Distinctly Montana Magazine

72 D I S T I N C T LY M O N TA N A M A G A Z I N E • FA L L 2 0 2 4 "All these teams came to Montana and we won it again," Maloney re- counts. "The Griz went undefeated, just wiped the walls with everyone, and won back-to-back na- tional championships!" The team racked up an- other set of back-to-back national titles in 2017 and 2018. Maloney was inspired to start up a non-collegiate hurling club after watching a championship and meet- ing with players after their epic win. The Butte native founded Missoula's Thomas Meagher Hurling Club in 2015. Mulcahy, who graduated from Butte Central and has lived much of his life in the Mining City, went to watch Maloney and his club play when they came to town for the St. Patrick's Day parade in 2017. He became even more interested in the sport after he and his seven-year-old son attended a hurling clinic the Thomas Meagher club host- ed in Butte. "We had an absolute blast," Mulca- hy recalls. He received an unexpected call from Maloney months later. "Myles calls me up in September of 2018 and says, 'We're going to have a hurling tournament in Butte in Octo- ber. Get as many people together as you can to play,'" Mulcahy says. "It was less than a month away! But I was able to round up six players who were inter- ested." The problem was, none of them knew a thing about the game they were slated to par- ticipate in, and the gear they needed isn't available at the local sporting goods store. "I ended up ordering six hurls from Ireland," Mulcahy says. "We took them down to the grass field and pulled up videos on You- Tube to learn how to play." The tournament went off without a hitch, save for subzero temperatures and an inch of snow on the ground. "It was one of the most fun things I have ever done," he notes. "After the tournament, I decided Butte was going to have a hurling team." The Wolfe Tones Hurling Club was of- ficially established by the end of the year. Maloney says a fourth Montana team, the Glacier Hurling Club, is cur- rently forming in the Flathead area. It is headed up by one of the founding members of the Thomas Meagher club. It is not uncommon for members of other clubs within the division to help fill out the rosters of some of the younger Montana hurling teams. "We're still in the infancy of our team building," acknowledges Mulca- hy, who sometimes borrows players from the Griz team. "People come and go," Maloney adds. "We recruit people, they train with us, they get better, they fall in love with the hurling community, and then they move. We have players who have relocated to D.C., Portland, Chi- na…so we're constantly recruiting and Check Out All of Our Merch! Your One-stop Affordable Fashion Shop for the Whole Family! 106 N. Main St., Butte (406) 565-2829 www.GHFamilyBoutique.com Say Hi to Joyce, the Owner! Don't forget... We bring your visions to life with our large variety of customizable products!! We specialize in original Butte-theme designs! of B E S T M O N TA N A A S V O T E D B Y R E A D E R S O F 2024 W I N N E R ! COURTESY OF JACK SHEEAN KARLIE BUTLER HOLLY MATKIN

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