Origins

In the pantheon of global sports such as soccer, rugby union or athletics, Gaelic games barely merit a footnote. The Irish have been 'hiding' their games since long before Christ walked the earth. In more modern times, Gaelic games have formally existed since the foundation of the Gaelic Athletic Association in the billiards room of a Tipperay hotel in 1884.
There, led by visionaries Michael Cusack and Maurice Davin, the first formalised codes and cohesive organisation of the ancient Irish games were initiated, and the seeds planted for what would become Ireland's largest sporting organisation.
Before the Association's foundation, Gaelic games had existed in various guises for countless centuries. Hurling in particular has its origins deep in the lore of Irish mythology, where it featured often in pre-Christian Celtic folklore.
The first mention of hurling dates back to 1272BC, when as a prelude to a battle for control of the country, the Fir Bolg and Tuatha de Danaan tribes are said to have played near Cong, county Mayo. According to the ancient Gaelic annals:

"Ruad, with twenty sons of the courageous Mil, sped westwards to the end of Mag Nia to offer a hurling contest to the Tuatha De. An equal number came out to meet them. The match began. They dealt many a blow on legs and arms until their bones were broken and bruised and they fell outstretched on the turf and the match ended".

Legendary warrior Cuchulainn (literally Hound of Cullen) was so named after killing a fierce guard dog by driving a hurling ball down its throat. The Celtic legal system, the Brehon Laws, provided for compensation for hurling accidents and provisions were also made for cases of deliberate injury, or even death, as a result of hurling.
Such stories often portray hurling as a form of martial training and proficieny on the hurling field was equated with skill in battle. During the middle ages, hurling survived several attempts to ban it by various colonial governors who considered the game a distraction from more worthy martial pursuits such as archery or fencing. Throughout the countryside, hurling thrived as a wild and often violent practice with few set rules.
One seventeenth centuy account describes the game as being played on a plain about 2-300yards long, with victory going to the first team to drive the ball through the opponent's goal. Though ostensibly a peasant recreation, the game was often an ill-disguised excuse for faction-fighting, and contemporay descriptions detail sometimes horrific injuries and riotous behaviour among the participants.
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This extract taken from 'The History of Gaelic Games' by Ian Prior, published by Appletree Press. Further information and order details.