The Hurlers

The Hurlers - The First All-Ireland Championship and the Making of Modern Hurling

By Paul Rouse

Published by Penguin Books

In 1882, a letter was published in the Irish Times, lamenting the decline of hurling. The game was now played only in a few isolated rural pockets, and according to no fixed set of rules. It would have been absurd to imagine that, within five years, an all-Ireland hurling championship would be underway, under the auspices of a powerful national organization.

The Hurlers is a superbly readable account of that dramatic turn of events, of the colourful men who made it happen, and of the political intrigues and violent rows that marked the early years of the GAA.

From the very start, republican and ecclesiastical interests jockeyed for control, along with a small core of enthusiasts who were just in it for the sport.

In this authoritative and seriously entertaining book, Paul Rouse shows how sport, culture and politics swirled together in a heady, often chaotic mix.

GAA Museum Book Club

The Hurlers was the focus of the GAA Museum Book Club in March 2021. Watch author Paul Rouse in conversation with the GAA Museum Team here.