It looks like a wild form of hockey, played by only a handful of Highlanders in Scotland, but shinty is being held up as the way to build sporting and cultural bridges to the hurlers of Ireland.
A conference was held yesterday on the Isle of Skye to examine how this minority-interest sport can learn from the success of hurling and introduce regular contests between the two codes as part of broader cultural festivals on both sides of the North Channel.
The popularity of hurling and its financial strength in Ireland are out of all proportion to shinty. There are more than 100 hurlers in Ireland for each of the 2,000 shinty players in Scotland. But that has not stopped the annual match between the two sports, which use a compromise set of rules without handling or kicking, becoming something of an embarrassment for the Irish side.
Although they have had contests for the past century, the modern series of annual matches has resulted in four wins for the Scots and one draw. That puts the pressure on the Irish heading for Inverness today, where the sixth in the series is to be played.
Given the strength of hurling in player numbers, it makes the Scottish success a spectacular one, said Mr Hugh Dan MacLennan, journalist and official historian of shinty.
The conference at Sabhal Mor Ostaig, Scotland's foremost Gaelic college on Skye, is part of the new Columba Initiative, between the Irish Government and the British government's Scottish Office, to build stronger links between Scotland and Ireland.
With 50 people due to attend, and Irish contributions from Mr Joe McDonagh, president of the GAA, and historians Mr Marcus de Burca and Mr Art O'Maolfabhail, it is to look at the role of sport in the development of vulnerable rural communities.
Prof Grant Jarvie, chair of sports studies at Stirling University, commented: "One cannot fully understand the culture of Ireland or Scotland without recognising the historical, economic and cultural significance of sport."
Mr Hugh Dan MacLennan argued that sporting links could be a significant new growth area for rural tourism. The 120-member party attending this weekend's clash in Inverness could be spending up to £20,000 sterling, he reckons, and if the meets are in Skye or Oban, which are among the small pockets of the Highlands where shinty support is strong, or in rural parts of Ireland, it could prove a real boost.
"We should be looking at shinty and hurling in a wider context, bolting it on to music festivals and the Mod [Scots Gallic national competitive arts festival each October]," he said.