Hurling is played with a wooden stick called a 'hurley'. The hurley has a flat, paddle-shaped end. Players use it to hit the sliotar, catch it in the air, balance it on the stick while running, and fire it into the goal at the other end of the pitch.
A hurling pitch is huge - about 145 metres long. There are 15 players on each side. They wear helmets with face guards (since 2010) but no other protection. It is a fast, physical game that takes years of practice.
Scoring works in two ways. Knock the ball into the net at the bottom of the goal and that's three points. Hit it over the crossbar above the goal and that's one point. So you can have a final score like '2-15 to 1-17' - you have to do a little maths to work out who won.
Hurling matches are played all over Ireland. Every county has its own team. The biggest match of the year is the All-Ireland Final, played at Croke Park in Dublin, where over 80,000 fans pack the stadium. The trophy is called the Liam MacCarthy Cup.