Shinty, Shinty

Shinty is now played almost exclusively in the Highlands of Scotland, and amongst Highland migrants to the big cities of Scotland, but it was formerly more widespread, being once competitively played on a widespread basis in England and other areas where Scottish Highlanders migrated.

In shinty, a player is allowed to play the ball in the air and is allowed to use both sides of the stick. The stick may also be used to block and to tackle, although a player may not come down on an opponent's stick, a practice called hacking. A player may tackle using the body as long as this is shoulder-to-shoulder as in football.

Shinty/Hurling appears prominently in the legend of Cchulainn, the Celtic mythology hero http://www.uscamanachd.org/documents/MacLennan_Shintysplace.pdf . A similar game was played on the Isle of Man known as cammag, a name cognate with camanachd. The old form of hurling played in the northern half of Ireland resembled shinty more closely than the standardised form of hurling of today. Like shinty it was commonly known as camnacht and was traditionally played in winter.

Despite opposition from the "Big Two", Kingussie and Newtonmore, and other small groups in the game, an EGM in November 2005 voted by an overwhelming majority (well over the required two thirds) to make summer shinty the basis upon which the game would proceed. [3] Although Camanachd Cup finals and internationals have been shown over the years, 2006 marked the first ever regular TV deal for shinty with matches being shown on the BBC Sports show Sprs.

University Shinty is a popular section of the sport, with almost all Scotland's main universities possessing a team. Historically, Glasgow University, Aberdeen University and Edinburgh University have vied for supremacy but in recent years, Strathclyde University, Robert Gordon's College, Dundee University, and the University of St. Andrews have risen to prominence. It is also played in the British Army with The Scots Shinty Club keeping alive the tradition of the game being played in the Forces.

They do not play league matches but do compete at present in the Bullough Cup. They have historically been attached to the South District. They went into abeyance in 1992 but were reconstituted in 2005. They played the first officially recognised shinty match outside Scotland in 80 years on Saturday 22 July 2006 against the Highlanders. Shinty was previously played widely in England in the 19th century and early 20th century and Nottingham Forest F.C. was established by Shinty Players.

However, it is enjoying a revival, teams such as Northern California Camanachd Club (NCCC), play at Highland Games and other venues across the USA. See Shinty in North America.

Source: Wikipedia > Shinty