of the year across both codes.

i always taught that game was a throw back to what football was like before the defansive tactics and teams with a fear of loseing took over. still think the two hurling finals were better though:eek:

windy shepard henderson

Gerry91 wrote: »

??

Had Mayo beaten Dublin two weeks ago we would have had our 6th different All Ireland champion in a row. Instead we have 5 different winners between 2008 and 2012. In that time KK won every All Ireland bar 2 (and lost one of those in the final).

I like hurling but one thing you can't say about it is that it has been unpredictable. KK have dominated completely over the last decade and a half. The last "surprise" winner before this year was Tipp in 2001. Hurling went through a spell in the late 90's where the All Ireland was shared between a few different teams and it was certainly unpredictable. From 2000 it has been dominated by Cork and KK with Tipp then becoming competitive from 2009-2011. The last time one of these didn't win it before this year was 1998

yeah i know there has been something like 10 diffrent winners in football and something like 6 in hurling over the last 20 years or so, but i think in more recent times there has been alot of stalemate in the football championship with a gap starting to get bigger and bigger with a top 6 teams miles ahead of the rest of the field!!!

there are an alarming amount of teams falling way behind in football and the gap seems to be getting bigger where's in hurling its getting smaller.

ONeill2013

football. the only hurling game i've been to was the 2007 nicky rackard cup final and i couldn't even see the ball half the time, don't like watching it on tv either.

Gerry91

windy shepard henderson wrote: »

yeah i know there has been something like 10 diffrent winners in football and something like 6 in hurling over the last 20 years or so, but i think in more recent times there has been alot of stalemate in the football championship with a gap starting to get bigger and bigger with a top 6 teams miles ahead of the rest of the field!!!

there are an alarming amount of teams falling way behind in football and the gap seems to be getting bigger where's in hurling its getting smaller.

Yeah but you said "over the years" hurling has been more open and unpredictable. It really, really hasn't

The tide does seem to be turning now though as you say the top 6 (Dub, Mayo, Kerry, Cork, Tyrone, Donegal) are more or less nailed on to be playing championship football in august next year.

Hurling seems to be wide open now, in stark contrast to what it was.

Tipperary knocked out in early July this year, the Cats weren't far off joining them a week later

Stoner

Hurling was always my game.

But I loved the way Donegal won in 2012 I don't think something like that could happen in hurling. I like that there is a better spread over a 25 year period of teams winning in football.

ProudDUB

windy shepard henderson wrote: »

so called hurling championship?? in fairness over the years it has been far more open and unpredictable then the football championship. there is a hell of alot of bluffers in the football championship that rarely ever win anything but are often in the mix where's in hurling nearly all of the 12 teams have won a provincal/league/or all ireland title in the last 10 to 15 years?

I grant you that this years hurling championship has been more unpredictable, but it is still only a competition that is played in 12 or so counties, so its unpredictability is very much limited by that fact.

This year in the football, we had Cavan and Monaghan and London come out of pretty much no where & make a big statement. Two years ago, it was Donegal. Who knows who it may be next year, or in 2015? In hurling, it's only ever going to be the same small handful of counties stepping up to the plate.

DazMarz

I love watching hurling. It's absolutely animal, especially when played to its fullest.

But I will always prefer football. Always have, always will. Hurling is a king amongst sports. But I will always just prefer football. Simple.

Both are excellent, both are unique and truly Irish games, and are both loved by so many. The passion, the pride in the jersey (be it club or county), the skill... It all combines to make Ireland's national games something we should cherish and love.

Also, I've been to soccer and rugby games all over the place. I've seen some of Europe's top club sides in both play in some of the top stadiums in the world. I've seen Champions League games, Heineken Cup, Pro-12, Premier League, La Liga... whatever.

It fúcking pales... PALES... in comparison to a Championship game. Especially in Croker. There is nothing quite like it.

Every stadium I've ever been in, including Wembley, Nou Camp, Twickenham, Millenium Stadium, Stamford Bridge, Anfield, etc... nothing beats the jewel in the crown of the GAA that is Croke Park. It is a monumental triumph of a stadium and something the nation should look on with pride. Well, for me anyway...

Wow, complete tangent there. But how and ever.

Ask not what your county can do for you...

Nothing beats being there...

ted2767

Hurling.

