There are only six inter-county games, three hurling and three football, to be played between July 1 and Dec. 31. The club players seem to like the new arrangement, but the split season is definitely not popular with supporters.
However, we have always been told that the club is the bedrock of the Association, so to accommodate the split season, on Sunday next we will have the All-Ireland hurling final, followed seven days later by the football final. We already had four semi-finals in July.
Cork and Clare, who meet in the hurling final next Sunday, are not complaining and Cork manager Pat Ryan took two weeks off from his day job with Pfizer in Ringaskiddy to try and bring the MacCarthy cup back to Leeside for the first time since 2005. The counties last met in the final in 2013 when a last-minute long-range point from Domhnall O’Donovan earned Clare a replay. For the replay, Clare manager Davy Fitzgerald sprung a surprise with a late call-up for 19-year-old Shane O’Donnell. And the young forward didn’t disappoint, scoring three goals in the first 19 minutes as Clare won their fourth senior final (the previous three being in 1914, 1995 and 1997). Manager Fitzgerald had worked on a plan to get more goals and Clare eventually won 5-16 to 3-16.
Eleven years on, O’Donnell is still doing the business for Clare, but defenders now know what to expect from him. Tony Kelly, whom Clare depend on for vital score, is another survivor from 2013. Cork who have a new-look team, will probably start as favorites after ending Limerick’s five-in-a-row hopes. The Rebels have only two survivors from 2013, top scorer Patrick Horgan and Seamus Harney. Gone are the days when the Cork team was dominated by famous city clubs like Glen Rovers and St Finbarr’s.
Now they have a great spread of players from intermediate and junior clubs from all over the largest county in Ireland. There is a lot of history in the GAA and Clare with those four All-Ireland final wins are the poor relations compared with Cork, who have won 30 senior finals. Clare manager Brian Lohan has been working hard to bring back the glory days for the Banner and earlier this year they beat Kilkenny to win the National League title for the first time since 2016. But I think the momentum is with Cork and I reckon the MacCarthy Cup will be returning to Leeside after a 19-year absence.
John Murphy, from the Ballylanders club in Limerick, will be the referee for the big game on Sunday. (See also P.J. Cunningham's comprehensive preview here.)
TIX NOW AT 100
Stand tickets for Sunday’s All-Ireland hurling final will cost €100. That’s an increase of €10 – or 11 percent -- from last year and a first increase in tickets for the finals since 2019. Attendances have been poor at football games this year, but in hurling, particularly in Munster, there has been huge interest and no doubt on Sunday morning on the streets of Dublin supporters will be looking for tickets around the Gresham Hotel and at Gill’s Corner. And the relatively new Croke Park hotel located on Jones Road, just across the road from Croke Park, has become a regular meeting point for anybody looking for a match ticket.
Cork supporters booked their train tickets for the semi-finals well in advance and no doubt the same has happened for this weekend. Win or lose some of those supporters won’t be going home until Monday as Cork supporters club have organised a post-final banquet at the Clayton Hotel where tickets cost €175. The event will be hosted by One Cork, a fundraising wing of Cork GAA. Two tickets and two programmes for the game that’s €220, then €350 for the banquet, an expensive event for Cork couples, but hopefully a memorable one also.
BIG PAYOUTS
FOR U.S. TRIPS
A leading GAA writer said last week the he knew of a footballer who was offered $7,500 to play in the U.S. this summer. The player was apparently told that he ‘‘would be well looked after in every way possible, so well that he could expect to have all of the $7,500 in his pocket on the journey home.’’ Apparently the player couldn’t travel as his county was still in the All-Ireland championship at that stage. The writer was making the point to highlight the number of Gaelic footballers and hurlers able to travel to the US this year as their own club championships won’t start until September. When he wrote his biography a few years back former Kerry footballer Pat Spillane admitted that himself and some of his Kerry colleagues were able to furnish their new houses thanks to weekend trips to play in the U.S.
HARTE EXITS
AFTER 1 YEAR
There is speculation that Rory Gallagher might return as Derry senior football manager following the sudden departure of Mickey Harte as manager of the Oak Leaf County last week. Gallagher was forced to step down as manager last year due to domestic abuse allegations but has been cleared to return to management.
Harte, who hails from Tyrone, was a controversial choice last year when Derry enticed him away from Louth where he was doing a good job. Mickey led Derry to win the National League with a penalty shoot-out win over Dublin earlier this year, but their championship campaign was poor.
Derry, however, were knocked out of the Ulster championship at the first hurdle by Donegal, then they were beaten by Galway and Armagh in the Round Robin All-Ireland series, but qualified for the quarter-finals thanks to a win over Westmeath. After losing to Kerry in the quarter-finals, Harte walked away. He may now take a break from management, but there is a vacancy in Kildare, who definitely need an experienced manager to get them out of Division Three.
Andy Moran has stepped down as Leitrim football manager after three years in charge. The former Mayo footballer had suggested in media interviews a few weeks back that it would require a further three years to build on what is already done. But in a statement last the Leitrim County Board said Moran had informed them of his decision to step down. There is speculation that he will join Kevin McStay’s backroom team in Mayo.
JOHN O’MAHONY
The death occurred recently of former Mayo, Leitrim and Galway football manager John O’Mahony at the age of 71. The Ballaghadreen clubman is the only person to have managed three different counties, Galway, Mayo and Leitrim to win the Nestor Cup. He had two spell charge of Mayo and also led Galway to Sam Maguire Cup triumphs in 1998 and 2001. In total O’Mahony won eight Connacht senior football titles during his managerial career. He was elected as a Fine Gael TD in Mayo at the 2007 General Election and served until he lost his seat in 2016. In May of that year then Taoiseach Enda Kenny nominated him to the Senate.
John O’Mahony pictured in 2010. [Inpho/Lorraine O'Sullivan]
