Great American (Irish, or South African) Pastime

It’s opening day at Fenway Park in Boston, and there’s a buzz of excitement as a new season of America’s greatest pastime begins. Sure the home team isn’t doing so well yet, but any true Red Sox fan would tell you, “they’ll get better”. Baseball holds a special place in American history, as does Fenway Park itself, which is celebrating it’s 100th anniversary this year.

I asked two of Interstudy‘s Resident Staff members in Ireland and South Africa about favorite pastimes in their countries. Here’s a look at what you should expect to see on TV at a local pub near campus:

Hurling

Last Sunday saw the climax of this year’s All-Ireland Hurling Championship and pitted two of the country’s oldest and most bitter rivals against each other. Tipperary beat Kilkenny 4.17 (29 points) to 1.18 (21 points). What made this victory special is not only that fact that Tipperary, the county commonly known as ‘The Home of Hurling’, had not won the championship for nine years, but that Kilkenny were hoping to win their fifth straight title. A five-in-a-row had never been achieved before and Kilkenny are regularly referred to as the greatest team ever.