The Kilkenny Way

The Kilkenny Way is undoubtedly one of Kilkenny’s star attractions! Here’s a chance to try out a typically Irish sport: hurling, and experience it from every angle! It’s the ideal way to try out this sport, which is unknown in France, in the best possible conditions!

Take part in the Kilkenny Way

An introduction to hurling, the fastest Irish sport in the world!

It’s not always easy to get to the heart of a little-known local sport. Hurling is a uniquely Irish sport, found nowhere else in the world! That’s why the Kilkenny Way has come up with the idea of offering a kind of hurling initiation course, to help you master the basics! The icing on the cake: the activity is suitable for the whole family, and will enable you to experience this sport for yourself!

To discover it, visit the prestigious “Home of the Famous Kilkenny Cats”. This is the official HQ of the local Kilkenny hurling team (partly converted into a museum), where you can begin your discovery of this very special sport!

To get you off to a good start and lay the foundations, your instructors will invite you to watch a video to introduce you to the principle of hurling, its history, rules and current play styles. The video is a fun and entertaining way to get started, and tells you that hurling is a very old sport, played for over 3,000 years in Ireland, and that it’s one of the fastest sports in the world!

This is followed by a short presentation of the country’s greatest hurlers, and finally, a brief overview of the various playing techniques, including :

blocking
hooking
the solo race
uprooting
and strike

After this short theoretical introduction, you’ll be invited to Nowlan Park, a stadium in the town of Killkenny where most of the local hurling matches are played. Accompanied by your coach, you’ll have plenty of time to try your hand at different playing techniques, and even get into a match with the other participants! Laughter guaranteed! It’s an ideal activity if you’re travelling in a group!

Finally, your guide will suggest that you round off your activity with a visit to Legend’s Hurling Bar, a sort of Irish pub/museum entirely dedicated to the world of hurling! You’ll be offered a good Irish stew, a typical Irish specialty, to enjoy while watching a hurling match! It’s a great way to round off the day, while soaking up the typical Irish atmosphere and sharing a craic!