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Hurling – The Fastest
Game On Ice?
by Brian Witt
In 1879, students at McGill University in Montreal codified the rules for ice hockey. The game had been introduced to the area about five years earlier by a Nova Scotian named James Creighton, who taught the game to other McGill students in 1875, and is credited with being the first hockey coach in Quebec’s largest city.
Creighton had learned the game in his home province, where, according to historical records, the game had been played since the late 1700s. Local lore said that the game was a combination of the Micmac Indian game of Oochamkunutk, the Irish game of hurling and the Scottish game of shinty. (Shinty was introduced to Scotland by the Irish during the Dalriada occupation of the land, and by the Irish monks who settled in the monasteries in Scotland.) Some references said that the early game was called “ice hurly.”
Hurling was already an ancient sport by the time the Irish and Scots got to North America, even with St. Brendan’s trip to the new world. According to Gerry Regan, in the February 12, 2006, edition of TheWildGeese.com, “It was in County Mayo in 1272 B.C. when the first documented hurling match between the Fir Bolg and Tuatha De Danann clans took place during the Battle of Moytura. Allegedly, the rivaling sides provided 27 competitors each and engaged in a blood-spattered contest that ultimately led to a Fir Bolg victory and the subsequent demise of Tuatha De Danann.”
A Website, the Birthplace of Hockey, claims the following: “[Ice Hockey] originated around 1800, in Windsor, (NS), where the boys of Canada’s first college, King’s College School, established in 1788, adapted the exciting field game of Hurley to the ice of their favorite skating ponds and originated a new winter game, Ice Hurley. Over a period of decades, Ice Hurley gradually developed into Ice Hockey.”
There is also the account of Canadian born author Thomas Chandler Haliburton, in The Attache: Second Series, published in 1844, whereupon he recounted that the boys from King’s College, playing “hurly on the long pond on the ice” when he was a student there, prior to 1810.
Early hockey games allowed as many as thirty players a side on the ice at any one time, and the goals were two stones, each frozen into one end of the ice. In 1825 Sir John Franklin wrote that “The game of hockey played on the ice was the morning sport” while on Great Bear Lake during one of his Arctic expeditions. In 1843 a British Army officer in Kingston, ON in Canada, wrote “Began to skate this year, improved quickly and had great fun at hockey on the ice.” The first recorded account of an organized hockey game was between British soldiers from Halifax, NS, and Kingston, ON, in 1855. An article in the Boston, (NS) Evening Gazette, in 1859, makes reference to an early game of hockey on ice occurring in Halifax in that year. The first use of a puck instead of a ball was recorded at Kingston, ON, in 1860.
Creighton and the McGill players came up with the standards that generally rule today, with nine players on a side; a puck was used instead of a ball, and had to be kept within the rink; the goals were goal posts six feet apart, and the game was 60 minutes. The first pucks were square blocks of wood. A change in rules in 1883 would reduce the number of players to seven per side. The use of a curling rink also revolutionized the game.
However, controversy ensued over the origin of the birthplace of the game. Some say that Kingston was the hothouse of the sport, and others, Montreal. Then there was “Old Joe” Cope, a highly respected Mi’kmaq (Micmac) historian, hockey stick carver, noted native elder and story teller. In 1943, on reading that Kingston was making a claim to being the birthplace of hockey, wrote to the editor of the Halifax Herald from his home on the reservation at Millbrook, NS, “Long before the pale faces strayed to this country, the Micmacs were playing two ball games, a field game and an ice game.” The Dictionary of the Mi’kmaq tells that their original ball game was called Oochamkunutk. When they began playing hurley on ice with white men, they called it “Alchamadyk.” The Micmacs were also skate makers, even though blades were well established in Europe before the arrival of Europeans.
The Irish connection to the sport is undeniable in the name of the playing piece. According to the Society for International Hockey Research, the word puck is derived from the Scottish and Irish word “puc” or the Irish word “poc”, meaning to poke, punch or deliver a blow. This definition is explained in a book published in 1910 entitled English as we Speak it in Ireland by Patrick Weston Joyce. It defines the word puck as “... The blow given by a hurler to the ball with his caman or hurley is always called a puck”.
As one person said, the oldest game on earth is the ancestor of the coldest game on earth. And the Irish hero and hurler Cuchulainn would have felt at home on the ice. Now, drop the puck.
