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Bringing the ash to life
Sean Keane speaks to ace hurley maker Brian Dowling about the future for his "Star" hurleys and the near extinction of the "Kilkenny" caman.
JUST by looking at an ash tree, Brian Dowling can tell whether or not it would make a good hurley. "You would know from the bark," he says authoritatively as we sit in the old family home on Upper Patrick Street, home to the "Star" Hurleys, which are among the most prized in the sport. As we look out the window his son Mark and nephew David are working away, putting the finishing touches on two more hurleys. They are the fourth generation of hurley makers in the family and despite cheap, inferior made imports from India and Japan, the Dowling business is thriving because of the sheer quality of their product and the demand for their "Star" hurl.
Engrained in the Kilkenny psyche, hurley making plays a pivotal role in what gives Kilkenny its distinctive character. The Dowlings are the embodiment of this and as you would expect they take great pride in what they do.
"I get as much out of watching a young lad walking out of here with his first hurley as I do when Henry Shefflin puts one over the bar for Kilkenny using one of our hurls," Brian says.
Tradition is an important part of what makes "Star" hurleys so wanted by players around the country. Totally dedicated, he says there has always been a particular kind of hurley associated with Kilkenny but that it is becoming extinct. Only one of the Kilkenny senior hurlers now uses a 37 inch long hurl, Henry Shefflin. As the game has changed so has the kind of hurley, shorter with a bigger bas (hitting area). Kilkenny hurls have always been known for their lightness and balance. More of that later.
The bond between a hurley and his hurl cannot be over-estimated. If he gets one which has the right weight, correct balance and perfect feel then he will treasure it. If it's made by the Dowlings then it becomes a prized possession. At times Brian has been asked to do the near impossible, repairing hurleys that have been smashed in pieces. he has put screws into the back of them to keep them right for that all important match.
To emphasise the point, Brian tells the following story. "If you blindfolded a Kilkenny hurler and put him into a room with a thousand hurleys, he would be able to pick out his one by the feel of it," he says with a wry smile.
"Star" Hurleys was established by his father Ramie, who originally came from Kilmacow, in the early 1960s. He wore the black and amber with pride but it is from his mother's side that the hurley making tradition comes. His late mother was Brid Neary, daughter of the famous Tom Neary, one of the first full-time hurley makers in Kilkenny. He was based on the city's Stephen Street and Ramie Dowling who also worked as a salesman for the now defunct Irish Press newspaper, started to give his future father-in-law a hand out and things started from there.
After the couple got married they moved in with a cousin of Brid's, Jack Delaney in Upper Patrick Street. He was a bachelor and lived alone. It was a common occurrence at that time for couples to move in with a family relation. The place was ideal for a workshop with plenty of room at the back, providing loads of space for ash planks, used timber, sawdust and all the paraphernalia associated with the trade.
That was in the early 1960s and they have been there since and if business is anything to go by, "Star" hurleys will continue to thrive as long as hurling is played in Kilkenny. At the back of the deceptively large site, there are kennels which seem to sit precariously on cement blocks. Brian reminds me that his late father Ramie bred the winner of the Irish Greyhound Derby in Clonmel, Make History out of the kennels. That was in 1989. Although he passed away a few years ago, his spirit is still present. Brian's mother Brid died three days after her husband passed away.
Brian knows that the quality of ash is falling and that he has to be careful of what he buys and from whom he buys it. He has a particular supplier who gives him only the best and of course the cost reflects that.
The ideal ash tree should be 35 to 40 years old when harvested. Younger trees are better. The plank he gets after it has been milled, will have a little bit of sap. That's why if you visit Dowlings you will see little rubber bands on the inside of the roofs where hurleys are placed to dry out, especially at this time of the year.
The grain is awfully important to a hurley and hurlers have been known to go off form if they break or lose their favourite hurley. The secret to "Star" hurleys is in the finish. Although, Brian has all the equipment needed to make the hurleys by machine, they are all made by hand.
"It's the finish that makes ours so good," he says with honesty. He thinks Kilkenny made hurleys are better than most others, He is quick to point out that other Kilkenny hurley makers are also top quality like his cousin, Paddy Neary, former hurler and referee, who is a son of another great hurley maker, the late Mick Neary who was in turn was a son of the now legendary Tom Neary of Stephen Street, He also mentions Jack Carey and Tom Donohue as examples of craftsmen from the county producing top quality hurls.
At present the ash he uses is coming mainly from England, Wales, France and Germany. Although he still thinks there is nothing to beat Irish ash particularly ash that grows in a ditch.
He knows from looking at a tree how good it will be from the turn of the tree's instep; to the bark; to the shape of it.
When I ask does he pick out a special piece of wood for an individual player he smiles and although he doesn't say it, you can tell that certain hurleys are kept for certain people.
He notes that the general standard of hurling in the country has dipped a bit but that Kilkenny has been keeping the flag flying for the GAA.
Which brings him on to the actual hurley and the ones made by him. He explains that almost all players now opt for a 36 inch long hurley with a large bas.
Some like a particular hook on the end and more like a bend on the spine of the hurl while others like a particular grain. "Losing a good hurley can have a bad affect on a player, especially if he is playing an important game," Brian says.
He says that the change in hurleys is in response to a change of style with the emphasis now more on carrying the ball rather than on ground hurling of years ago and overhead pulling.
There is a great personal satisfaction seeing a hurler, any hurler using a "Star" hurley and his client list reads like a who's who of the hurling world.
"But we have to keep up the children's market to make sure we keep the game alive." He notes with sadness that interest in the game is waning in Wexford.
One thing is certain, as long as he is able, Brian will be in the workshop doing what he loves best, making hurleys.
"I suppose the hurley making will see me out and I couldn't think of doing anything else," he says.
"At the heart of the championship you might be giving out because of the rush but you'd miss it if you weren't doing it all the same and if I finish up like this then it's fine by me.", he adds.
We shake hands, he walks back out puts back on the tee-shirt he took off before coming into the house to meet me and has a hurl in his hand almost immediately, checking it for any blemishes and you can be sure there will be none on a "Star" hurley.
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Weather for Kilkenny
Tuesday 22 May 2012
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