Hurling - the game

The answer to the question: "What is Europe's oldest fieldgame?" - Hurling. Reportedly brought to Ireland by the Celts around two millenia ago, Hurling is played in teams who are armed with a "stick, or 'hurley' (called cam·n in Irish) (which) is curved outwards at the end, to provide the striking surface. The ball or 'sliothar' is similar in size to a hockey ball but has raised ridges."

Here, courtesy of this site, are the "rules in brief."

1. A player can run a maximum of four steps with the sliotar (ball) in his/her hand.
2. A player may take as many steps as he/she wishes while carrying the sliotar on the boss of the hurley.
3. A player may take the sliotar into his/her hand up to two times while travelling in possesion.
4. The sliotar may not be thrown; the correct hand-pass technique must be used.
5. The sliotar may not be picked directly from the ground; the roll-lift or the jab-lift must be used.
6. A player who is in possesion may not score with his/her hand.
7. If the sliotar is in flight, a player may score by striking the ball with his/her hand.
8. Three defenders may stand on the goal-line when a penalty is being taken.
9. A free-puc is awarded when a defender strikes the ball over his/her own endline.
10. Three points are equal to one goal.

Hurling, like football, hockey, or soccer, offers an opportunity for grace, and athleticism, team work and perhaps a wee bit of violence. It presents a dramatic spectacle strong enough, and true enough to have lasted thousands of years. Holding, as it were, yet another mirror within which we can glimpse a reflection of the human nature.