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Milwaukee
President’s Message
How can the shortest month have so many things to do? The month will be over and we’ll still be wondering where the time went. Don’t forget February 1st is the feast day of St. Brigid, the female patron saint of Ireland. You know I’ve mentioned this before, but she does need more publicity in the interest of equality.
It was a great disappointment to begin our anniversary cancelling our January meeting. Living in Wisconsin means snowstorms, and the safety of our members comes first. We will ask the former presidents to be in attendance in February instead. The actual date of the anniversary is in March, and all the exciting plans for that meeting plus other events that go with it.
Thanks to Veronica Ceszynski, our Sergeant of Arms, for the idea of the chili cook off. This contest is also rescheduled for February. To all of you entrants, thank you in advance for your patience in this new experience for all of us, and perhaps it can be continued annually. Consider yourself the winner of the first half century.
The 50th anniversary committee continues to meet and hopes you will enjoy the various events planned each month. Thanks to Mary Moze and Maggie Blaha for their work in judging the essay contest. We hoped to generate interest in our float and also in making the parade a very special event for one family. Sadly, we had no interest in the opportunity, so we may ask all the former presidents to ride on the float if they like. The float is sponsored by the donation of the Glencastle Irish Dancers in honor of Tom Smith, our former Membership Chair. We thank the generosity of the parents and teachers in making this possible.
The February meeting will feature all the wonderful women that have served as Irish Rose over the years. If you are included in this group, please join us at the general meeting. We hope to have as many as possible be in attendance, and if we haven’t contacted you, please let us know or just show up at the meeting. This again should be a fun event for all. If you ladies would like to bring any memorabilia to share, it would be fun to share.
Don’t forget to contact Al Moss to volunteer for the Post Parade Party. Al has graciously agreed to chair the event again this year, and we can’t do it without him. The same good friends from Victory Church already volunteered to take care of the kitchen, but we need as many of you as possible to assist in the other areas. Please do not hesitate to do this as I sincerely believe we will have large crowds and we need to make them welcome and comfortable as our patrons.
Mike O’Leary will be at the meeting to bring us the updates on the St. Patrick’s Parade. Mike has a big job on his hands, and would appreciate all your assistance, even if it’s just attending.
Now this is the year when you need to celebrate with your fellow members. I’ll see you at our meeting this month of course. We will be announcing the new Honorees, and that’s always a fun thing to make the winter sun shine a little brighter.
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Veronica’s Cupboard
Oh Wisconsin snow! We have rescheduled the much anticipated chili cook-off for the February meeting. Some members have elected to also bring hot dogs so you can have chili dogs as well as a bowl of prize-winning chili. February is the month of Irish Saint Valentine, so donations of heart cookies or cakes, red salads, etc. are all welcomed and needed. Bring your appetite to the February meeting. If you would like to be one of the judges, please call Veronica: (414) 228-8621.
March we honor St. Patrick, of course. Many of us are here because of potatoes, so we will feature baked potatoes for dinner at this meeting. Bring a cup of Irish stew, we’ll blend them together. There will also be other toppings worthy of the good saint.
Questions?? Suggestions?? I’d love to hear from you… Veronica (414) 228-8621, or email [irishv@ameritech.net].
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Irish Week Milwaukee
March 4-13, 2010
The Shamrock Club and Westown will present a variety of Irish entertainment and culture for more than the week prior to the parade. The celebrations start off with the Shamrock Club’s annual birthday party at the Irish Cultural and Heritage Center on March 4, with a concert by the Shamrock Club Color Guard Pipes and Drums. Starting March 10, there will be daily entertainment at the Shops of Grand Avenue, featuring local Irish bands and dance schools, as well as our press conference on Thursday; the ShamRock the Avenue, at the Miller Time Pub in the Hilton Hotel Downtown on March 12; and the Saturday events, our Mass in Honor of St. Patrick, our Parade, and our Post Parade Party. In addition, there is pre-parade music at the Shops of Grand Avenue. It is truly a magnificent week of Milwaukee’s Irish Pride.
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25th Annual
Special Mass
In Honor of Saint Patrick
Saturday March 13, 2010 – 8:30 a.m.
At St. Patrick’s Church • 723 South 7th at Washington Street, Milwaukee
Sign reader for hearing impaired
The celebrant for the 2010 Mass is Milwaukee Archbishop Jerome Listecki.
