Clash of the ash indeed as ‘rubber’ hurley goes viral

A photograph of a hurley bizarrely wrapping itself around the head of a Limerick player during a match on Sunday has since gone viral online.

The attention-grabbing image, taken by Limerick-based photographer Tony Grehan, was published on the front page of The Irish Times yesterday.

“It was a burst of 11 photographs and it just happened to be in the middle,” says Grehan.

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McNamara reacts to the obviously painful impact. Photograph: Tony Grehan/Press 22

The photo, which depicts Limerick's Cathal McNamara being hit in the face with the hurley by Clare's Nick O'Connell during the Waterford Crystal Cup Quarter-final, has attracted much notice since.

What makes it particularly fascinating is that O’Connell’s hurley is bent around his opponent’s head.

“I hadn’t seen anything like that before,” says Grehan. “I’ve seen lots of comments online saying I used Photoshop and that it was impossible.”

O’Connell’s hurley survived the blow without breaking - as did McNamara’s nose, which as the photo shows took a ferocious impact. “The physio came out, gave him a quick look and he got up and continued playing,” says Grehan. “The hurley was perfect afterwards.”

The joint manager of the Limerick team, TJ Ryan, confirmed the young player was uninjured.

“All it was was the sliotar was dropping, he swiped and he missed it,” says Grehan.

Seán Torpey, who has been producing hurleys for over 30 years, believes his company made the hurley in question. “Nick O’Connell has been using our hurleys for a number of years. We can’t be 100 per cent sure it’s ours, but we’re fairly confident.”

He says that although he’s never seen a hurley bend at such an angle, he’s not surprised it didn’t break.

“Ash has natural fibres which allow it to have strength but also to be flexible. That’s why ash has been used for generations in manufacturing - players get that sense of comfort that they’re not going to majorly damage somebody.”

Willie Bulfin, who manufactures hurleys for members of the Limerick team, agrees. “Ash wood is very pliable - regular timber wouldn’t be like that,” he says. “Hurleys can break but they are fairly pliable.”

Hurleys are made using ash wood, a material that faced serious risks in 2012 with the outbreak in Ireland of the Ash Dieback Disease.

According to Teagasc, the Agriculture and Food Development Authority, the fungus which causes the disease was introduced through imports of ash plants and wood from continental European countries.

There has been a total of 101 confirmed findings of the disease in Ireland to date. Coillte has since responded to the outbreak by bringing 40,000 planks of Irish ash timber to the market, says a spokeswoman. Hurley manufacturing currently contributes between €6 and €8 million to the economy.

Meanwhile, Grehan is determined to stick with the photography. “I took it up as a hobby when I lost my job,” he says. “Now I’m working on an employment initiative which allows me to stay on the dole and continue to work as a photographer.”