What do you think?
Rate this book
Old Parish: Notes on Hurling
Brought to you by Penguin.
Hurling is Ireland's national game – a source of fascination and pride, even to people who have never played it. Ciarán Murphy, a lifelong club footballer, used to be one of those people. Then he spent a summer trying to play hurling with a tiny club in the West Waterford Gaeltacht. Along the way he embarked on a quest to understand the history, geography and mystique of this extraordinary sport.
Old Parish is the club of Ciarán's father, a club where relatives of his are still deeply involved, and possibly the only place brave (or stupid) enough to take on a forty-one-year-old newcomer to the game. Predictably (and at times hilariously), Ciarán finds out just how difficult a sport hurling is to pick up when you're in your sporting dotage, up against men who've played it since childhood.
Ciarán also explores why hurling is played in only half the country; he investigates the origins of hurling clubs' antipathy to football and the difficulties of establishing hurling in new areas; he looks into the mysteries of hurley-making; and he seeks to understand why, when a hurling legend refers to the sport as 'the greatest game ever played by any man', he has to be taken seriously.
Anyone who has ever watched hurling knows that it is something unique and extraordinary. Old Parish explains why.
Hurling is Ireland's national game – a source of fascination and pride, even to people who have never played it. Ciarán Murphy, a lifelong club footballer, used to be one of those people. Then he spent a summer trying to play hurling with a tiny club in the West Waterford Gaeltacht. Along the way he embarked on a quest to understand the history, geography and mystique of this extraordinary sport.
Old Parish is the club of Ciarán's father, a club where relatives of his are still deeply involved, and possibly the only place brave (or stupid) enough to take on a forty-one-year-old newcomer to the game. Predictably (and at times hilariously), Ciarán finds out just how difficult a sport hurling is to pick up when you're in your sporting dotage, up against men who've played it since childhood.
Ciarán also explores why hurling is played in only half the country; he investigates the origins of hurling clubs' antipathy to football and the difficulties of establishing hurling in new areas; he looks into the mysteries of hurley-making; and he seeks to understand why, when a hurling legend refers to the sport as 'the greatest game ever played by any man', he has to be taken seriously.
Anyone who has ever watched hurling knows that it is something unique and extraordinary. Old Parish explains why.
- GenresSports
240 pages, Paperback
Published September 18, 2025
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
January 31, 2026
Old Parish is a story about reconnecting. Reconnecting with a place, reconnecting with family, and reconnecting with the ancient Gaelic game of hurling.
This book does a great job of capturing the difficulty of playing hurling. It is not a skill that can be picked up easily, especially not later in life. It is a courageous decision on the part of the author to try his hand at joining a hurling team for the first time at the age of 41. However, as readers, we are fortunate he decided to do so as it has allowed us to go on an enjoyable journey through a hurling season in a form that I do not think has previously been put to text.
The beauty of hurling, the deftness and subtlety of it, combined with the bravery required to play it, are captured lucidly, with the story of An Sean Phobal’s season also engaging and enjoyable.
This book has reinvigorated my own feelings for hurling after a challenging period following an injury picked up on the hurling field. It has even led me to entertain notions of a return. At 25, I am very grateful that a return in the next few years should give me a fair few years before I’m too old, all going to plan. However, there is nothing certain in life and it is not far off three years since I last swung a hurl in anger. Time waits for no man, and reading about a man taking up hurling in earnest for the first time at 41 has made me realise how privileged I was to play it from the age of 9, a privilege I certainly took for granted. I will endeavour not to do that if I ever do return.
This book does a great job of capturing the difficulty of playing hurling. It is not a skill that can be picked up easily, especially not later in life. It is a courageous decision on the part of the author to try his hand at joining a hurling team for the first time at the age of 41. However, as readers, we are fortunate he decided to do so as it has allowed us to go on an enjoyable journey through a hurling season in a form that I do not think has previously been put to text.
The beauty of hurling, the deftness and subtlety of it, combined with the bravery required to play it, are captured lucidly, with the story of An Sean Phobal’s season also engaging and enjoyable.
