SPORTING IRELAND

[Music] the scenic Countryside of Ireland provides a lush backdrop for golf champion Julius boros as he tries out a new championship course and then gets in on some of the local sporting action Road Bowling Gaelic football a whaleboat race and a drag hunt all of it coming up next when it comes to enjoying Outdoor Sports no one engages in them with more variety Vigor and Hearty passion than the people of the emerald aisle that ruggedly beautiful spot known as Ireland [Music] this is Ireland's County Carry On the Gulf Stream wared southwest coast some say this is the Island's most scenic area a statement which would surely start a vociferous argument in any of the other 32 counties of Ireland the jagged Coastline of County Carry is where the Romantic Motion Picture hit Ryan's daughter was filmed that attractive building overlooking the lake in the sea is the new Waterville Lake hotel this Majestic setting is the focus of the golfing world when the nearby Waterville Golf Links plays host to the revived Irish International Open Championship Julius BOS has come to Ireland to try out the new Mammoth 7,116 yd course his host is a close friend IR Sportsman Kevin M they're teeing up for the 17th hole Kevin this looks like quite a quite a hole right here well I would say this is probably one of the most challenging par 3es on the course we have about 210 yards between us and the green prove a challenge for us what are you going to hit there Kevin well I have a three iron here all right see how she goes oh was a good looking shot thank you I'm not going to tea mine up here we uh got a little wind blown from right to left and I'm going to try to keep a little lower than I normally would hit it I'll take that one beautiful shot let's press on son see how those punts go that's it [Applause] I like these high weeds you get a ball in there how do you get it out well if you're lucky you don't find it you get to hit another one Kevin we both got it up there pretty snug afraid you have a pretty good shot at it there one of my better shots of the day see what I can do with mine all right let me want me to hold a pin for you yes thank you you want to take it out or I think if it comes close you can pull it for me I'll do that look out there just a little little Speedy there given little too strong good good try thank you now let me see if I can get this one in to make it even hey how about that I met it [Applause] can't get the ball out of these deep cups on 18 well Kevin RAV going to the last now we've got a long par five here well I believe this is one of the longest par fivs in Europe 587 watch out for that Lake on the left Lake on the left and the bay on the right right oh I'll take that one Kevin that is a good [Applause] one oh fine shot what's the prevailing wind here is it with or against the prevailing wind is with you right at your back so you do get extra carry on this hole Kevin I don't think we can reach it from here S no I don't think so looks like we have about uh at least I do about 280 up to the green I think our uh did Austin quit on us we got to get another boy Canyon here yeah a little better I think I'm going to try to keep it a little right away from that water on the left all right Okay Kevin to get a little more yard yardage you've got to take a little bigger shoulder turn and I don't like to hit it this hard too often great shot that's about as good as I can do there you go given I you got about 90 yards up there about that trap's cut pretty close to the pin I [Applause] believe we're all even and I don't know if this is your stroke hole or not but uh well it just may be give it one of those accuracy Swings with an accuracy Club okay oh good looking shot mhm Kevin I've got it oh maybe 40 yards from that pin and I'm going to play a little pitch and run here I'm going to try to land it short I can't get any spin out of this Clover I'll just try to land it on the green and run it up there about 20 ft or so oh that one dug right in Kevin comes up short if Julius can sink this birdie putt he'll take the match Kevin I think I to slip out and do a little salmon fish this afternoon well I think you may have some good fishing there we' had some rain here the stream is up the fish should be biting it's only a short trip from the Waterville Golf Course to any one of a dozen Rivers rich with tasty Irish [Music] salmon but things don't always go according to plan in Ireland sporting action is everywhere even in the middle of the road the ancient anent Irish sport of Road Bowling predates the Christian [Music] era once outlawed by the British because of the danger to onlookers being struck by the heavy iron Ball Road Bowling still has an Ardent following in southern Ireland and is played in Germany and Holland also a local official explains the rules to Julius this game is played on the public roads with um ball weighing 1 and 3/4 28 o we call it a bowl the object of the game is to get from one point to another in the least number of throws and the road is usually about 2 miles and the average throwing for that is between 18 and 20 [Music] shots the um players usually make up a steak and uh some of these steaks have been very very big up to 600 lb a side there are some terms that we use uh during the game one man is in front of the other he is set to be four ball and his opponent is then hind ball and uh if a player throws his ball in over the fence he is penalized the shot that was a good one caught the slant of the highway rolled right around the [Music] corner we have H built up an association over the years and since 1954 and we now have I think 60 ball playing clubs and uh many hundreds of players and thousands of supporters this game would take a long time on Sunday afternoon back in the States with all the [Music] traffic at the end of the line the champ collects his winnings and everybody heads for some liquid refreshment at the local pub undeterred by the friendly offers to join them Julius resumes his trip to the river and a hoped for encounter with a finned friend accompanied by a fishing guide or Gilly as he's called in Ireland Julius cast for salmon in the Waterville [Applause] River when the water gets high use Spinners we don't uh we do yes how's the fishing been this year have there been a lot of uh salmon around or well they got a lot of salmon in the lake trolling early in the Years there was good thr fishing in the IND June and these fish come in here and just lay uh I just saw another one rise right there they been here just lay for months eh they would they lay there for about four to five months maybe more something 6 months there we go there here's one there he is there he comes he looks like a pretty nice fish there he is there he's going Downstream the net to him jack there you got him okay oh he's a beauty I think he's a little bigger than 8 lb oh he's 10 lb any yeah he's good sized fish Well Jack we caught a nice fish do you think he just