Troy Thompson has uncovered a very interesting article which appeared on the Irish Central website this week. It recalls 1843 Melbourne and a couple of very significant games of hurling.
Check it out at the link below and then add your comments below.
LINK: The Munster boys of Melbourne
Fascinating! Thanks for the link Troy. Did the performance of the hurlers from Munster stop the following century of Catholic/Protestant hostility from developing into regular ritualised violence?
It seems that the match wasn’t reported in the Argus.
Here’s a report from the SMH in 1840 that’s a bit dismissive of the game and the Irishmen that play it:
“A number of Irishmen assembled in Hyde Park to give the Colonists a specimen of the game of hurling, which, as usual, terminated in a row. There was also a game of football attempted which also gave rise to sundry scuffles and broken shins to boot. The climate of Australia is too warm for hurling.”