In football its possible to make up for a lack of talent with increased fitness or innovative tactice e.g. Donegal last year.
This doesn't really happen in hurling.
Plus it has to be acknowledged how lucky we are to have witnessed the Kilkenny team since 2000, they're the greatest team I saw in any code.

elefant

catallus wrote: »

you have to really be as tough as nails, really hard nails, to hurl well.

Some of the softest lads I know are good footballers. Wouldn't last a minute if playing with a hurley.

Thinking about what you're saying though, I know lads that are pretty good hurlers, and often seem like cowards on the football field when it comes to a 50/50 challenge. I suppose it's what you're used to and how you can handle yourself.

navigator

DazMarz wrote: »

I love watching hurling. It's absolutely animal, especially when played to its fullest.

But I will always prefer football. Always have, always will. Hurling is a king amongst sports. But I will always just prefer football. Simple.

Both are excellent, both are unique and truly Irish games, and are both loved by so many. The passion, the pride in the jersey (be it club or county), the skill... It all combines to make Ireland's national games something we should cherish and love.

Also, I've been to soccer and rugby games all over the place. I've seen some of Europe's top club sides in both play in some of the top stadiums in the world. I've seen Champions League games, Heineken Cup, Pro-12, Premier League, La Liga... whatever.

It fúcking pales... PALES... in comparison to a Championship game. Especially in Croker. There is nothing quite like it.

Every stadium I've ever been in, including Wembley, Nou Camp, Twickenham, Millenium Stadium, Stamford Bridge, Anfield, etc... nothing beats the jewel in the crown of the GAA that is Croke Park. It is a monumental triumph of a stadium and something the nation should look on with pride. Well, for me anyway...

Wow, complete tangent there. But how and ever.

Ask not what your county can do for you...

Nothing beats being there...

As a non-Irish, I definitely agree with you.
I love gaelic football! Love the atmosphere, the people, the flags everywhere, the sense of community... I can just imagine what could be to be in Croke park... it's also great to watch the match in some crowded pub, supporting, cheering, shouting together...
And the game is fast, enthralling, easy to watch and to understand even for the inexpert spectator.
It's passion, pride, fair play...
The players are lads from the county, the people know them...
Yeah, as a foreigner I think you should definitely be proud of it!

iDave

You know what, we get a lot of things wrong in Ireland. We fought off occupiers just to hand power to a theocracy. We blew the boom and butchered our economy. We allowed child abuse to go unreported and successively vote corrupt money grabbers into power. I could go on and on.
BUT, we can proudly say we've invented the 2 best sports on Earth, Gaelic Football and Hurling. Take your pick which one you prefer, doesn't matter they're both brilliant.
Ireland would be a poorer place without those sports.

Mountainlad

Let's setlle this with a match. The football lads on one side, and the hurlers equipped with hurley's on another side. That'll sort it fairly quickly

premierstone

So its official as of now 23.68% of voters are mad, blind or a bit of both

We have a couple of sayings in Tipp that seem appropriate, the first been that ''Gaelic Football was clearly only a game that was invented for lads that couldn't hurl'' and secondly that ''there is only one cure for the big ball and thats the big knife''

But on a more serious note, they are both wonderfull sports and are one of the few things that can make you proud to be Irish and no disrespect to the OP but having a poll like this is IMO counter productive and doesn't do either sport any justice.

Warper

Hurling is a much better game than football. With football once you are fit and strong you can go far in the game whereas in hurling you have to have skill. There are more hand passes than foot passes in football these days which says it all really.

relaxed

Gaelic football is only for counties that are not able to play hurling.

iDave

relaxed wrote: »

Gaelic football is only for counties that are not able to play hurling.

I'm sure the people of Kerry are devastated to hear this news :rolleyes:

buck65

Football is woeful, would only watch Dublin , Mayo or Kerry play the others are cynical, negative or just rubbish.

sasol

buck65 wrote: »

Football is woeful, would only watch Dublin , Mayo or Kerry play the others are cynical, negative or just rubbish.

Dublin can hardly be pardoned from a list of cynical teams - they displayed the worst form of cynicism in the last few minutes of this years football final.

Duckworth_Luas

The smug, self satisfaction of the hurling snobs on this thread is sickening. No wonder so many people feel alienated from GAA.

skeleton_boy

I'm from Kerry and it will always be hurling for me. A much more skillful game and one that produces a far superior championship more often than not.

