Billings teacher brings Ireland's national sport to Montana with new local club – Q2 News

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BILLINGS — An elementary school teacher is bringing the fast-paced and community-driven sport of hurling to Billings all the way from his home country of Ireland through a new club called the Billings Bison.
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As a child in rural Ireland, Padraig Keane’s first hurley, a stick used in the national sport of hurling, left a lasting impression. For Keane, an elementary school teacher at Alkali Creek, it was more than just a piece of equipment.
“I still remember getting my own first hurley. It’s like a rite of passage almost,” said Keane.
 
Keane, originally from the small village of Newtownshandrum in North Cork, Ireland, grew up playing the game, much like many others in the country did.
“Hurling is like our little religion in our village. There’s one church, there’s one pub, there’s one shop, and there’s two hurling fields,” said Keane.
Hurling is often dubbed the “fastest sport on grass.” Much like lacrosse, it is a stick-and-ball game played by two teams of 15. The goal is to score by using the hurley to get the small ball, or sliotar, into the opposing team’s goal or over the crossbar for a point.
“It’s quite a tough sport. It’s a very physical sport also,” said Keane. “It’s regarded as the fastest field game in the world, so when this starts moving it goes pretty quick.”
In Ireland, the amateur-level sport is deeply rooted in the fabric of the community, with nearly everyone participating somehow. The club participants play in usually becomes their team for life. Keane moved to Billings with his wife Rachel and son Rónán in 2022, but after living here for several years, Keane saw an opportunity to bring the sport to town after missing that same Irish camaraderie.
In May of last year, he launched the St. Patrick’s Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) Club for hurling and eventually will introduce Gaelic football. St. Patrick’s is named after his late father who had a large influence on his life and involvement in the sport. The team is known as the Billings Bison. The club held several “learn to play” days for all ages last year, but Sunday was the first introductory day for the new season that starts in April.
“Back home in Ireland, every single village, town, city, school, it’s like our American football back home, so we’re delighted to have it here in Billings,” said Keane.
Keane has assistance from Ben Steele’s music teacher Ryan Hennessy, the club’s chairman. The two educators hope their influence on the younger generation will help build a strong player base and lead to more adult leagues in the future.
“Another way of trying to do it is because we’re both teachers, it would be wonderful to try and implement it into schools, set up a little bit of a league between schools, make it a little competition, and build from there,” said Keane.
Keane’s club will not be the first introduction Montana has had to the sport, joining the Wolfe Tones Hurling Club in Butte and the Thomas Meagher Hurling Club in Missoula. Keane plans to offer anyone interested the chance to learn hurling, with equipment sourced directly from his hometown sports shop, O’Connor Sports, in Ireland.
Related: Hurling enthusiasts gather in Butte for tournament celebrating ancient Irish sport
“I grew up with it from a very young age. I’m very fortunate to have a supportive wife and a young family here, and I’d really love for them to grow up with a little part of the culture here,” said Keane. “I’m learning Irish again so I can teach my son, and so just having that connection is very important being far from home.”
For Keane, the club has brought a piece of Ireland’s rich sporting tradition and personal heritage to Billings and made the over 4,000-mile bridge from home just a bit shorter.
Related: Billings group keeps traditional Irish music alive for nearly 20 years
“The overall vibe is one of support and one of excitement to just kind of get up and running,” said Keane. “We’re looking forward to getting to the year running and seeing a bit more hurling.”
Practices for the Billings Bison will begin on April 5 and run on Saturdays each week at 10 a.m. at Ben Steele Middle School. Anyone is welcome to join. For more information, click here.

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