Haggis Hurling

Meet the president leading the haggis hurling revival and learn how delivering lunch became a sport for kilted gentlemen.

Did you hurl haggis for Northern Ireland in 1980? If you missed your chance you can train for the next World Championships with this helpful news story. Hagrarian Robin Dunseath guides us through the rules and relics of this ancient tradition before having a hurl. Will reporter Gerry Kelly manage to keep his dignity as he clambers onto a whiskey barrel to address the heather? Wait for the sound of the haggis hooter to find out.

In 2004 Dunseath revealed he had made it all up. Haggis hurlers were surprised and some were angry, including world record holder Alan Pettigrew “he invented the history? That's rubbish. He may have helped revive the sport, but he didn't make it up. The history is real." This Scottish sport may be an Irish joke however it has developed a real history, even if it only dates back to 1977. The hoax began with a newspaper ad inviting people to hurl haggis at Edinburgh’s Gathering of the Clans. Hundreds turned up to take part taking the idea home to set up contests across the globe. It is now a professional sport as well as a farcical tradition like the Great Selkirk Haggis Hunt. This material is Courtesy of the UTV Archive.