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Cork and Tipperary rivalry may play out in Croker, but its roots are right here

Cork and Tipperary rivalry may play out in Croker, but its roots are right here

Sunday's All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship final between Cork and Tipperary might be taking place in one of Europe's most impressive stadiums, TV channels and column inches filled with analysis of the big match, and thousands are due to tune in across the world, but…
'This is where you'll get the real story here now!' Emmett Allen says with a big, broad, welcoming smile, gesturing to one of the delivery men, dropping off goods to his garage-come-corner shop in Araglen.
'This is a nephew of one of the coaches, now, he'll give you the inside track!'.
Kevin O'Rourke is, in fact, the nephew of Dónal, AKA Ducky, coach of Cork hurlers, and a man that Pat Ryan has said has done a 'fantastic job' with his group of players over this championship.
'I'm getting plagued with tickets, it's hard to get any work done this week!'
'Dónal has been coming here right throughout the winter, so we've been getting the inside track in here all along!' Emmett says.
He's one of the very many characters, passing in and out of this tiny yet throbbing heartbeat of one of a few parishes caught in the crossfire ahead of Sunday's enormous hurling clash.
Two customers, who live 10 minutes away but are situated on the Waterford side of this three-county conglomerate, are rolling their eyes and bracing themselves for the inevitable exercise in brave face come Sunday, when once again their more storied neighbours are standing on the steps of the Hogan Stand.
'I don't care which one wins, to be honest,' one of them says, 'I'm sitting on the fence,'. Figuratively, and almost quite literally.
'The border has been a great addition to the sport this week,' says Emmett, who is the current occupier of the shop his Dad first opened over four decades ago. 'There's great rivalry in the three counties, even great banter, and hopefully the best team win on Sunday.
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'I have Rebel blood, Cork born and bred,' says Emmett, who will be heading to Croke Park on Sunday with his daughter Niamh, hoping she will finally see the Rebels lift Liam MacCarthy in the flesh for her first ever time in three decades on the planet.
'I've offered my stand ticket to be with her on the terrace this Sunday, and it would be brilliant for her to finally see Cork win an All-Ireland.
'I had Seamus Harnedy in there the last week; he was probably out with Mike Fitzgerald to get hurleys. There's a great buzz, and we do stir the aul' pot from time to time, throw in the spanner and get the boys going in all three counties!' he says, with a cheeky grin on his face, as the Cork GAA flag flies proudly outside.
'It goes on all through the year, you could be down the pub, and even some of the lads got up early in the morning to put up colours on the Tipperary side, and then the Cork lads as well.
'This is the man you need to talk to here now, he's a Tipperary man,' Emmett says, interrupting his train of thought, as another delivery comes to the door, along with a few more customers, picking up lotto tickets, cuts of beef, and the gossip ahead of Sunday's final.
Michael Hoolihan is a Grangemockler man, but very briefly crosses into the Rebel County on one of his weekly runs, as he tries to keep a low profile behind enemy lines. I suggest calling in sick should Cork win at Croker.
'Ah, no, we couldn't be doing that!' he says, 'You have to take it on the chin like a man. They're a very young team, and Cork are definitely underdogs. If Tipp start like they did against Kilkenny the game will be over, Cork have a lot more goals in them than Kilkenny!'
Michael is also one of the lucky few with a ticket, but has a quick request for Emmett as he goes out the door.
'Do you know anyone who would swap a stand ticket for two terrace tickets?
'TWO terraces, for ONE? That now would be very hard,' he responds, as Michael packs up to head back into more familiar territory.
With Michael, I too head out the door and take a quick trip back along the road to Kilworth, a commuter village on the outskirts of Fermoy. 'The Village Inn' also has both Cork and Tipperary flags hanging out the window, as I enter to investigate.
Tom O'Brien's mother, Chrissy, is behind the counter, whose late husband, Mick, is the reason behind the Premier flag.
'My father is from Ballyporeen,' explains Tom, a village just across the border further north, whose claim to fame is being the birthplace of Ronald Regan's great-grandfather. Regan himself visited the village on his Presidential visit in 1984.
'He took over the pub in 1976 and passed away in 2012, so we have the flag up in his memory', said Tom, who only took over the pub himself three years ago. 'We have a good few Tipperary fans now that would stop off in the pub on the way back from Páirc Uí Chaoimh with my Dad's roots, so we have great craic in fairness now between the two sets of fans.
'There's been serious craic and banter around this week now. It's the only thing people are talking about, the match, and getting tickets. The world could be falling around us, and that's still all they'd be talking about!'
The day is soft, but nonetheless people are in good spirits. I cross a young man selling bunting, flags, and the ubiquitous 'hats, scarves, and headbands,' on the main street of Mitchelstown. Once a bottleneck for traffic heading up to Dublin, now anticipating a mass exodus on Sunday from those on either side of the nearby county bounds.
'I'm down here from Galway since last Monday week,' says Calvin Ward. 'There's great craic here now in fairness, I'd say we're selling 50/50 Cork and Tipp,' he says, as another interested customer comes over and picks up a large flag, destined for display outside a nearby house, 'Up Tipp' is shouted in the background. 'I'm a Galway man myself, but I'll be selling here until late Saturday evening.'
And for Sunday?
'Oh, I'm staying in Cork, so hopefully Cork wins!'
Half-and-half jerseys are also being sold in the town, a bright idea by local sports store 'ID Sports', which has leveraged its own manufacturing facility to churn out the special edition jerseys right in time for the big match.
'It's been absolutely crazy, the buzz around town has been absolutely unreal,' says manager Vicki Murphy, whose own sister has postponed flights home to Australia to get to the match. 'The fact that we just got these made up last week, and they hit our store on Monday, and we've had massive interest.
'It's absolutely brilliant, and it's great for the town as well, the fact that we're smack bang in the middle – we also share a border with Limerick, but we won't say anything about that!
'The All-Ireland is a different ball game, people literally have goosebumps talking about it. It is a friendly rivalry, I'm firmly rooted like an aul chestnut tree in the Cork camp, but the half and half jerseys have taken off, especially with the kids being caught in the middle, trying to plamás one child and then the other!
'My nephew is 100% Tipp, and he even asked me to make him a birthday cake the other day. Of course, he wanted Tipp colours!
'I said to him, 'my house will go up in flames, I can't have Tipperary on my table!', but sure he was delighted.
'You even pass people in the shop and you give them an aul 'Up Cork!' and then they shout back 'Gowan the Prem!', it's just brilliant!'
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‘Pure heart and determination' – Kerry fans rejoice after epic display to land the Kingdom's 39th All-Ireland
‘Pure heart and determination' – Kerry fans rejoice after epic display to land the Kingdom's 39th All-Ireland

