In his first All-Ireland senior final acceptance speech, GAA president Jarlath Burns acknowledged hurling’s new audience. A former Gaelic football pundit on BBC, he spoke to the viewers who had been tuning in from across the Irish Sea as this absorbing game was shown live on BBC2 for the first time. “We know that this game is being broadcast throughout the world, and I have a message for those people who are watching it who have never seen hurling before: this is our culture, our players, our volunteers.
They will be playing for their clubs next week. “They play for the love of their county and their parish and next week they will be playing for their clubs. We are proud of every single one of you.
” Across the Irish Sea, Twitter/X was full of applause for the game shown live on BBC2. As The Open was being played on the other side of Scotland in Troon albeit behind a paywall, Gareth Mowatt from the home of golf St Andrew’s offered: “The hurling final is utterly insane, my first time watch and I’m totally enthralled by it. Aggression.
Skill, physicality and very few rules. Top level sport at its best.” Dan Cook, the man behind the popular Crystal Palace fan account HLTCO (Hopkin Looking To Curl One), gushed about Rob Downey’s goal: “I’ll be honest, I’ve never watched hurling in my life but the run here, the atmosphere, all of it.
Superb. Might have to give it a proper go.” British journalist and broadcaster Nick Metcalfe published: “The fact I've see.