Akron roots help Cleveland hurling club grow into national champions

When most Americans hear "hurling," they think of something other than sports.

However, hurling is the national sport of Ireland, which is played at the club level in the United States.

Thanks to some players with Akron roots, a Cleveland-based team claimed hurling's national championship.

Damon Margida founded the St. Pat's–St. Jarlath's hurling team in 2021. The club, based out of the West Side Irish American Club in Olmsted Township, won the United State Gaelic Athletic Association's Junior D national title Aug. 20 in Denver.

Not bad for a team that is only three years old.

For Margida, it all began with a visit to the Hibernian Club in south Akron.

"I'm 6-foot-4 with a big red beard, so I look Irish," Margida said. "One of the coaches came up to me and said 'Ever hear of hurling?' He showed me some photos and videos of it and I said, 'Yep, that's it, I'm sold.'

Margida played and later coached with the Akron Celtic Guards for years before splitting with the club.

When he moved to Cleveland, he was determined to start his own club, though the pandemic put his plan on hold for a year.

He recruited several former teammates to join him, including Akron resident Michael Ruane. A native of Chardon, Ruane jumped to the Cleveland club for several reasons.

"I had a lot of friends that were very competitive and we wanted to play at a competitive level," Ruane said. "In Ireland, you always play for the club where you were born. I was born in Cleveland. When Damon made that move, I couldn't wait to join Cleveland, I finally get to play for the place I was born."

Hooked on Ireland's national game of hurling

What is hurling? Although the game has been played more than 3,00 years, even Margida struggles to describe it.

"It's always kind of hard to explain the sport," Margida said. "I like to say that It's the man's version of lacrosse. It's called the fastest game on grass. It has the skills of lacrosse, hockey and baseball."

Hurling is played between two teams of 15 players on a rectangular field that is larger than an American football field. It's played by using a small paddle made of ash wood, called a hurley, to hit a ball, called a sliotar.

Scoring occurs by hitting the ball into a goal for three points or over the goal bar for one point.

Although the game is full contact, players do not wear padding other than a protective helmet.

"It's a sport you have to be brave to play," Margida said. "I'm a Marine veteran. This is a warrior sport."

LIke Margida, Ruane was hooked quickly, as the sport spoke to his heritage.

"I come from an Irish family," Ruane said. "We knew about hurling, but there was never a chance to play. I was playing over-30 baseball in Akron when I heard about the local team. I dropped everything I was doing sports-wise and jumped into it because it's part of my family history."

Ruane has played since 2007. He plays at full forward and is considered "a defacto player/coach" at St. Pat'

Success comes quickly for St. Pat's hurling

"Me personally, I coach, I manage, I do everything," Margida said. "That first year, I had a bunch of raw players. I used a lot of social networks to recruit players."

After starting with just six recruits in 2021, Margida said he now has 50 players on the roster, including eight native Irishmen. The club also started a women's team this summer, which plays the female version of hurling called camogie.

"We had an extremely successful year this year," Margida said. "At the beginning of August, we actually hosted the Midwest regionals. We beat Pittsburgh for the title. Pittsburgh was actually two grades above us in the ranking system, so we had people at nationals complaining about why we weren't playing at a higher level."

In Denver, St. Pat's won the national title by beating Raleigh, N.C. 2-16 (22) to 3-9 (18).

"You're never going to show up at nationals and win the tournament," Ruane said. "All the preparation started in January. The combination of men and women coming together and Wednesday and Sunday practices pushed everyone. Everyone bought into a process. Going into nationals, we knew what was going to happen."

Both men are already looking forward to the team's future.

"I've created a club that really wants to compete," Margida said. "We're very welcoming and very encouraging. It's a niche, niche sport."

"It's a stick-and-ball sport that is extremely hard to pick up," Ruane said. "At our banquet, it's going to be hard to select a most improved player because they've all grown so much."

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cleveland St. Pat's hurling team wins national title in Denver