4 days ago
Chadwicks Wexford Park hosting Wicklow versus Waterford Tailteann Cup clash
And while it would be stretching it to apply that adjective to events about to unfold in Chadwicks Wexford Park, the novelty value is at least worthy of note.
I'm referring to the national GAA fixture list for next Saturday, and the fact that our main county ground will play host to a neutral game after a gap of almost 20 years.
Eyebrows were raised – albeit in a positive way – when the games were perused and it emerged that Wicklow will be meeting Waterford in their Group 2 game in the Tailteann Cup in Chadwicks Wexford Park at 6 p.m., with Dublin's Barry Tiernan the man in the middle for this third round encounter.
While it's the perfect location in a geographical sense for once, the opportunities to stage such matches don't come around often in this part of the world.
Being stuck in the south-east corner of the country comes with its disadvantages, unlike midlands towns such as Portlaoise and Tullamore that routinely serve as the venue for neutral encounters.
By way of comparison, the last such match to take place in Wexford Park was on May 21, 2006, when Carlow defeated Wicklow by 4-9 to 0-12 in the first round of the Leinster Senior football championship.
There was a time when the venue was used regularly for meetings between Kilkenny and Dublin in the Leinster Senior hurling championship, but we are rapidly approaching the 50th anniversary of the last such occurrence – on June 29, 1975 when the Cats triumphed in a semi-final by 3-16 to 1-7.
The legendary Eddie Keher led the scoring stakes for the winners with 1-8, while Mick 'Cloney' Brennan and the late Liam 'Chunky' O'Brien added goals in a game refereed by Noel Matthews, the Meath-born and Enniscorthy-based Garda who has also passed to his eternal reward.
An interesting name on the Dublin team at midfield was another long-time Enniscorthy resident and former St. Peter's College principal Pat Quigley, a native of Tipperary who was their joint top scorer with 0-4 along with former All Star Mick Bermingham (1-1).
The curtain-raiser that day saw the Wexford Minors lose a Leinster semi-final to Dublin by 3-11 to 3-9, with the team including John 'Stella' Walker in goal, Jimmy Holohan at right half-back, John Conran at right half-forward, and Ger Flood at right corner-forward.
Moving forward to that football game in 2006, the outcome prompted Wicklow manager Hugh Kenny to announce his resignation in the dressing-room afterwards.
'I told the lads that whatever match they play in the future, I'll be there to support them but the time is right to make way,' he said.
'I had made up my mind a long time ago that I'd go if we didn't beat Carlow in the championship, and I'm sticking to that.'
Shane Scanlon, reporting for the 'Irish Independent' noted that: 'Wexford Park soaked up an avalanche of overnight rain, but you'd scarcely think so such was the pristine state of the sod.'
Former Meath midfielder Liam Hayes was managing the Carlow side, and they were powered to victory with goals from man of the match Thomas Walsh, Alan Kelly, Simon Rea and Brian Carbery.
Saturday's game is likely to attract a few curious neutral observers from Wexford, and I'm hoping that the venue will also be considered for an even bigger hurling game that may or may not happen in the coming weeks.
With Kilkenny already through to the Electric Ireland All-Ireland Minor hurling championship semi-final, their opposition will be provided by Waterford if the Déise lads first overcome Limerick in Thurles on Sunday.
Should that pairing arise, then Chadwicks Wexford Park would be the most suitable venue.
While county HQ hasn't been used much for neutral matches in recent times, a fair share of schools, colleges, LGFA and camogie games have taken place in the likes of Gorey, Bellefield, St. Patrick's Park and New Ross.
One of the most unusual saw Páirc Uí Shíocháin host Slaughtneil of Derry's victory over Sarsfields from Galway in the AIB All-Ireland Senior Club camogie semi-final three years ago.
Geographically it was a bizarre choice, but it was borne out of necessity due to bad weather that had ruled out all potential locations in the northern half of the country.
