Ash timber is strong and flexible with a good capacity for shock absorbency. For this reason ash has been traditionally used in Ireland for producing hurleys. Irish ash is said to be the best ash for hurley making due to the mild damp climate.

There have been experiments with the timber of other trees but nothing has proven to be as good as ash. Ash is native to Ireland and grows freely in many hedgerows around Ireland. It grows particularly well in the midland counties and parts of Munster where hurling is traditionally played. Growing hurley ash as a crop is usually carried out in conjunction with the generous grants and premiums available for growing an ash timber crop; the Hurley crop is harvested as a thinning operation while retaining the final timber crop to mature.

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