WesternZulu

skeleton_boy wrote: »

I'm from Kerry and it will always be hurling for me. A much more skillful game and one that produces a far superior championship more often than not.

Besides this year the hurling championship of the last decade mostly consisted of Kilkenny winning at a canter...hardly what I would call a 'far superior' championship.

premierstone

Duckworth_Luas wrote: »

The smug, self satisfaction of the hurling snobs on this thread is sickening. No wonder so many people feel alienated from GAA.

It would nearly drive you to Cricket

premierstone

WesternZulu wrote: »

Besides this year the hurling championship of the last decade mostly consisted of Kilkenny winning at a canter...hardly what I would call a 'far superior' championship.

Been a bit disingenious there Zulu, they won 2 in a canter of the remaing 8 finals, Clare and Tipp won one and Cork won two. one they were exrtremely fortunate to win after a conterversial penalty in what is regarded by many as the greatest final ever played.

ZiabR

Hurling for me, played it when I was younger, love the sport.

skeleton_boy

WesternZulu wrote: »

Besides this year the hurling championship of the last decade mostly consisted of Kilkenny winning at a canter...hardly what I would call a 'far superior' championship.

Kilkenny - Tipperary finals still produced better games than anything football had to offer in that time imo.

Gerry91

ted2767 wrote: »

Hurling.

In football its possible to make up for a lack of talent with increased fitness or innovative tactice e.g. Donegal last year.
This doesn't really happen in hurling.
Plus it has to be acknowledged how lucky we are to have witnessed the Kilkenny team since 2000, they're the greatest team I saw in any code.

True. In fact, the likely footballer of the year this year isn't technically a brilliant gaelic footballer. I'd say the same for the other outfield nominee actually

Akrasia

Duckworth_Luas wrote: »

The smug, self satisfaction of the hurling snobs on this thread is sickening. No wonder so many people feel alienated from GAA.

If you feel sick from a bit of friendly banter than the problem is with you, not with others i'm afraid.

Perhaps you should seek medical advice

Orizio

Some of the comments here are bizarre. Hurling lacks teamwork in comparison to football? Hurling has more 'hoofing' of the ball forward than football? Bloody hell.

DD Mikasa

Not from Tipp but was involved in a conversation re Rob Heffernan's walking gold medal recently when a Tipp lad goes

"walking is like Gaelic Football, it's neither this nor that"

Say no more

TBP

Orizio wrote: »

Some of the comments here are bizarre. Hurling lacks teamwork in comparison to football? Hurling has more 'hoofing' of the ball forward than football? Bloody hell.

Stupid enough comments alright and anyone that thinks that way clearly haven't a clue how drilled hurlers are when it comes to tactic's and teamwork. Fair enough there'll be a certain amount of puck the sliotar as far as you can, just get rid of but the vast majority of the time a player once he gets his hands on the sliotar will be trying to land it in a specific area of the pitch and a teammate of his will know the sliotar could be landing around that area too, it would have been drilled into them at training etc. The amount of off the ball movement in hurling and the need for quick thinking far surpasses that of football or what's needed in football.

Duckworth_Luas

DD Mikasa wrote: »

Not from Tipp but was involved in a conversation re Rob Heffernan's walking gold medal recently when a Tipp lad goes

"walking is like Gaelic Football, it's neither this nor that"

Say no more

It's a gold medal in the Athletics World Championship in an Olympic event. Why the constant need to degrade other sports in order to promote hurling? It's a public relations disaster for the GAA as a whole.

DunedinOg

TBP wrote: »

Stupid enough comments alright and anyone that thinks that way clearly haven't a clue how drilled hurlers are when it comes to tactic's and teamwork. Fair enough there'll be a certain amount of puck the sliotar as far as you can, just get rid of but the vast majority of the time a player once he gets his hands on the sliotar will be trying to land it in a specific area of the pitch and a teammate of his will know the sliotar could be landing around that area too, it would have been drilled into them at training etc. The amount of off the ball movement in hurling and the need for quick thinking far surpasses that of football or what's needed in football.

That's patently nonsense, football has way more off the ball movement and teamwork. It's always the problem with some hurling supporters, they can never admit that some aspects of hurling are easier, less skillful or entertaining than those in other sports. Both codes are brilliant but both have their weaknesses and admiting so doesn't take from them as a whole.