Today Kilkenny are in the All-Ireland Hurling Final against Tipperary in Croke Park, Dublin.
Kilkenny are the most successful team in hurling in Ireland because they have won the All Ireland Senior Championship Final thirty-six times. Not that I am biased with my Dad from Kilkenny and many a happy childhood memory of the black and amber flags flying proudly outside the houses as we drove through the county.
The nickname for the Kilkenny team are ‘The Cats’ and I wanted to teach the children an Irish phrase for the Final as we looked out for Grandma, Grandad and my Uncles in the stands supporting the Kilkenny Cats on the TV this Sunday afternoon.
‘Cill Chainnigh Abú’ is the Irish for ‘Kilkenny Forever.’
It is pronounced ‘Kil khyan-ee aboo.’
Hurling is an Irish game that is thought to date back to 3000 years ago. It is often referred to in Irish myths and legends. It was in 1884 and the formation of the GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association) that the formal set of rules evolved for the game of hurling that we see today. Hurling is a wonderful game to watch with the speed and skill of the players.
‘Iomáint’ is the Irish for ‘hurling’.
It is pronounced ‘um-awe-nch’.