This book has reinvigorated my own feelings for hurling after a challenging period following an injury picked up on the hurling field. It has even led me to entertain notions of a return. At 25, I am very grateful that a return in the next few years should give me a fair few years before I’m too old, all going to plan. However, there is nothing certain in life and it is not far off three years since I last swung a hurl in anger. Time waits for no man, and reading about a man taking up hurling in earnest for the first time at 41 has made me realise how privileged I was to play it from the age of 9, a privilege I certainly took for granted. I will endeavour not to do that if I ever do return.
March 1, 2026
Made me want to buy a hurley
May 10, 2026
There has been an over-abundance of ‘GAA Exceptionalism’ across the Irish media landscape in recent years, with the idea that the supposedly uniquely virtuous association is a potential panacea for every social ill that is bedevilling Irish society (I’m looking at you, Joe Brolly). “Old Parish” - Ciarán Murphy’s slight but charming and highly enjoyable account of becoming a rookie hurler at the ripe old age of 41 – does however make a strong case for the GAA being the heartbeat of communities across Ireland.
As beautiful and thrilling a sport as it is to watch, Hurling is a notoriously difficult challenging sport to master (the legendary Clare hurling manager Ger Loughnane’s attitude was that if you hadn’t started hurling by the time you were 7 it was probably too late for you). So, it is commendable that Murphy – who probably wouldn’t bridle if I were to describe him as an ungainly, middle-aged oaf – would open himself up to such humiliation by his belated attempt to master the unique skills of hurling. And it is such openness to potential humiliation – and willingness to “find that perfect moment of total failure” – from which “Old Parish” draws so much of its enjoyment. In that way, in “Old Parish” Murphy could almost be said to be engaging in a form of ‘Gonzo Journalism’ (think George Plimpton or Hunter S. Thompson with a hurl and sliotar).
By joining a local hurling club in County Waterford as he enters his fifth decade, Ciarán Murphy’s immersive approach gives a great insight into the essence of ‘The Hurling Man’. He is excellent on the pain of the rookie hurler (the cracked fingers and jaws, the swollen palms and aching backs), and he helps instil in the reader a renewed admiration for these athletes when “watching people who have absolutely no regard for their personal safety”.
Given the majesty of the sport as a spectacle, Hurling has probably been under-served by the level of quality sportswriting that it merits. “Old Parish” goes a long way to redress that oversight, and to champion the “glorious chaos” of hurling and to tell “the story of hurling’s place in Irish life”.
As beautiful and thrilling a sport as it is to watch, Hurling is a notoriously difficult challenging sport to master (the legendary Clare hurling manager Ger Loughnane’s attitude was that if you hadn’t started hurling by the time you were 7 it was probably too late for you). So, it is commendable that Murphy – who probably wouldn’t bridle if I were to describe him as an ungainly, middle-aged oaf – would open himself up to such humiliation by his belated attempt to master the unique skills of hurling. And it is such openness to potential humiliation – and willingness to “find that perfect moment of total failure” – from which “Old Parish” draws so much of its enjoyment. In that way, in “Old Parish” Murphy could almost be said to be engaging in a form of ‘Gonzo Journalism’ (think George Plimpton or Hunter S. Thompson with a hurl and sliotar).
By joining a local hurling club in County Waterford as he enters his fifth decade, Ciarán Murphy’s immersive approach gives a great insight into the essence of ‘The Hurling Man’. He is excellent on the pain of the rookie hurler (the cracked fingers and jaws, the swollen palms and aching backs), and he helps instil in the reader a renewed admiration for these athletes when “watching people who have absolutely no regard for their personal safety”.
Given the majesty of the sport as a spectacle, Hurling has probably been under-served by the level of quality sportswriting that it merits. “Old Parish” goes a long way to redress that oversight, and to champion the “glorious chaos” of hurling and to tell “the story of hurling’s place in Irish life”.
October 3, 2025
I brought home Ciarán Murphy’s book and I really enjoyed it. A wonderful story of a guy who takes up hurling at forty one in the home parish of his father’s family, the puck of a sliotar from John Paul’s pub in Old Parish. The first qualification of any good book is it has to be well written and it think this one is beautifully written. It helps that I have some knowledge of Old Parish and the GAA especially in Waterford.
