IU grads compete in hurling tournament in Ireland

It’s been called the fastest game on grass.

The IU hurling club has captured multiple championships.

Hurling’s origins date back thousands of years ago to Ireland, and it is one sport that has preserved its often brutal, bloody and fast-paced style of play over the years.

Armed with a wooden paddle called a hurl, players battle for possession of a small ball to either shoot it into a net or whack it between two goal posts.

The IU program has gained another distinction to go along with its multiple championships.

Duncan McCabe and Christopher Cox, both spring 2013 IU graduates, travelled to Ireland on Sept. 18 to participate in an international hurling tournament in Galway.

“The Gathering,” as it is called, is a yearlong push by the Irish Tourism Board to bring ex-pats and Irish descendants home to Ireland.

The tournament is just one of many events put on through the “The Gathering.”

Put on by the Gaelic Athletic Association, the Aer Lingus International Hurling Festival featured 16 international teams competing in four groups of four from Sept. 18-21.

“Hurling and the GAA are a very big part of Irish culture, so it definitely makes sense that with the growing of hurling throughout the world, they would have something involved with it,” Cox said.

McCabe and Cox have been long-time friends and have spent their entire Hurling careers playing together — Cox as a defenseman, McCabe as a forward.

“My friends were walking around with hurls, so I went to practice with them one day and it went on from there,” McCabe said.

Both Cox and McCabe began their hurling careers in high school and described the opportunity to represent the U.S. in hurling a dream come true.

Transferring to IU as juniors to pursue academic opportunity, the two immediately became involved with the hurling club.

With a lot of experience playing together, their collective hurling careers have been successful, racking up an array of national championships with the IU club team and the Indianapolis Premier League.

Cox describes his Hurling experience at IU as particularly special.

“I have won national championships with Indianapolis GAA since then,” he said. “However, I have never been able to get that same feeling as my first national championship with IU.”

Confident and excited, Cox and McCabe said they enjoyed the chance to face off against international competition.

McCabe added that the pair was excited to bring their IU jerseys to Ireland, proud to help represent their school overseas.

The duo joined a team of skilled players — 11 from the Indianapolis league and another 11 from Denver.

The pair said this tournament had special significance for them as they prepare to move on to other opportunities and scale back their involvement in a sport that has been a significant part of their lives for the past six years.

Duncan is preparing to move to Los Angeles, where he said he will be reducing his commitment to hurling.

Cox will leave for active duty in the U.S. army Oct. 15.

“I am very happy I can leave my current hurling career at such a high point and serve my country in multiple ways,” he said.