Object Detail

Hair hurling ball.

Hair hurling ball.

Hurling ball made from matted cow hair with a plaited horsehair covering radio carbon dated to the late fifteenth century. This hurling ball was found in a bog near Sneem, Co Kerry in the mid 1980s. It had been at a depth of about three feet in undisturbed bog and was found embedded in the fourth sod when turf was being cut. It came into the National Museum of Ireland in 1985. The ball and cover are intact and it is one of our finest examples of these early hurling balls. The cow hair for the balls was gathered by rubbing the palm of the hand in a rotary fashion over the body of the cows in summer when they were shedding hair. The outer cover was made from a plaited cord several metres long of tail hairs of horses. Horsehair was used for many folklife objects where durability was required. The cord was wound around the ball in an interlaced way fully protecting the ball within. It is c. 6cm in diameter and weighs 43.5g. This ball is one of the predecessor of the modern sliotar used in today’s game of hurling which is 7cm in diameter and weighs c.115g. The foundation of the Gaelic Athletic Association in 1884 led to the standardisation of hurling balls of with cork and thread with a leather cover. Instead of cork, today’s ball has a synthetic core wrapped in leather. The word 'sliotar' is very recent in our language and has connections to the word for leather. Prior to this 'liathróid' was always used for balls.

Object Details

Date:
1600/1699
Place:
Sneem, Kerry, Maulcallee
Format:
Institution:
Rights:
© National Museum of Ireland. All rights reserved.
Type:
Subject:
Era:
Publisher:
National Museum of Ireland