Irish Independent

time11 minutes ago

  • Irish Independent

‘Pure heart and determination' – Kerry fans rejoice after epic display to land the Kingdom's 39th All-Ireland

It was a rousing opening quarter display from the Kingdom that set the tone for their demolition of Donegal, and with talismanic performances from David Clifford and Gavin White, among others, Kerry cruised to All-Ireland glory. It was the names of the Clifford brothers, Paudie and David, along with White, that spewed from fans' mouths as they streamed out on to Jones' Road in delight after Kerry's 10-point win over Donegal. Michael Harmond from Ardfert, Co Kerry, said: 'It was tense enough, but ­Kerry were almost always in third gear and eventually they pulled away at the end.' Despite criticism of Kerry, which made the team feel 'disrespected', according to David Clifford, Mr Harmond never doubted them. 'I think it was always coming,' he said. David Clifford was a standout player for me 'We played more football, they took so long, almost two to three minutes each time to get a score, I felt. 'Even when they were losing with a few minutes to go, they were taking that much time. We were more clinical, I thought. 'David Clifford was a standout player for me and he was marked very well.' Similarly unyielding in support was Brendan Reardon, who watched the match with his daughter Aoibhín. 'It was an absolutely fantastic performance, they were brilliant in the first half and kept on going in the second,' he said. The pair travelled from Beaufort for the final, a first for Aoibhín, with Mr Reardon saying that she was Kerry's 'lucky charm'. 'It took pure heart and determination, they kept going and never gave up even when Donegal came back in the second half, Kerry kept going,' he said. ADVERTISEMENT We are lost for words now and roll on the celebrations 'Gavin White and Paudie Clifford were absolutely unbelievable. 'We just couldn't be happier. We are lost for words now and roll on the celebrations.' Fandom in sport comes in all shapes and sizes and a woman who has only indirect ties to the Kerry team, but was nonetheless ecstatic, was Deirdre Brady from Co Louth. Sporting a Palestine GAA jersey, Ms Brady said: 'My husband is from Cork but his grandparents are from Kerry. He's a big Kerry supporter, so are my sons. 'I thought Kerry came in very strong in the first quarter and in the second quarter Donegal came back but Kerry had enough of a buffer to keep going, it was a great game.' Donegal did indeed come back in the second half with a Michael Murphy-led charge at Kerry, but they could never get the gap below four points and despite the urgings of Donegal manager Jim McGuinness, Kerry found another gear when it mattered. After the match, Jack O'Connor indicated that he will step aside as Kerry manager, after watching Kerry lift the most coveted trophy in football five times as manager. 'You can't beat panel spirit. We said what happened to Cork last week wouldn't happen to us. It's the stuff of dreams. I'm delighted for them all, a massive team effort, backroom effort, panel effort,' he said. It was a tough one to take but we'll regroup It was to be an uneasy journey home for boyfriend and girlfriend, Wendy Eadie and Conor McGinn, who were wrestling with both delight and disappointment while milling out of Croke Park. Donegal supporter Mr McGinn, from Creeslough, Donegal, said he was 'sickened' by the match while Ms Eadie, whose family is from Killarney, expressed her delight. 'It was a tough one to take but we'll regroup,' Mr McGinn said. '[David] Clifford got on very well; they kept [Michael] Murphy very quiet. 'They were very strong around the midfield. Obviously with Clifford there was a lot more threat for scoring two-pointers, and we didn't really pose that threat.' Donegal's lacklustre offensive was a hot topic, with another Donegal supporter, Anthony McBride, from Downings pointing to the Kingdom clinching the title by nullifying their threats. 'I can't really complain, I don't think Donegal played to their usual level. I am very disappointed, we'll come back next year,' he said.

