Your experience starts in Lanigans Bar on Rose Inn Street, where you’ll meet your hurling tutor and guide. You’ll be introduced to the sport, its history and a few rules in the Legends Hurling Bar, a homage to Ireland’s finest players, memorable matches and hurling heritage. Hand-painted murals of Irish hurling legends and prints of significant sporting moments line the walls.
Hurling is a highly significant element of Irish culture, and the Kilkenny Cats are widely acknowledged as one of the best teams, dominating the leaderboard of three different leagues alongside the Tipperary Legends, the Cork Rebels and the Galway Tribesmen. You’ll learn a little bit about this history and rivalry before picking your hurley (stick) and heading to the hurling field, about a 10- to 15-minute walk away.
Here, you’ll spend about an hour and a half learning how to pass, shoot and strike on the field under the tutelage of one of the Kilkenny Way coaches. Your coach will teach you how to block and hook, how to complete a successful solo run and how to lift and strike the sliotar (leather ball) for a long puck. This is an entertaining, energetic experience with as much competition as you want.
When you’ve had enough time to learn the basics, you’ll head back to Lanigans Bar for a lunch of traditional Irish stew while you watch a recording of a classic game of hurling on a big screen.
You’ll need to wear comfortable clothes that you can do light exercise in, and shoes that you don’t mind getting a bit muddy.