Iontrálaccha

Brollaidheacht

Sa 9ú aois déag, Bhí Brollaidheacht was one of the most widely practised sporting activities in the country. Bhí boutta idir comardh agus challengers ar caighdéan paróiste. D’fhéadfadh comórtais idir na gleacaithe is cáiliúla agus is oilte na mílte lucht féachana a mhealladh ó chontaetha comharsanacha. Although it was primarily referred to by its English name, Collar and Elbow is known to have had at least two names in Irish: "Coiléar agus Uille" (a literal translation of Collar and Elbow) and "brollaidheacht". The latter derives from the term for the front of a shirt ("brollach léine") and thus "brollaidheacht" could be translated as "collaring"[2] – a reference to the grip that wrestlers were required to take on each other's jackets. Victory was determined by a "fall", the definition of which differed from county to county. In Kildare a wrestler was deemed to have won if he made his opponent touch the ground with any single part of his body above the knees, whereas in Dublin he was required to make three points of his opponent's body touch the ground (usually both shoulders and a hip, or both hips and a shoulder).[11] A significant difference between Collar and Elbow as it was practised in Ireland and the United States is that, in its Irish incarnation, shin-kicking was routinely permitted. This, coupled with the fact that many participants wore heavy work boots, resulted in a level of injury among Irish wrestlers not usually seen among their US counterparts. Shins were frequently "gored and/or bruised" after a match, and on rare occasions outright broken.[11] Admirers of the style nonetheless lauded its "eminently scientific and picturesque"[1] virtues. In particular, they claimed that, since the opening stance prevented the "bull-like charges, flying tackles, or other onrushes" common in other wrestling styles, Brollaidheacht encouraged participants to develop "deftness, balance, and leverage allied with strength, [which permitted] a man to win by means of skill instead of sheer might and weight".[12]