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The 42
25-05-2025
- Sport
- The 42
Wexford stop Kilkenny from securing perfect run, Davy Fitzgerald's Antrim relegated
WEXFORD ENDED KILKENNY'S hopes of a perfect qualifying run with a 2-19 to 1-15 win at Chadwicks Wexford Park today. It was a tight opening with each side registering 0-3 after 10 minutes. However, Wexford scored nine of the next 10 points to earn the hosts a 0-12 to 0-5 half-time lead. Kilkenny had the wind advantage in the second half, but an early Rory O'Connor goal gave his side further breathing space. The visitors continued to look second best thereafter, and Lee Chin's goal with 11 minutes remaining all but sealed a victory for Keith Rossiter's side. Advertisement Kilkenny continued to fight, and a late TJ Reid goal reduced the deficit to eight points, but Derek Lyng's men never seriously threatened a comeback. The impressive Chin, contributed more than half of his side's points and finished with 1-13. Reid was Kilkenny's top scorer with 1-4. Elsewhere, Offaly beat Antrim 3-15 to 1-16 at Glenisk O'Connor Park. The result saw the visitors relegated from the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship. Davy Fitzgerald's side had their work cut out for them after Niall O'Connor received a straight red card in the seventh minute for a stamp on Charlie Mitchell. By that stage, the hosts were already boosted by an early Brian Duignan goal, and Dan Ravenhill then found the net from a penalty to give his side a 2-1 to 0-4 advantage in the early stages. Antrim showed resilience in adversity, however, and a couple of points from James McNaughton helped them draw level just before the half-hour mark. Offaly, though, finished the half strongly to secure a 2-9 to 0-11 lead at the break. The influential Duignan continued to impress in the second half as he contributed three scores early on to help Offaly move six points clear of their rivals. Three successive points from McNaughton gave Antrim hope, and the county's star performer also hit a goal to cut their rivals' lead to just a single point. But Offaly responded well to that setback, with Killian Sampson's goal coming just two minutes after they conceded. Duignan added another point from a free in the dying stages as his side saw out a hard-fought victory.
Irish Independent
25-04-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
Prototype Liam MacCarthy Cup and more GAA collectables go under the hammer
The committee chose the other one, which became the Liam MacCarthy Cup. The second version, catalogued as a 'Prototype of the Liam MacCarthy Cup' (Lot 709: est. €5,000 to €7,000), is going under the hammer at Fonsie Mealy's Rare Books and Collectors' Sale, which takes place in The Avalon House Hotel, Castlecomer, Co Kilkenny, on April 30 and May 1. The story of the cup goes back to 1922, when Liam MacCarthy offered to commission a perpetual trophy to be presented to the winners of the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship. MacCarthy was an Irish nationalist and successful businessman, born in the UK to Irish parents. He was also a keen hurler who became heavily involved in the GAA in London. The Liam MacCarthy Cup, a silver cup modelled on a medieval drinking vessel known as a mether, was made to commission by Edmond Johnson, of Dublin, and cost £50. Ironically, the maker of this Irish cultural icon had once made jewellery for the British Crown. Johnson's replica of the 10th-century Ballyspellan brooch was purchased by Prince Albert for Queen Victoria in 1849. In 1890, Johnson also made a coronet made for the Countess of Granard. The trophy was first presented to Limerick in 1923 for the 1921 championship, which was delayed due to Civil War. The original silver cup was retired in 1992 and is now in the GAA Museum in Croke Park. Since then, a replica of the Liam MacCarthy Cup has been presented to annually to the All-Ireland hurling champions. It too is a Celtic Revival silver cup, modelled as a mether, with four carrying handles. It was made by Edmond Johnson of Dublin and is dated 1923 The prototype currently at Fonsie Mealy Auctioneers is similar to the original, but not identical. It too is a Celtic Revival silver cup, modelled as a mether, with four carrying handles. It was made by Edmond Johnson of Dublin and is dated 1923. Around 29cm high, the prototype is slightly smaller than the Liam MacCarthy Cup and the design is different. Both versions have embellishments based on Celtic knot work but the decoration of the prototype, based on the Book of Kells, is much more intricate. It's not known why one version was chosen over the other. The prototype would have been trickier to make and consequently more expensive but it's more likely that the committee preferred the simpler design. This variant was presumably retained by the jeweller for sale, purchases, and passed down to the vendor by descent. 'I'd be absolutely thrilled if it went to the GAA Museum,' George Fonsie Mealy says. 'It would be lovely to see the pair of them back together.' ADVERTISEMENT Learn more In 2021, an exact full-size replica of the Liam MacCarthy Cup in silver plate sold for €9,000 at Fonsie Mealy Auctioneers. The replica was an exact facsimile of the original in all respects except in the use of silver plate (the original is solid silver). The piece had been commissioned by a private collector in the 1980s. In the same sale, a 1903 All-Ireland Football Championship gold medal (Lot 702: est. €5,000 to €7,000) represents the first of Kerry's 38 All-Ireland Senior Football titles. The familiar 9ct gold Celtic Cross design has the words 'Eire' and 'Cumann Luith Cleas Gaedhail' on the front and '1903 - All Ireland Football Championship, won by Kerry' on the back. 'The first of anything is always the most desirable,' George Fonsie Mealy says. Kerry won the All-Ireland Football Championship again in 1904 and a gold medal from this match is also in the sale (Lot 703: est. €3,500 to €5,000). Both lots come from the same family, passed down from one of the players on the team. A rare gold medal awarded to the winners of the 1916-18 Kilkenny Senior Hurling Championship (Lot 707: est. €800 to €1,200) represents the historic win of Mooncoin against Tullaroan. Ireland, at the time, was in turmoil. The 1916 championship game was postponed because of political unrest and final played in Knocktopher in August 1919. More than 5,000 people attended the game, which ended in a draw. The replay also drew large crowds. The medal was classed as incorporating the years 1917 and 1918, when the sport was disrupted and games could not be played. The medal is being sold by a family member of one of the players. 'These are emotive pieces,' George Fonsie Mealy says. 'The families are passing them on before their significance gets lost.' See