There will be readings in English and Gaelic
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44th Annual
Parade Downtown Milwaukee
NOON – MARCH 13, 2010
The Shamrock Club of Wisconsin’s 44th Annual St Patrick’s Day Parade will take place on March 13, 2010, starting at 3rd and Wisconsin and continuing to Highland and Water Streets.
Come and see one of the best St. Patrick’s Day Parades in the country, and the largest parade in Wisconsin. With nearly 140 units marching, it is a wonderful celebration of Irish life. And on St. Patrick’s Day, everyone is Irish!
For a parade application, please contact Mike O’Leary at (414) 305-1961.
The 44th Annual Parade is presented by The Shamrock Club of Wisconsin, Westown Association and Miller Lite.
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“Different Drums” To Play PPP
The Northern Ireland band Different Drums of Ireland will be the headliner at the Shamrock Club’s Post Parade Party on Saturday, March 13, 2010. Different Drums have been a Milwaukee favorite for many years. This is their first appearance at the Shamrock Club’s party.
The Post Parade Party will take place on Saturday, March 13, 2010, at the Irish Cultural and Heritage Center, 2133 W. Wisconsin Avenue, Milwaukee from 1 to 6 p.m.
Different Drums of Ireland was created in 1992 as a community relations project in Derry, N Ireland. The two main drums, the Lambeg and Bodhran represent the two main communities in Northern Ireland and bringing them together.
The music also features the Uilleann or elbow pipes, whistles, guitar, snares, long drum, and four voices and is driven by the engine of the African djembe. Adding myriad percussion and other instruments to original and traditional songs makes a unique and exciting combination of traditions and sounds. A unique celebration of cultural diversity and linkages.
The band has played across the world, for everyone from US and Irish presidents to school children. The message is the same – celebrate that which makes us different and that which bonds us together. Different Drums of Ireland are: Roy Arbuckle, Stephen Matier, Dolores O’Hare, Paul Marshall, Richard Campbell.
The annual Post Parade Party will take place at the Irish Cultural and Heritage Center, 2133 West Wisconsin Avenue from 1 p.m. until 6 p.m. Officially, doors open at 12:30 p.m. This is Milwaukee’s biggest parade family celebration. There are four stages of entertainment, and four dance schools, (three Irish and one Scottish), six bands, and a children’s’ show. Food and beverages will be served. Opening the day off in the Hallamor will be the Shamrock Club Color Guard Pipes and Drums.
The Post Parade Party will feature these groups and performers: Blarney; Dublin O’Shea; Glencastle Irish Dancers; Rince Nia Academy of Dance; Kinsella Irish Dance School; Ian Gould; Athas; the Caledonian Dancers; Myserk; and Eileen O’Rourke: Leprechaun Stories, and more. Food and beverages will be served.
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Volunteers Needed
For Post Parade Party
We will need volunteers for the Post Parade Party on March 13. We will need help in food, bars, doors, children’s and set up. If you can help, please contact PPP director Al Moss at [mossjr.alton@millercoors.com]
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Shamrock Club
Post Parade Party
March 13, 2010 Entertainment Schedule
HALLAMOR
• 2:00 – Shamrock Club Color Guard, Pipes & Drums
• 2:30 – Kinsella Irish Dancers
• 3:15 – Rince Nia Irish Dancers
• 4:00 – Different Drums of Ireland
• 5:30 – Glencastle Irish Dancers
QUINLAN’S PUB
• 1:00 – Athas
• 2:15 – Ian Gould
• 3:30 – Myserk
• 4:45 – Dublin O’Shea
UPSTAIRS
• 2:00 and 3:45 – Blarney
• 3:15 – Caledonian Scottish Dancers
BASEMENT: CHILDREN’S AREA
• 3:00 and 4:15 – Eileen O’Rourke: Leprechaun Stories
For more information, call (414) 384-4119.
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50th Anniversary Committee
There were no entries for the Float Contest. Chris Wilson of Mudjacker’s has confirmed the use of his 30 ft. trailer and truck for the 50th Anniversary Float. Chris will be driving the rig. Joe Hughes, Bob Hamill and Ken Tehan are scheduled to build the float. There is $1500 to use for the float.
Calendar of Events for General Meetings 2010
• February: Irish Roses and past presidents
• March: Parade Marshals & St Patrick’s Day Parade, past/present
• April: Sports Teams: Soccer, Hurling Demonstrations in Uniforms
• May: SCCGPD past/present, slide show
• June: Irish Dancers All Schools Invitation Dancers in school uniforms?
