Forgive me, I am not Scottish, but Shinty…

[Mydogisagentleman]

It’s bastard dangerous!
My DH always puts the TV on BBC Alba when he’s finished watching something on Netflix.
We have just sat transfixed by a game of shinty.
Neither of us have a clue about the rules, be we have decided that the clubhouse has the MRI and plaster cast room in it.
Do any of your Scotsnet users play/watch/support it?

And rugby player think they're tough

We learned to play it in primary.

I'm not saying it was tough, but when I got to high school and they introduced hockey, despite being the least sporty kid in the history of unsporting kids, I got told I had a place in the hockey team IF I promised to stop leaving a trail of people on the field behind me in need of an ice pack or trip to A&E.

One of the people flattened by my efforts was a PE teacher who played Hockey for England.

We took Americans to watch a match during our trip to Highlands, both the sport and the off pitch "festivities" totally fascinating them. We could explain nothing be soft central belt urban dwellers.

My son played it at university as well as football as he says he doesn't have the build for rugby.

The first primary that I taught in played it as an after school club. For about four weeks before the parents said they were fed up with their poor kids being damaged ! It is the most scarey game to watch, when I played hockey at school as a goalie I wore leg pads and that was it, but shinty is far more terrifying than watching Big Betty charging down the field towards your goal .........

We used to play it in primary school in England - no idea why, we didn't have any Scottish teachers, and nobody else I've spoken to who isn't Scottish knows what it is. DS went to the same primary school as me and also played it.

My children play shinty at primary school, 5 year old hates it but my preschooler loves it, she's pretty fearless!
I've watched grown ups play and I feared for my face even as a spectator, and I've seen a few injuries but it does definitely teach the children to be nimble!

It’s like (Irish) hurling isn’t it?

Yes, quite similar to hurling I believe. In fact, do shinty and hurling teams not sometimes play tournaments?

Yes. . The best sports fixture of the year is the senior shinty-hurling international played with composite rules! Shown on BBC Alba in Scotland

I love shinty and have some family who played in the league. One suffered a fairly bad face/head injury about 25 years ago

I think they show it on TG4 here. A very physical sport 😂

We played it at English primary school (70s and 80s). I just googled shinty sticks, but I remember ours not being any wider at the bottom than the top, basically just like a walking stick with the end straightened out, so they mainly just went under or over the ball and hit the person who was nearest. Evil game! I wonder what introducing it to some primary schools was about then (unless we all went to the same one!)

I remember playing shinty at my English prep school in the 70s. It was satisfyingly violent!

Hi. We live in the Highlands. All our children have played and have the scars from shinty. I love to watch it but wouldn't fancy playing. There is a cup semi final on BBC alba tomorrow.

I have a friend who used to coach it.

He has no front teeth, and a very interestingly shaped nose.

It's great to watch but I'd be terrified if my kids played it. That said, many folk do and they are as tough as nails. Witnessed someone getting a broken jaw during a match. Came to the side to get fixed by the first aider (who looked like she was the same wee wife who made the post match scones). She strapped him up and he went back on to play
There is great rivalry between the clubs and having been to a Camanachd Cup, I can say it was one of the best sporting things I've ever watched.

I know of many players with injuries and bits missing. They are a different breed and just to repeat, tough as nails.

Dh used to play for Kyles so we get forced to watch it here too.

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed it but didn’t have a clue what was going on!

We played it in Guides in SE England. I've only learned today that it's Scottish

Love watching it when I remember its on, its great its so fast and so skillful.

Hurling is better though

Thanks to the wonder of iplayer I have found what you're all talking about and will be treating myself to watching the Macaulay Cup final later. 😆

The Camanachd cup final is on Saturday. It will be a good game. It should be shown live on TV.

@RunningStrong

We played it in Guides in SE England. I've only learned today that it's Scottish

I always thought it was Irish, don't know where that came from