As 24 year old Nicholas Keenan scored a Hurling style goal for Argentina in the Tokyo2020 Olympics against Japan in Men’s Hockey, one is reminded that Keenan has a grandfather from Cork, Ireland a home of Hurling.
What might have been! Keenan's grandfather was a Cork man before moving to South America (although with skills like this, he may well have been @OfficialCorkGAA hurler)@Munster_Hockey https://t.co/V6hncocez9
— The Hook (@hookhockey) July 26, 2021
It was a goal that the great Jimmy Barry Murphy would have been proud of, as Keenan collected the ball, flicked it up, and over his shoulder with a twist of his wrists and shoulders, doubled on the ball in the air, to the back of the host’s net.
Irish Argentines
Many may not know that Argentina is the home of the fifth largest Irish community in the world, the largest in a non-English speaking nation and the greatest in Latin America.
Irish Argentines are Argentine citizens who are fully or partially of Irish descent.
Irish emigrants from the Midlands, from Wexford and the South East and in fact many counties of Ireland arrived in Argentina mainly from 1830 to 1930, with the largest wave taking place in 1850–1870. The modern Irish-Argentine community of some Irish descendants are believed to be estimated at 500,000–1,000,000.
Hurling in Argentina
Still Playing 🏐⚾️.#GAA #gaelicfootball #hurling #stillplaying #stilltogheter #quedateencasa #stayathome #restezchezvous #bleibtzuhause #quedanacasa #staiacasa pic.twitter.com/9Pypo0XvMK
— ArgentinaGAA (@ArgentinaGaa) May 13, 2020
The earliest reference to hurling in Argentina dates from the late 1880s in the ranching town of Mercedes, Buenos Aires, a major center of the Irish-Argentine community. However, the game wasn't actively promoted until 1900 when it came to the attention of author and newspaperman William Bulfin. Under Bulfin's patronage, the Argentine Hurling Club was formed on 15 July 1900.
On 17 August 1900, Bulfin printed the rules and a diagram of a hurling pitch in The Southern Cross, the official newspaper of the Argentina's Irish community. Enthusiasm spread rapidly and teams were quickly established in both the neighborhoods of Buenos Aires and the surrounding farming communities. The Passionist and Pallotine Orders took a major role in promoting the game.
The future of hurling is safe in Argentina, well done Santi O Reilly https://t.co/D7MXh2JJIg
— Go Gaelic (@GoGaelic) July 6, 2020