• July: Installation Dinner
• August: Pipe and Drum School winners
• September: Irishmen of the Year *Dinner Dance*
• October: Ireland
• November: Folk Fair & Overview of trip to Ireland
• December: Christmas Party
Letterhead and Envelopes ordered and received.
January meeting past Presidents letters sent out.
Kathy Donovan will make floral arrangements to give the recipients.
Malkin has taken over the Ad booklet. The Ad Booklet to be 8 ˝ x 11.
Pins and T-shirts to sell at all General meetings by Malkin.
Dinner Dance: Sept. 25, 2010. John now has contract. Schedule for evening: 6–7 p.m. Cocktails; 7–? Dinner; followed by short program and DJ/ Dancing.
Historical displays: Shamrock Club Irish dance dresses. Pins from Holiday Folk Fair.
Next Meeting: Feb. 1 at Josh Walton’s home, 2432 N. Lefeber Ave., Wauwatosa, at 7 p.m. If you wish to join, please stop by, or call Josh at (414) 443-0446.
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A Night of Irish Entertainment
At the ICHC on Feb. 13
The precision, beauty and excitement of Irish dance, as well as the joy and energy of traditional Irish music, will be showcased at the Irish Cultural and Heritage Center, 2133 W. Wisconsin Ave., Milwaukee, on Saturday, Feb. 13, when dancers from local dance schools and students from the Irish Fest School of Music perform. The show, the first in the spring Hallamor series, will begin at 7:30 p.m.
Focusing on the talents of young Irish dancers and musicians in the Greater Milwaukee area, the performance is a benefit for the ICHC. Local musicians will join the dancers and music school students during the event.
Dancers from McMenamin Irish Dance Academy, Rince Nia Academy of Irish Dance and Culture, Cashel Dennehy School of Irish Dance and Glencastle Irish Dancers, Ltd., will be represented. Additional dance schools may be added. The Milwaukee Irish Fest School of Music has offered classes for all ages on fiddle, guitar, banjo, flute, tin whistle, harp, keyboard, bodhran, and uilleann pipes since 2002.
Tickets for the show are $10 for adults and $5 for ages 17 and younger. There is a family cap of $30. To order online and also view the full Hallamor concert series, visit [www.ichc.net]. Tickets may also be ordered by calling (414) 345-8800.
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Irish Author and Musician
In the ICHC Parlour
On Feb. 19
Author Sean McCabe will bring stories from his book about growing up during the 1970s and ‘80s in County Meath, Ireland, to the parlour of the Irish Cultural and Heritage Center, 2133 W. Wisconsin Ave., Milwaukee, on Friday, Feb. 19, at 7:30 p.m. McCabe, who fronts the New York City-based band the McCabes, will also sing original songs and accompany himself on mandolin and guitar.
Titled, “A Good Deed and Other Stories,” McCabe’s recently released memoir is a series of 17 interconnected short stories. The stories evoke small-town life with tales including a knuckle-slapping nun who tries to teach an unwilling student to play the piano and a first confession that goes terribly wrong. Many of the stories have been published in Ireland’s popular magazine, Ireland’s Own.
McCabe studied at Trinity College in Dublin and earned a master’s degree in English literature. He moved to New York in 1994 with the intention of forming in an Irish band. The McCabes perform nationally and have released four albums.
Admission at the door is $10. For more information, visit [www.ichc.net] or call (414) 332-8521.
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Celtic Women
First Friday Lectures
Peggy Ruetz, Commission of Clan Donald.
DATE: Feb. 5, 2010
TOPIC: “Kirkin’ o’ the Tartan”
SPEAKER: Peggy Ruetz
The February First Friday lecture will feature Peggy Ruetz [pruetz1@wi.rr.com], State Commissioner of Clan Donald, as our speaker. Her topic will be the Kirkin’ of the Tartan, an American event celebrated worldwide; it was established by the U. S. Senate to honor Scottish contributions to America.
“Kirking” from the Scottish Gaelic word kirk which means church, in this usage means blessing. Tartans are the traditional plaid emblems of Scottish clans represented in unevenly spaced colored lines and rectangles on woven wool cloth. The kirkin’ is a North American event celebrated by Scots to remember their proud heritage which was once lost to them.