So it got me thinking what would I say if I was writing a review of this book. The first thing I would have to do is declare my bias. I was born and reared in Waterford and I have never lived anywhere else nor have I wanted to. I spent my whole working life in the city and travelling the length and breadth of the county. I can safely say I am biased because I love Waterford and reading this book got me thinking of all the wonderful place that are in Waterford. In one way I got poor value as I finished it in two days but in other ways it was great value and thoroughly enjoyable and uplifting. Old Parish is a unique place and the essence of that was captured. Well done you deserve great credit.
So it got me thinking what would I say if I was writing a review of this book. The first thing I would have to do is declare my bias. I was born and reared in Waterford and I have never lived anywhere else nor have I wanted to. I spent my whole working life in the city and travelling the length and breadth of the county. I can safely say I am biased because I love Waterford and reading this book got me thinking of all the wonderful place that are in Waterford. In one way I got poor value as I finished it in two days but in other ways it was great value and thoroughly enjoyable and uplifting. Old Parish is a unique place and the essence of that was captured. Well done you deserve great credit.
January 8, 2026
It was enjoyable.
As someone who doesn't play hurling but loves sport it was nice to hear someone talk about their experience learning a new sport. However I was a little disappointed to find out that the author, who was sold to me as someone who had never played hurling before in his life, actually grew up with a father who was a county hurler and used to 'puck around.' So some of the novelty was taken away.
I found some of the description's of matches and play a little too typical with the author using really obvious and over-used phrases.
Some chapters were quiet history heavy, including both general history of the GA as well has Murphy's own family history. this was a little hard to follow. As I was listening on audiobook it was easy to let my interest lapse a little and not loose any information but I think if I had been reading it, then these are the parts that would have stalled my progress.
My favourite parts of the story were his own personal reflection and gearing about his life outside of hurling.
Overall an interesting read and has definitely peaked my interested in picking up a hurl myself
As someone who doesn't play hurling but loves sport it was nice to hear someone talk about their experience learning a new sport. However I was a little disappointed to find out that the author, who was sold to me as someone who had never played hurling before in his life, actually grew up with a father who was a county hurler and used to 'puck around.' So some of the novelty was taken away.
I found some of the description's of matches and play a little too typical with the author using really obvious and over-used phrases.
Some chapters were quiet history heavy, including both general history of the GA as well has Murphy's own family history. this was a little hard to follow. As I was listening on audiobook it was easy to let my interest lapse a little and not loose any information but I think if I had been reading it, then these are the parts that would have stalled my progress.
My favourite parts of the story were his own personal reflection and gearing about his life outside of hurling.
Overall an interesting read and has definitely peaked my interested in picking up a hurl myself
February 15, 2026
A tremendous read. Ciaran Murphy’s prose are so good, there is something about his flow of words that paints a brilliant picture of whatever subject he is talking about. It’s a blend of comedy and description that I cannot do justice to in this review. I really enjoyed his previous book and could not wait to get my hands on this book not only because I enjoy his writing but I am also a novice hurler as this year I joined my local GAA club’s Junior C hurling team after a 30 year hiatus (by the way yes it’s hard, but it’s some craic!). I loved the fact that Ciaran delved into the history of hurling and the reasons as to why it’s prevalent in some counties more than others. He also highlighted the efforts to encourage hurling in weaker areas of the country. The book itself is as much a love letter to Waterford and to rural community life as it is book on hurling or the adventures of someone learning how to play it. It’s rare that you can read a book about someone trying a new sport and it’s just fantastic that we get to see this done through Ciaran Murphy’s eyes and the sport of hurling.
January 1, 2026
I related to some of this as I took up GAA for mothers and others in my 40s. Not as difficult as hurling of course. Loved the historical insights about handball alleys and hurling played where the land was good as less hard labour so more time to develop skills.
September 28, 2025
excellent, enjoyable book on not just the playing of hurling, but what it means for a hurling community and to be part of that community. a lovely book.
October 7, 2025
Brilliant!!
November 10, 2025
Heart warming read about a man's connection to his father's home town.
December 22, 2025
Best book I've read this year
December 23, 2025
Deep knowledge of the GAA, sharp & often hilarious cultural commentary, curiosity & a sense of joy. Absolutely loved this.
January 5, 2026
An easy enjoyable read but as I've never played hurling, some of the subtleties were lost to me.
January 6, 2026
Excellent book full of the joy of sport family and community
January 15, 2026
A short but wonderful story about falling in love with hurling and rural Ireland
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews