"Blas, for those of you not from the West of Ireland, is the polish a hurley gets from the sliothar when used by a player of unusual skill, a patina on the surface of the wood testifying to the depth of talent of the player that had used the stick."
I'm from Ireland, have played hurling for about 21 years, this is the first time I have ever heard of this! Cuil finally taught me something, it only took them 2 years! Granted I never use their service...and there are many things I don't know.
> Blas, for those of you not from the West of Ireland, is the polish a hurley gets from the sliothar when used by a player of unusual skill, a patina on the surface of the wood testifying to the depth of talent of the player that had used the stick.
Now, how about explaining this for those poor benighted souls who speak English?
Hurling is a popular native ball sport in Ireland which involves two teams playing against each other with sticks called hurleys and a ball called a sliothar. Think of it as ice hockey without ice / skates and the sliothar instead of a puck. A wee bit of violence and tribalism are also as big part of the game, as in ice hockey...
Blas is the Irish word for 'taste'. A hurley stick develops a 'taste for the ball' in the hands of good player. Supposedly the tough leather ball (sliothar) hitting the soft ash wood creates a sort of sheen over time when done right. The stick becomes tempered. Tom's allegory is that Cpedia has not yet had the time to develop 'a taste for the ball'.
I'm from Ireland, have played hurling for about 21 years, this is the first time I have ever heard of this! Cuil finally taught me something, it only took them 2 years! Granted I never use their service...and there are many things I don't know.