The lecture will run from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at Greene Hall, on the UWM campus at 3347 N. Downer Ave.. Ample parking on the street with wheel chair access to the building. Tea and snacks will be served; everyone is welcome! $7 admission.
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Through the Mists of Time –
The Shamrock Club Archives –
February Past
Articles of Incorporation
Executed by the undersigned for the purpose of forming a Wisconsin corporation under Chapter 181 of the Wisconsin statutes, Without Stock and Not For Profit.
Article 1. Name of Corporation shall be Shamrock Club of Wisconsin, Inc.
Article 2. The period shall be perpetual.
Article 3. The purpose shall be to bring about the association of individuals of Irish descent or relationship, in whole or part, for the purpose of conduction educational , social and benevolent activities of all kinds, including the conduct of meetings, travel for social and sporting events, presenting travel to Ireland, and conduction forums and research in Irish history, and traditional activities emanating from or influenced by Irish background.
Article 4. Location of principal office: 611 North Third Street, Milwaukee, 3, Wisconsin.
Article 5. Name of the initial registered agent: Eileen Aldrich.
Article 9: Names of the initial directors: Mr. Patrick Meylor, Mr. Bernard Meylor, Mris Eileen Aldrich
February 9, 1962
Emerald Reflections February 1980
Editor, Donn Goodwin
La Crosse: In our last newsnotes, we inadvertently omitted our thanks to Irish Airlines and Jim Burke for their participation in our Toys for Northern Ireland program. These toys were shipped for free by Irish Airlines and the program would not exist without their cooperation. Kathleen Burns
Shamrock Club of Rock County: The first meeting will be held Tuesday, March 5 at the Hilton Hotel in Beloit.
Dane County: Flo Wrage is our Irish Person of the Year.
St Patrick’s Day Ceili: Friday, March 14, 8:00 p.m. Top of the Hills, 1673 S. 9th Street, (9th and Mitchell)
Music by “Blarney” and Comhaltas Ceoltorio Eireen; Volunteers needed. Please contact Dennis Abere or John Maher.
LAST NOTICE IRISH ROVER TICKETS Friday, February 29th. Performing Arts Center. ONLY 130 TICKETS REMAIN $7.50 tickets SOLD OUT $6.50 Tickets Remain. Please Contact Ed Ward
Emerald Reflections February 1981
Editor: Nancy Madden Walczyk
Milwaukee: At its board meeting on January 7, 1981, the Board of Directors of the Milwaukee Chapter of the Shamrock Club regretfully accepted the resignation of Joe Dowling as president. Many thanks to Joe for his many hours of labor and devotion to the Shamrock Club. The board also approved Betty Mikush as secretary and Danny O’Connell as Interim Vice President.
Thank you to Chuck Ward for handling the mailing of the Emerald Reflections.
Portage Area: We aere pleased to announce that “Blarney” will again be headlining our Siamsa Mor on March 8. Many people have expressed the hope that we would be able to have Blarney back again. The Portage Shamrock Dancers will also be a part of the program.
Rock County: We start off the quickly with our Third Annual St. Patrick’s Day party at the Izaak Walton Lodge in Beloit. Music is by Blarney.
1983 – Restated Articles of Incorporation
of the Shamrock Club of Wisconsin, Inc.
In order to more fully express the nature and purpose of the Corporation as it has existed and operated the following Restated Articles of Incorporation duly adopted pursuant to the authority and provisions of Chapter 181 of the Wisconsin Statutes, supersede and take the place of the existing Articles of Incorporation and amendments hereto”
Signed by: Cathy Crowley; Joe Donovan; Kathy Ferrell; Jane Leahy; Chuck McLaughlin; Kit Nash; Bill O’Boyle; Earl Powell; Ed Reidy; Berneice Reilly; Chuck Ward. Dated 24th Day of February, 1983.
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Nomination of
Milwaukee Officers
Nominations for officers of the Milwaukee chapter will take place at the March and April meetings. Persons nominated must be members in good standing of the Shamrock Club, with dues paid in full, and must be present for their nominations. Elections will take place at the May meeting.
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Members’ Doings
Mike and Lori Dahm recently celebrated the wedding of their daughter Katie Banaszynski to Ryan Hundley.
Mike Simons recently was promoted to helicopter liaison and moved to Corpus Christi.
John Finnegan was named as Irishman of the Year by the Emerald Society.
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