The Irish Independent's View: Pure play replaces puke football as shrewd Kerry take All-Ireland football title
The Irish Independent's View: Pure play replaces puke football as shrewd Kerry take All-Ireland football title

Irish Independent

time11 minutes ago

  • Irish Independent

The Irish Independent's View: Pure play replaces puke football as shrewd Kerry take All-Ireland football title

Rule changes adopted this season have revived the excitement of the game Puke football is in the past. The era of the blanket defence smothering the opposition was killing off Gaelic football as a spectacle, and is now consigned to history. The phrase, famously coined by Pat Spillane, summed up how football was becoming a turn-off. The excitement of hurling, with its fast-paced scoring, was shining an unpleasant spotlight on Gaelic football. But, all told, this has been a season where Gaelic football was reborn, thanks to the rule changes brought in to liven up the game. The two points for kicks outside the 40-metre arc encouraged long-range kicking. The minimum of three players in each half of the pitch reduced the ability to employ all-out defence. The changes influenced how teams approached kick-outs, scoring and defence, and made the game fairer. The excessive use of the hand-pass and the retention of possession by moving the ball over and back across the middle to the third of the field remain a feature of the game. So it's not perfect. But the new rules have seen an increase in scoring and long-range shooting. The first final under the new system saw Kerry – the traditional artisans of the game – take on Donegal, who had masterminded a whole new form of zonal defence in their last title win, but had adapted best of all to the new rules. The All-Ireland final was full of intriguing subplots. Jack O'Connor versus Jim McGuinness on the sidelines ensured the game would be strategically fascinating. David Clifford of Kerry, establishing himself as a player for the ages, against Michael Murphy of Donegal, the county's greatest player now returned from retirement for one last tilt at the Sam Maguire. In McGuinness's first term as Donegal manager, the county had won the title and were then stopped by Kerry on the way to a second win. O'Connor is back in his third term as Kerry manager and has proven his ability to balance the Kingdom's attacking flair with a steely defence. The two best teams in the country faced off in Croke Park. It wasn't the greatest final of all time, but it was intriguing nonetheless. Kerry won the technical and the tactical battle. The Kingdom used greater degrees of energy, skill and savvy to win. The 10-point margin possibly flattered them a little as Donegal put it up to them at various stages of the game, particularly in the second half when they whittled away at Kerry's lead. But the 10 points is also significant, as it matches the tally from the five two-pointers – from David Clifford and Seán O'Shea – that Kerry scored across the game. O'Connor takes the plaudits for the decisions taken on the touchline. Kerry's masterful performance matched whatever Donegal had to throw at them, but also proved to be a fine example of the new rules in action. Hopefully, it's not a one-off, and teams at club- and county-level alike will see that offensive approaches are the way to go in the coming season. From puke football to pure play.

