Today, it was announced that Sky Sports and the GAA would end a partnership that's gone on for nine years. While some bemoaned the presence of a British broadcaster airing Ireland's national game, by and large, Sky Sports was a force for good in terms of GAA broadcasting since it started airing Championship games in 2014. The production values were superb, the analysis was superior.
The arrangement also introduced gaelic games to an unaware British viewing public.
For a few beautiful weeks in the summer of 2014, British twitter was full of ordinary sport fans stumbling onto the madness of hurling for the very first time. We're not sure how many were converted into hurling fanatics but it's clear from reading those tweets back that the sport left an instant and indelible impression.
The first hurling game broadcast on Sky Sports in June 2014 was a Leinster preliminary round match between Kilkenny and Offaly. It was a thoroughly forgettable rout for the eventual All-Ireland champions, but it was a historic occasions because it was the first time British viewers had hurling in their households.
7 June 2014; Sky Sports presenters Rachel Wyse and Brian Carney watch the match with hurling analyst Ollie Canning and football analyst Peter Canavan during the game. Leinster GAA Hurling Senior Championship, Quarter-Final, Kilkenny v Offaly, Nowlan Park, Kilkenny. Picture credit: Brendan Moran / SPORTSFILE
Here's the first Balls.ie report on Britons watching hurling for the first time on Sky Sports
Now we don't want to poke fun at the British, remember most of us still know nothing about cricket, but these tweets are worthy of sharing.
To be fair, it looks like it's not just the Irish in the UK watching the hurling on Sky.
An honourable mention has to go out to the woman who was proud of her cousin for playing "professional hurling", unfortunately she deleted her tweet a lot quicker than some of these people.
FROM 2018: Analysis, Innovation, And Misconceptions: How The GAA Championship Is Being Covered On TV
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Even more classic reaction from the UK HERE
@ballsdotie This lad: pic.twitter.com/kQ6RNYheCt
— Colly (@bolbosaur) June 7, 2014
