Meet the TikTok hurling wonderkid who hopes to one day line out for his county
Ben Smyth has dazzled social media users with his slick stick skills since his account was created last September.
The 10-year-old from Meath plays as a half-forward for the U11s side at St Peter's Dunboyne and proud dad Niall declares that his small stature doesn't stop him from scoring. TikTok hurling star Ben Smyth
Speaking to the Irish Mirror, Niall, who also plays for St Peter's Dunboyne, said: "Ben has always been tipping away with a ball since he could walk.
"I realised he had a knack for hurling when he was really young - when he was able to hit the ball with one hand. He has really good hand-eye coordination.
"He's always playing hurling and Gaelic football and he's always out practising. The hurl is never out of his hand."
Niall said his son practices for around two hours each day, in addition to two weekly training sessions and weekend matches. Ben also regularly attends Niall's training sessions and matches with the St Peter's Dunboyne senior team.
The proud dad said his son is a "force to be reckoned with" on the pitch before joking: "I don't want to give him a big head."
He continued: "He's smaller than the other guys on the opposition team and his own team, but everybody says his heart is huge. He's well able and he gets stuck in. He scores plenty." Ben and his dad Niall
Sport runs deep in the Smyth family. Ben's great-grandfather Brian Smyth captained Meath to the county's first All-Ireland football title in 1949 and his late grandfather Bernard also hurled for the county.
Dad Niall added: "I'm so proud of him. I've been hurling all my life, and people probably think 'Jesus, I'm forcing him'. But we just let him do his own thing, and he loves it.
"I don't mind what he's doing as long as he's happy and enjoying it. The GAA and sports in general are great for kids. I wasn't as good as Ben at 10 - that's for sure."
Speaking about their viral success, Niall explained that Ben saw some hurling content on TikTok and decided to make some videos of his own.
Niall set up a TikTok called ben_hurl to let others see his talent, but neither realised how big the reaction was going to be.
Clips of him practising have since gone viral, with two videos reaching more than one million views. The account, which Niall manages, has nearly 10,000 followers.
He said: "The views went off the charts, we didn't expect it." Ben chatting to reporter Danny De Vaal
When asked about his TikTok success, Ben said: "It feels good, but I'm always pushing myself to do better and accomplish more. I'd love to play county."
The youngster said his idols include Kilkenny veteran TJ Reid and rising Tipperary star Darragh McCarthy.
When asked to give his thoughts on the recent All-Ireland Hurling final, which saw Cork lose to Tipperary after a disastrous second half, Ben said: "I think Tipp had a great comeback, Cork thought they had it won, but Tipp came back stronger."
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