Bid to stop clash of the Scandinavian and Welsh ash

THE clash of the ash thrilled hurling followers all year long, but all of it didn’t have Irish roots as some of the fans might have realised.

For the RDS has now revealed that most of the ash timber used in the manufacture of hurleys is at imported from Wales and Scandinavia.

That might come has a culture shock to the purists and traditionalists, who marvel at what is one of the fastest and most skilful of field games anywhere in the world.

But efforts are now being made to ensure that more of the hurleys used in games at all levels in the future will be as Irish as the players who use them with such admirable artistry in the quest for honours.

For the 2002 RDS Irish Forestry and Wood Awards, now in their 15th year, will feature a new special award for hurley ash plantations and forests.

It will cater for ash plantations that are being managed specifically for the manufacture of hurleys. The aim is to encourage the planting and cultivation of ash for the specific use of hurley manufacturing, reducing imports in the process. RDS vice president Dr Austin Mescal said hurling and the GAA are an indigenous part of Irish heritage.

“For that reason, we are delighted to support this award which promotes the manufacture of hurleys from native resources,” he said. Minister of State at the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources John Brown and GAA broadcaster Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh launched the Forestry and Wood Awards at the farm of previous winner, Joe Barry, Kilcock, Co Kildare.

Due to the specific manner in which the ash plantation must be managed for the crop to be suitable for the manufacture of hurleys, the special award will be open to plantations of seven years or older. It is at this stage that the plantation must be tailored towards this particular end use.

Sponsored by the Forest Service-Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources and supported by the EU, the overall awards are divided into four categories.

These are farm forestry, urban-recreational forestry, commercial timber and craft enterprise and bio-diverse forests and woodlands.

The closing date for entries is September 30.