Sliotar

A sliotar (/ˈslɪtər, ˈʃlɪtər/ S(H)LIT-ər, Irish: [ˈʃl̠ʲɪt̪ˠəɾˠ]) or sliothar is a hard solid sphere slightly larger than a tennis ball, consisting of a cork core covered by two pieces of leather stitched together.

[5] Early (pre-GAA) sliotars used various materials, depending on the part of the country, including combinations of wood, leather, rope and animal hair and even hollow bronze.

[7] An archaic Irish name for a hurling-ball, used on the Aran Islands as well as elsewhere, was cnag; the term also means "knob, peg, skein of thread," indicating the ball's shape and nature.

It was also heavier than modern sliotars (over 200g), and due to being made partly with horse-hair, tended to lose shape during play, and become soggy in wet conditions.

McAuliffe's changes introduced a cork core, with a 2 piece white-tanned leather covering as the standard materials.