An entry · Work · Life
Hurley Maker
The camán is still cut from ash and shaped by hand, one stick at a time, to fit one player.
From curious to committed
Your first steps.
A first visit can be enough. It can also be the beginning.
Meet the craft
Ask a local practitioner how a beginner can watch, visit or try the work under guidance.
Explore experiences →Give it another afternoon
Notice what you want to come back to. Ask the teacher what regular practice would look like, and what support you would need.
Keep a note for next time →See the working day
Ask a practitioner about the training, routine tasks and costs behind the work before making a commitment.
Explore ways into the work →These are starting points. A workshop is not a professional qualification. Entry requirements and recognised training depend on the work and the country.
Before you walk in
A few things worth asking the host before you book.
- Is this session suitable for someone who has never tried it?
- What should I bring, wear or prepare?
- What is included, and are there any extra costs?
- Can you accommodate my access needs?
- What could I try next if I enjoy it?
Teach this craft? Share what beginners ask you →
Work it
Do the work.
Jobs, apprenticeships, and training that put a person in the room.
Add yours to the atlasLive it
Live the hour.
Experiences, classes, and places where the presence is the whole point.
Add yours to the atlasWhy the human is the point
A hurley is less a manufactured object than a negotiation between a plank and a player. The wood comes from the butt of an ash tree, where the root flares out into the trunk, because that curve is already the shape of the bas. The maker reads the grain, then works it down with hand planes and spokeshaves, adjusting the weight, the thickness of the heel, the thickness of the handle, until it suits the hands that ordered it. Families have done this for generations. The Dowlings in Kilkenny trace their line back to Tom Neary, who was making hurls in 1908, and Ramie Dowling made the first Star Hurley in 1963. The Falconers have been at it since 1960. Ash dieback has put real pressure on the timber and the trade is thinking hard about its future, but the workshops are open and the shavings are still on the floor.
Kept nearby
