Up the Kavs: How Ireland’s national sport found a home in Sacramento

On a recent sunny Saturday morning, about a dozen players gathered on the fields of Sacramento’s Land Park for preseason practice. 

About half sported purple and gold striped jerseys, with a shield-shaped patch on their chest. The crest features crossed sticks, the iconic silhouettes of the Tower Bridge and the State Capitol dome, and is crowned with two words — Sacramento Kavanagh’s.

The Kavanagh’s are a hurling team — an ancient Gaelic sport described as being a mix of baseball, lacrosse and field hockey, and known colloquially as “the fastest sport on grass.”

Hurling is also Ireland’s national sport, with a rich history dating back thousands of years and deeply intertwined with Gaelic culture.

And for the last year, it’s taken root in the capital region.

Founding the Kavanagh’s

David Neligan founded the Kavanagh’s, and grew up playing hurling in Ireland. “I probably got my first hurling stick when I was four years old,” he told Insight Host Vicki Gonzalez. “My uncle is actually a hurley maker back in Ireland… I started very young.”

Neligan moved to the United States in 2022, originally settling on the East Coast. “I traveled around Connecticut, Maryland,” he explained, “I had hurling everywhere else, so I had to bring it to Sacramento.”

He started the Kavanagh’s as a way to connect with others, reaching out to prospective players via LinkedIn, Instagram and other social media. “A lot of cold-calling people trying to find the Irish community, the Irish-American community… baseball clubs, lacrosse clubs, things like that,” Neligan explained.

Sean Anayah (left), David Neligan (center) and Kai Uchio (right) warm up during a Sacramento Kavanagh's practice Saturday, March 21, 2026, in Sacramento.Gerardo Zavala/CapRadio

“I didn’t know anybody, so it was a great way for me to try and meet people… and thankfully we’ve grown a fantastic club in a short space of time.”

According to co-founder Noel Dempsey, the team’s name honors Monsignor Edward Joseph Kavanagh. Originally from Ireland, Kavanagh was a longtime pastor at St. Rose Parish in Sacramento and a decorated hurler.

“He won an All-Ireland [Championship] in 1947 with Kilkenney,” Dempsey said. “He was here in the ministry for decades... he was a good hurler, one of the best.”

Hurling 101

Hurling is a tough, physical sport with 13 players per team on the field, wearing cleats and a protective helmet. Each player carries a curved stick — traditionally made of ash — called a hurl or hurley, which is used to hit a hard leather-wrapped ball called the sliotar.

To score, a team needs to hit or kick the sliotar into the opponent’s goal for three points. Players can also hit the ball through a pair of uprights above the net for one point.

A pair of sliotars lie in the grass during a Sacramento Kavanagh's practice Saturday, March 21, 2026, in Sacramento.Gerardo Zavala/CapRadio

But getting to the goal is another matter. Players have to scoop up the sliotar off the ground with the hurley, and they cannot throw the ball to score. Passes must also be made with the hurley or a hand pass, something Jack Barnes said took some getting used to after he joined the Kavanagh’s last year.

“You have to sort of volley it off your hand like in volleyball; you can't just throw it like a baseball,” he explained. “Then you have four steps with the ball before you have to hit it back off your hurley, and you get another four steps.”

During this entire process, Barnes said, you’re going up against a strong defense. “There’s people running at you, trying to knock you down or take the ball from you,” he explained. “It’s a lot harder than it may sound.”

Jack Barnes (right) escapes from Connor Whaley (left) during a practice scrimmage Saturday, March 21, 2026 in Sacramento.Gerardo Zavala/CapRadio

While the learning curve can be steep, Barnes said the Kavanagh’s make the experience welcoming to beginners. “It's just good vibes from start to finish every day,” Barnes said with a smile. “Up the Kavs!”

One of those new faces was Gareth Durham, who was at his first practice. “I saw it on an Instagram reel, asked about it, and they brought me out here,” he explained while practicing his hand passes.

New hurling player Gareth Durham scoops up a sliotar with his hurley Saturday, March 21, 2026 in Sacramento.Sarit Laschinsky/CapRadio

Durham said he previously ran cross-country and played baseball, skills that were translating over to hurling. “I think baseball helps fielding, grounders catching the ball with your hand.”

