It’s beautiful here in Dublin today – the sun is shining, the sky is blue, and it’s only a little bit breezy. Perfect for sports, if that’s your thing… And it certainly is for today’s new Beastie!
Meet Galway Hurling Beastie!
Hurling is one of Ireland’s traditional sports, and if I were to describe it (from a completely non-expert point of view) I’d say it’s like someone blended hockey and tennis. It’s played with a wooden stick (the hurley, usually made from ash wood) and a little hard ball (the sliotar), so there’s your hockey connection. But unlike hockey, the ball is allowed to leave the ground… in fact, I’m pretty sure it spends most of the match in the air! It’s frequently thrown and then smashed down to the other end of the pitch, as in a tennis serve, or carried egg-and-spoon style on the end of the hurley, while the player runs with it. Skillful, right?
I’ve paid monster tribute to this sport before – you can meet that first Hurling Beastie in this post from 2015 – but this latest project called for a more personal touch. First of all, let’s show where his loyalties lie, with a hand-stitched shirt in his county colours!
Galway is one of the top hurling counties in Ireland – they’re currently ranked third after the 2016 Championship – and their maroon-coloured strip is one that even a layman like myself can pick out of a lineup! I also made sure to emblazon this miniature version with the county crest, and the logo of their main sponsor.
And on the back, a little bit of extra customisation to help him fit in with his new family!
Next, how about some nice red hair? Well, he is an Irish Beastie, after all!
He’s also the first Beastie to have brown eyes (look closely), and I’ve given him glasses modelled on the ones his new friend wears!
And of course, to complete his kit, he gets his own Beastie-sized hurley and sliotar!
Anyone fancy a knock-about in the park? Or are there any other sporting Beasties you’d like to see? Let us know in the comments!
Aaaaand next Tuesday, I should have a fresh new Explorer Beastie adventure for you all… So stay tuned! See you then!
Okay, if you could make a whole team of these little fellows and get them to play a match, I think I might FINALLY show an interest in sports. As far as other sporting Beasties…I’m imagining a spandex-clad cycling Beastie (preferably a non-doping one, of course). I mean, if Kermit the Frog can ride a bike, why not a Beastie?
Hahaha! Three words for you… Short stumpy legs! But I did in fact make a cycling Beastie as a commission a couple of years back… Hmm, lemme see… Aha! Here he is:
https://crawcraftsbeasties.com/2015/04/08/on-yer-bike/
I absolutely love the idea of seeing a team of Beasties play sport – I’d settle for any sport, even golf! So if there’s an animator out there in need of a subject… You don’t know any, do you? 🤔
Oh right, maybe tricycles are a better piece of Beastie sporting equipment. And, hey, I see no spandex shorts on that cyclist Beastie, is he part of the naked bike ride thing? As far as animators, I’m sure there’s a computer animation student who would jump all over that project!
Hmmm, must look into that! 🤔 As for the naked Beastie cyclist, I have to admit that I’m still not sure whether they have naturally stripey legs, or just a penchant for striped pants. But since Winnie the Pooh has been running around in just a shirt for nearly 100 years without getting into trouble, I reckon it’s probably ok… 😀
Donald Duck is a shirt guy as well. Mickie Mouse got shorts, Bugs Bunny is fully naked. Not sure how Goofy ended up fully clothed.
Yeah, that is a weird one… Maybe Goofy is one of those hairless dogs, and doesn’t have a natural coat of fur or feathers to cover his modesty? 😆
He’s a great little Beastie Helen! I hope Beastie towers are doing great, looking forward to a new explorer Beastie adventure! 🙂
Hey Simon! And thanks for stopping by to visit this latest Beastie creation 😀 I’m well, thanks… Just busy as usual! Hope things are good with you – I’m off now to see what you’ve been up to!
I love finding out what Beastie towers is up to. Thanks for looking over what I’ve been up to 🙂
Love beasties red hair,great job😊🐶
Thank you! Redhead Beasties certainly do seem to be popular! 😀
Your beasties make me smile so much.
Thanks Laura! Even after making so many, I sometimes find myself chuckling with glee as I finish a new one!
Hello there!
This is so cool, a sporty beastie and that too a hurling player. I have heard of the sport, watched it once or twice as well.. perhaps on National Geographic! It looks fun 😀
Happy blogging to you!
Zahra
Thanks Zahra! I do remember you requesting some sporty Beasties a while back – I’ll have to dream up some more now to add to the collection. Hope all is well with you! H 😀
Yes, I did make such a request and I’m delighted to know that you remember it. Thank you Helen, for sharing your ventures with us. 🙂
No problemo! Thanks for reading them 😀
You are welcome 😊
OMG I can’t get over his little jersey! Too cute!!
Oooopsie, sorry I didn’t spot your comment before I went away! Thank you very much, and cheers for stopping by! 😀
Incredible hurling Beastie! Blue and maroon pair so beautifully, and I love the little accents on hurling Beastie’s glasses. The embroidery is superb (those tiny stitches on the crest! Wow). Pure magic, Helen! ❤
Thanks, Shirley! Teeny embroidery stitches take time, but I love how versatile they are… Definitely worth it! 😀
This is just so joyful! What fun to read
Thank you, Nina! He was fun to make… Plus, making a sporty Beastie counts as exercise, right? 😀
It’s so good to see your beastie blog again! This little guy is awesome! I also learned something new! For me hurling has always been a verb, but the fact that it’s actually a noun and a sport is neat. I’ll have to look into that a bit more. Thanks! Love his little glasses. 🙂
Thank you, it’s nice to see you back again! I’m not sure how much hurling is broadcast outside Ireland (I’d never really seen any of the GAA sports before I moved here) but it’s worth a watch if you do catch it somewhere. Oh, and stay tuned for more new Beasties coming soon! 😀
Thanks! I’ve taken a look at some YouTube videos and this is a crazy cool sport! It’s so neat how it’s played, kind of looks like a cross between baseball, hockey and football…but not…ahhhh it’s so neat! And that little crest is awesome on this little guy by the way. 🙂 Can’t wait for the next cool beastie!
Thanks! Hurling is kinda awesome, isn’t it? I don’t know how they do it, especially the goalies. If I saw that ball hurtling towards me, I’d duck!
Anyway, cheers for stopping by… And there are more Beasties on the way soon! I’m working on a project just now that I’m really excited about, so stay tuned! 😀
Lol. Looking forward to it. 🙂
This fellow is ready to roll! I love the embroidery on the shirt. In the states, this would be all about bowling–the shirt, that is. I love your version 🙂
Hmmm, a bowling Beastie could be fun! Although if they’re anything like me, that ball is going straight into the gutter every time 😆 Thanks for stopping by, Melissa! I’m going to get a chance to catch up with the podcast later today 😀