Have you ever heard of skorts? They might not be what you first believe – they’re not an unusual pronunciation of “skirts” in certain Dublin dialects. Rather, skorts are essentially a combination of shorts and a skirt, in essence, it’s just a skirt with built-in shorts.
Why is this of interest, you may ask? Well, this piece of sportswear has generated quite a debate among camogie players. According to Rule 6(b) of the camogie sports code, players must wear a “skirt/skort/divided skirt” as part of their uniform. The bone of contention is that most players feel restricted by them, preferring conventional shorts. This is mainly due to the shorts underneath the skort being of the “compression” type, limiting their mobility.
And has this controversy been building over time? Most certainly. Half a dozen years ago, Dublin’s Eve O’Brien expressed her candid thoughts to The 42, pointing out the Camogie Association’s recalcitrance towards change. She felt that skorts were only mandated due to gender norms, symbolising a deeply ingrained traditionalism within the organisation.
This simmering tension reached a boiling point last year when the London-based club, Thomas McCurtains, launched the “Shorts Not Skorts” movement. The movement reached its climax when two pleas were presented to camogie’s congress to review the rule.
What’s the latest update on that, then? Both pleas were rejected, and the rule cannot be challenged again before 2027.
You might be wondering, who were the voters for this? The details are not indicated explicitly, but there’s a hint of an assumption in the original question: were the voters all older gentlemen?
“Absolutely not! Most of the representatives were females. Let me down easy… is this all centred around modesty? To an extent, yes. Kerry player Niamh Leen made a statement to the Killarney Advertiser this week, stating, “I genuinely believe it’s about maintaining tradition. Perhaps they view skorts as more ladylike, which baffles me greatly. I can’t grasp why that would be justification for retaining a practice that incites discomfort among girls. I recognise it as tradition but every so often, traditions need to evolve.”
Has this always been an issue?
Unfortunately, it was even more challenging! Previously, rules dictated that female hurling players were required to wear blouses and their skirts should not rise more than six inches from the ground. Imagine the scene – you’re closing in on scoring a goal in the final moments of a national championship and your skirt trips you up.
Is there some historical context?
Indeed. The issue dates back to the 1930s when Archbishop John Charles McQuaid voiced his disdain for athletic women – especially those sharing sports fields with men – were “un-Irish and un-Catholic”. The first to echo his sentiments was Seán O’Duffy, the then secretary of the Camogie Association. O’Duffy committed to making every effort to assure that no female would attend a sports event in a questionable outfit.
Blimey! Can’t the participants simply overlook the regulation and choose attire that they’re comfortable in?
They have the option — with the Kerry County Board supporting any players opting to do just that. There’s a catch though – any player who chooses to don shorts for a match will receive a booking from the referee. And, if they defy instruction to exchange them for skorts, they’ll be ejected from the game. Therefore, if all 15 players decide to sport shorts and refuse to part with them, all of them would be removed from play, resulting in a rather lopsided match.
What happens if both squads arrive in shorts?
That’s a real point!”