While hurling has long been a part of Irish sporting culture, it has started to make some overtures overseas in recent years.
You can now find GAA clubs in a huge amount of major cities dotted across the globe. While most of these are made of Irish natives living abroad, some people with no links to this country have also fallen in love with Gaelic games.
Of course, the rise of social media has also meant that a whole new audience has been introduced to hurling. A clip from the sport seems to go viral every so often, with this sequence of play from the All-Ireland semi-final between Cork and Limerick the latest example.
Never watched hurling before but I feel like pulling up at midfield to Barry Bonds the ball through the uprights with the doohickey is one of the most impressive athletic feats I’ve ever seen https://t.co/5tIAsqeEYA
— Rodger Sherman (@rodger) July 8, 2024
Now, the All-Ireland hurling final will be broadcast overseas on terrestrial television for the first time.
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Dara O'Bríain Shares BBC Hurling Explainer
The BBC have been a part of the GAA's coverage for quite some time, with BBC NI regularly showing fixtures from both codes. However, it has not traditionally been shown on the broadcaster's channels outside of Northern Ireland.
That all changed last year, with the All-Ireland football final was shown across their television stations. It drew quite the reaction from the British public, who seemed enthralled by Dublin's victory over Kerry.
Their coverage will now extend to hurling for the first time, with the All-Ireland final between Cork and Clare set to be broadcast on Sunday afternoon. Last year's hurling final was shown on BBC iPlayer, but this is the first time it will be part of their standard broadcast.
Ahead of that game, the BBC have released an explainer on hurling for those who might not be familiar with the sport.
Next Sunday the All-Ireland hurling final will be on the BBC for the first time. It’s Cork vs Clare, a cracker of match in front of 82,400 screaming fans at Croke Park, for the highlight of the Irish sporting year. If you’ve never seen Hurling, here is a quick explainer… pic.twitter.com/2xpDcgD3gH
— Dara Ó Briain (@daraobriain) July 19, 2024
That sums up the game pretty well, although sports fans will have to tune into Sunday's final to get a real glimpse of hurling in action.
You get the feeling that quite a few of them will get hooked in the process.
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