come up out of the bay here or is he been sitting in the water for a while oh he settled in the water for a couple of months so easy to hold him the Irish love of open Skies and the out ofd doors is reflected in their Avid Devotion to Sports of All Kinds next to the purely Irish sport of hurling gaic football commands as loyal a following in Ireland as American football does in the US the Irish version is a cross between rugby and soccer just about anything thing goes in this hard- running bone shattering game the ball can be carried it can be kicked or it can be punched and the same usually happens to the players getting the ball over the bar in between the uprights is good for one point into the net is a goal and is worth three unlike American football which goes in for offensive and defensive teams in gayg football an athlete is expected to play the whole game substitutions are kept to a minimum endurance is the name of the game here no doubt these youngsters playing Ireland's national game Harbor the dream of someday representing their County in the all Ireland finals held each year in Dublin's cro Park more than 70,000 screaming fans flocked there for the Irish equivalent of the Super Bowl there are signs that the popularity of this tough sport may be spreading Beyond iseland not long ago Cambridge University recognized gelic football as an official University sport On Any Given weekend in County Kerry or throughout Ireland for that matter the visitor may find him himself witnessing any number of local contests as Julius BOS discovered the age-old question of who's the strongest is still settled in some quarters by the most basic of challenges War [Music] [Music] as in every other sporting Endeavor the Irish make even the tug of- War seem like a life or death [Music] struggle wi loser draw everybody gets a real workout in this battle of strength including the cheering set [Music] the days of wooden boats and iron men are still [Music] aah [Music] oh [Music] aah [Music] [Music] [Music] get coming down the home [Music] stretch that's the end of the race it's all there is what does everybody do now head for the pub not yet they've got to get their prize money yet dotted around the Irish Countryside are numerous historic castles some nearly a thousand years old vages of the angl Norman conquerors who ruled this land for many centuries no longer bastions of oppressive Authority many of the castles today have been converted into luxury hotels this is one of the finest of such places Ashford Castle rebuilt around the remains of a 13th century edifice within the massive walls there's every Comfort even the most fastidious taste could desire what a thrill it is is for tourists to partake of the experience of living in medieval Elegance I Crown you Earl of Pand and your gracious lady my Lord I am asking you and your gracious lady to take the place of honor at our banquet here this evening at the castle of bonr near Shannon Julius has been crowned King as he rules over an evening of dining whining and merry making in the old tradition the authentic costumes The Haunting music and the medieval menu combined with the exalted setting vividly create the illusion of being thrown back in time back to the era of knights in armor and fair damsels sequestered in turreted Towers on the table nowhere in the world is the tradition of the hunt held in higher regard than it is here it's no surprise then that hunting dogs are considered one of an irishman's most valuable possessions for nearly 50 years Irish dog fanciers in County Kerry have been enjoying a unique form of canine competition called the drag hunt this is is a bloodless Chase where the dogs follow a scentered trail over a 5m course the first dog to jump over a stone fence at the end of the trail is declared the winner 33 dogs face the St and each dog has to be marked and unmarked dog doesn't qualify for the [Applause] price the trail is marked with Anis a pungent weed-like herb which has a smell similar to a deer [Music] as an honored guest Julius is asked to start the race when he comes as far as the pole you will raise the flag when he comes in over the fence drop the flag and away go the dog there you go how long a course would you say that was uh to be about five miles miles 5 miles you think this rain will slow them up any no they go better than the rain there'll be better [Music] sink do we in this race are known as the K Eagles they're a very old breed originally they came from Spain and they're Renown for hair hunting fox hunting and uh especially for dry hunting training for dry hunting is rather laborious you have to walk 10 miles a day with your dog morning and evening and he's fed with the best of steak very expensive at the moment though once derided by Irish WT Oscar wild as the the pursuit of the uneatable by the Unspeakable fox hunting is still widely practiced throughout Ireland today there are more than 30 Fox Hound packs two stag Hound packs and numerous groups of [Music] harriers I [Music] k for owner of dog [Music] P second K mayor owner Roger [Music] oan back at the Waterville Lake hotel Julius and Kevin enjoy a culinary treat before saying goodbye well that looks like quite a meal doesn't it cooking that salmon in fact the salmon look familiar is that the one I caught yesterday morning I believe that is I think he's winking at you see well tell me what is in that Chef it looks like a lobster Lobster and scallops scallops scampy scampy and some uh Brandy white wine sauce Brandy and white wine sauce well the seafood has certainly been great around here this past week or so well it tastes half as good as it looks like seems like we'll have a great meal here here not only that I came over here to practice a little Golf and do a little salmon fishing and I saw a lot of the great outdoor activities around this part of the part of the country part of Ireland and uh it's been a very interesting week I think in the last 5 days or so you've had a good chance to sample the flavor of what Ireland's really like no visit to Ireland would be complete without some comment about the weather I mean the Irish themselves seem to spend half the day discussing every minute shift of wind and cloud and believe me there's never a moment when something's not changing 1 second it's raining the next you're bathed in brilliant Sunshine 5 minutes later a Mist moves in then the Sun comes out again it's like the day can never quite make up its mind what kind of day to be the constantly changing Skies act like the world's greatest light show creating 40 different shades of green Across The Verdant Hills and Fields for anyone who loves the out ofd doors it's a thrill to see Mother Nature go through her daily bag of tricks in such a beautiful setting as County Carry take a trip over the rainbow and you'll find a pot of fun waiting for you in sporting [Music] Ireland the staff of Liberty Mutual flew on Air Lingus the Irish International Airline for