David Clifford, Michael Murphy and the burden of brilliance
David Clifford, Michael Murphy and the burden of brilliance

Irish Examiner

time2 hours ago

  • Irish Examiner

David Clifford, Michael Murphy and the burden of brilliance

For 521 seconds, David Clifford did next to nothing. He watched five plays go by for five points. The problem for Donegal is that bulls are reactive animals. Sudden movements are seen as openings to attack. Brendan McCole matched up with the two-time Footballer of the Year just as the countless match previews expected he would. Clifford immediately recognised the conundrum facing Donegal. Their zonal system needs to stay connected and compact. What will they do if he stands out wide or high beyond the arc as Kerry kick five points from five shots? He strolled around, he jumped out of one tackle in fear of being pinged for contact on the kickout mark, he logged a glitch in the Jim McGuinness mainframe, he directed traffic with a series of deft hand signals, all the while waiting for a chance to pounce. He was primed to take that chance. Biology, behaviour, and environment: the major components that shape a bull's attack. As he strolled in the pre-match parade, Clifford's predatory glare filled the Croke Park screens. Nostrils flaring, chest heaving, he looked primed. The 26-year-old pawed the ground and waited for an opportunity to cut loose. Caolan McColgan eventually provided it. It is not a reasonable expectation to eradicate turnovers completely, but McColgan's was of the costliest kind. Paudie Clifford picked it off inside Donegal's half. Now they were vulnerable. Straight away, there was something different in Clifford's demeanour. No longer was this the stance of a decoy. He held up two steady hands. He dropped a shoulder. He did that sleight-of-foot thing that makes a 6'3' man just shy of 15 stone look like a small, jinking corner forward. He collected off the onrushing Mike Breen and lined it up. His left had snapped a shot from outside the arc before McCole could get close. He's doing that Clifford trademark. He's doing untold damage. The horns storm through the china shop. Kerry's David Clifford and his son Ogie, left, and brother Paudie Clifford, right, celebrate with family. Pic: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile Now he's in the game. Another touch, a simple handpass. Stand on the Cusack Stand sideline with hands on the hips and bide your time again. 669 seconds, a quick loop around Breen. Another orange flag and the Kingdom contingent find their voice. They continue to be confounded by this generational talent. Three possessions, four points. Wut? Did you know that on the way to his first All-Ireland crown in 2022, David Clifford only had three possessions in the entire championship final? This is a different animal. One scarred by heartbreaking losses in successive years. One wary of the over-praise and questioning whether all the adulation is sincere. One evolving. What a daunting thought. After that burst, there were minor stumbles. A turnover and a two-pointer dropped short. So for his ninth possession of the half, he elected to bring his tally to seven. As soon as Paudie Clifford stopped in the centre of the field and looked to the screen up high, it was clear what Kerry were going to do. Donegal were still powerless to stop it. It was a play that symbolised David Clifford's entire afternoon. Wait. The best things take time. Watch the seconds tick down. Another quick cut, another shot without a play because the swarm was descending rapidly, another two-pointer. How does he do it? 'David has a unique temperament,' said his manager, Jack O'Connor, post-match. 'He just takes it on the stride. 'Of course, he must have felt pressure and he knew he was going to get a lot of heat. But you know, when we spoke about it during the week and he said, look, if I'm double marked and triple marked, he said, I just, I'll just win it and slip it. 'And he's humble enough to create scores for other people and he was a massive part of all we done there, because he kicked three two-pointers and particularly the one on the stroke of halftime was just inspirational for us going in, just get an extra zip ourselves. 'But yeah, how he deals with the weight of expectation, I have no idea.' It is a lofty burden to bear. Michael Murphy is one of the few individuals in the sport capable of comprehending it. Michael Murphy of Donegal stands dejected after the All-Ireland SFC final. Pic: Ray McManus/Sportsfile Despite losing, the 2012 All-Ireland winner was still singled out for a tribute by GAA president Jarlath Burns before he handed Sam Maguire over. Imagine. That can be a heavy load. Murphy missed a routine free into the Hill as Donegal fell into an irrevocable first-quarter hole. It was a marginal miss. A shot that hit the post. He swung over a beauty at the other end when Kerry were penalised for catching a kickout inside the arc, but that miss will bother him nevertheless. And yet, the lesson of this campaign is that solitary stars are not enough. In the showpiece billed as the collective system versus the individual star, it was decided by both. Clifford scored nine points. Murphy scored eight. Kerry had seven different scorers. Donegal had six. The Kingdom's war plan to deal with Murphy was spread across the entire defence. Jason Foley and Paul Murphy lined out beside him and raced to win short kickouts. Foley took him on close to goal. Brian Ó Beaglaoich battled him on breaking ball. Mark O'Shea competed in the sky. This is the worry for all onlooking challengers. Coming into 2025, everyone knew Kerry had an animal. They now know they have a pack as well.

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