Cuchulainns GAA Club
Cuchulainns
Gaelic Football & Hurling Club
Cuchulainns
GAA Club welcomes all Irish people and people of Irish
descent to come and play for our club, whether it's Gaelic Football
or Hurling that takes your fancy. We also have a members club
for those who don't wish to play but just wish to be part of the
club itself. Go here to see our current Cuchulainns
Players and Members list. As you will see from this list the
Cuchulainns draws on players and members from all over Ireland and
down through the years our players and members have come from every
county in Ireland.
The Cuchulainns GAA
Club itself has been in existence since 1932 when our hurling
team was set up. Two years later in 1934 we set up our Gaelic football
team. The club name comes from one of the most famous figures from
Irish history, Cú Chulainn - The Hound of Culann.
A Brief History of
Cú Chulainn
In Irish mythology Cúchulainn
(Irish gaelic meaning 'hound of Culann'; also spelled Cú Chulainn
or Cuchullain; also sometimes called Setanta) is the pre-eminent
hero of Ulster in the Ulster Cycle. His mother was Deichtine, sister
of king Conchobar mac Nessa; his father was either the god Lugh,
or Deichtire's mortal husband Sualtam, and his foster-father was
Fergus mac Róich. His charioteer, Láeg, is ever-present by his side.
Cúchulainn was almost
undefeatable in battle due to his spear (which sang for the blood
of its enemies) and his warrior frenzy, comparable to that of the
Norse berserkers. It is described in Thomas Kinsella's translation
of The Táin Bó Cúailnge (the Cattle Raid of Cooley) this way:
"The Warp-Spasm
overtook him : it seemed each hair was hammered into his head,
so sharply they shot upright. You would swear a fire-speck tipped
each hair. He squeezed one eye narrower than the eye of a needle;
he opened the other wider than the mouth of a goblet. He bared
his jaws to the ear; he peeled back his lips to the eye-teeth
till his gullet showed. The hero-halo rose up from the crown
of his head."
This frenzy caused him
to turn about in his skin; his sinews bulged with knots the size
of a baby's head; a poisonous black mist rose above his head; and
he snapped his jaw shut with enough force to kill a lion, showering
sparks. In this fearsome state he could not tell friend from foe,
killing in front and behind alike.
A Manx story tries to
account for this frenzy. The story claims that Cúchulainn came to
the Isle of Man to have his spear made by a famous smith in return
for the promise of a part of the land he would conquer. While he
waited for the spear to be made, he discovered and captured a mermaid
named Teeval "the princess of the sea" who gave him the ability
to call on her for help in battle in return for her freedom. The
story says that when he called out to her for help, a great strength
flowed into him and he cut down his enemies like grass.
Cu Chulainn's Childhood
Some legends claim that
Cúchulainn was born at Newgrange, the greatest of Ireland's Neolithic
monuments. His childhood name was Sétanta, but he gained
the name Cú Chulainn ("Culann's Hound") when, as a child, he killed
(in self-defence) the fierce watchdog of Culann the smith, using
a hurley to drive a sliotar down the dog's throat. Out
of obligation he offered to take its place while a replacement was
reared. He took arms when, at the age of seven, he heard the druid
Cathbad prophesy that anyone who took arms that day would have everlasting
fame, although his life would be short - one of the reasons he is
compared to the Greek hero Achilles.
More
Cuchulainn Stories here
So there you have it,
the Cuchulainns GAA Club name steeped in historical significance.
Forget Christy Ring, DJ Carey, Babs Keating - because:
Cuchulainn
was The Original Hurler!
So if you're still wondering
about whether you should join the Cuchulainns GAA club, then wonder
no more - we'll even provide the history lessons free of charge,
jasus we can't say fairer than that!
So start to play gaelic
football in london or hurling in london now by joining the Cuchulainns
GAA club - all you need to do is either download the Registration
form from the online form on the top-left side of this webpage
or contact one of our club officers by phone from our Cuchulainns
Contact Us page.
Finally, we should also
mention that the Cuchulainns GAA Club is based in the Charlton
area of South East London and our training ground address is
at the bottom of this webpage (in large red lettering). We attract
players for both hurling and football from all over south london,
south east london, and the south east and London in general as we
are just a stone's throw from the city and the southern suburbs.
So if you're in any of the following areas come and join us:
New Cross, Peckham,
Brockley, Nunhead, Lewisham, Charlton, Greenwich, Blackheath, Lee
Green, Catford, Ladywell, Sydenham, Penge, Kent House, Beckenham,
Bromley, Orpington, Belvedere, London Bridge, Canary Wharf, or anywhere
else in London, the South or South East region of England.
We look forward to welcoming
you all to the Cuchulainns GAA Club!
Fáilte Romhaibh go Léir!
John Murray
Cuchulainns GAA Club Webmaster
|