However, figuring out the hurley itself was proving to be a bit of a challenge. “It’s kind of like what you think a cricket stick would look like, plus a baseball bat? [I’m] just finding the sweet spot on it,” Durham explained.

“He seems really into it. We need to get more Gareths,” Neligan remarked at the end of practice, after seeing the group’s newest recruit in action.

Game on

After a series of warmups, it was time for the scrimmage. The Kavanagh’s divided into two groups, grabbed their hurleys and strapped on their helmets.

Players darted around one another as they called for their team to get open, defenders to make a block, or someone to shoot on goal. The sliotar flew through the air, along with the occasional bit of colorful language, usually ending with a solid “crack” as the ball made contact with a player’s hurley.

The camaraderie on the field was tangible. Completed passes were rewarded with compliments or cheers; a narrowly-missed shot met with encouragement and support. Neligan jumped in as well, occasionally coaching and pointing out improvements. “There’s a few too many stray passes, take the simple pass!” he told players during a reset.

Sacramento Kavanagh's players scrimmage during a team practice Saturday, March 21, 2026, in Sacramento.Gerardo Zavala/CapRadio

“We’re definitely working on finding space; we tend to get clustered up as a team,” said Kai Uchio, one of the Kavanagh’s founding players. “Put the ball to open space, let our teammates go make a play… trust they’re going to outrun their guy, that’s what we’re looking for.”

Uchio said that mutual support keeps him coming back, and as the team prepares for upcoming matches these lessons make sure they stay competitive.

“We might be out-skilled by the other team, we might be out-fundementaled, but we’re not going to be out-efforted; that’s my rule for this team,” Uchio said. “Just making sure everyone’s giving 100% effort all the time.”

"My people play it"

For Marlin Ó Ciarmhaic, playing on the Kavanagh’s is a connection to his heritage. Originally from Lancaster, California, Ó Ciarmhaic said he had been generally familiar with hurling, and bought his first hurley from Ireland about six years ago.

“I didn’t know where any teams were at. I heard they played on Treasure Island, but I didn’t really have any knowledge about how to get over there or how it worked,” he explained.

That changed last August when Ó Ciarmhaic joined the Kavanagh’s. “It was just something I’ve always wanted to do, but just didn’t know where,” he said, adding that playing gives him a sense of pride.

Marlin Ó Ciarmhaic (left) catches a hand pass from David Neligan (right) during a Sacramento Kavanagh's practice Saturday, March 21, 2026, in Sacramento.Gerardo Zavala/CapRadio

“My family at one time played this, my people play it,” he said. “It’s part of our DNA, it goes back into our traditional history, it’s our national sport.”

He also noted that, unlike many sports, hurling is an all-amateur affair with players in it for the love of the game. “We have numbers, we don’t have names on our jerseys,” Ó Ciarmhaic said. “At the end of the day you can play [in front of] like 80,000 people, and then after that you go back to being your accountant, your doctor, whatever you happen to be.”

Future of the Kavs

The Kavanagh’s have a busy season ahead with multiple matches scheduled against teams in the Bay Area, where they will play on Treasure Island.

But looking toward the future, plans are on the table for broadening the player base. “We want to have not just men’s teams, we want to have ladies’ teams too,” Neligan explained. “We also want to develop a youth program. We have ambitious, long-term goals for this club.” 

Noel Dempsey helped found the Sacramento Kavanagh's, and is glad to see the sport of hurling catch on in Sacramento.Gerardo Zavala/CapRadio

That prospective women’s side would play a nearly-identical sport called camogie, something Dempsey is particularly excited about. “My wife’s big into camogie; she’s done everything, won everything,” he said.

Dempsey retired from hurling several times before helping to found the Kavanagh’s, and he’s glad to see the sport take off. “It’s a great start… I’ve never seen this many starting up a club before,” he said.

The Kavanagh’s continue to welcome new members aged 18 and over, who just need to bring a pair of cleats and a desire to learn. But above all, Neligan says players’ wellbeing and the club’s values remain front and center.

“Inclusion, community, dedication, competitive spirit and respect… we want to create a safe and fun environment,” he explained.  “We all hang out after work together, or after practice together. It’s building a community.”

A community that can often be found gathering at the East Sacramento pub, The BonnLair.

“Win or lose, you tend to end up in the pub drinking a few pints of Guinness,” Neligan said. “That tends to be the celebration afterward.”