Sir, – Ned Monaghan (Letters, August 8th) is correct about the distinction between hurley (noun) and hurl (verb). I think both terms are used correctly in Munster counties, but outside of that it appears not to be so.
In any case, Ned should be pleased that he has not had to hear a hurley referred to as a “stick”. Such an abomination was heard regularly a few years ago from an RTÉ commentator. – Yours, etc,
NOEL HOWARD,
Kilworth,
Co Cork.
Sir, – Ned Monaghan cavils at the fact that a hurley is being referred to as a “hurl”. Ah, camán now! – Yours, etc,
PAUL DELANEY,
Dalkey,
Co Dublin.
A chara, – My late father, Charles Keeley, was on the Dublin team that lost the 1948 All-Ireland final to Waterford (we were robbed, by the way), and he was content to call it a hurl. – Is mise,
Dr GARETH
P KEELEY,
Jülich,
Germany.
Sir, – I grew up in rural Co Galway. In the evening we played hurling in the local sports field, using a hurl. The only mention of “Hurley” was that it happened to be the family name of some of the participants. – Yours, etc,
TONY FLANNERY,
Attymon,
Co Galway.
Sir, – In Wexford, it has always been and will always be a hurl. – Yours, etc,
FINBAR KEARNS,
Piercestown,
Co Wexford.
Sir, – Hurley, surely?
Liz Hurl would never get top billing. – Yours, etc,
MARIE BOLAND,
Dublin 8.
Sir, – I was born and reared in Mooncoin in south Kilkenny and, like Ned Monaghan who is from Cork, I hurled with my hurley.
I never heard “hurl” used as a noun until I moved north to St Kieran’s College in Kilkenny city in 1967. A fellow first-year student in 1967 was Brian Cody from Sheestown. I have a clear recollection of Brian and his fellow townies pressing “hurl” into service as both a verb and a noun.
For us in Mooncoin, “town” was Waterford, where “hurley” was favoured, as it was in south Tipperary, where I occasionally hurled.
There might be a thesis in this. I wonder is there a line to be drawn on the map south of which “hurl” is a verb and nothing else but north of which people hurl with a hurl?
Let me add to the confusion. I once caused unintended mirth in South Carolina when I told a social gathering about the All-Ireland hurling championship. In the Carolinas, another non-stronghold, to hurl is to spit. – Yours, etc,
PAT O’BRIEN,
Rathmines,
Dublin 6.