Hurling's Summer Fades: Munster and Leinster Finals Await
The first weekend of June has arrived. The Leaving Cert is underway, the summer stretches ahead, and after this Sunday, just five championship hurling games will remain.
The rest have been microwaved away, condensed and scattered by a scheduling system that serves neither players nor the communities that sustain this ancient game. But is fearr an mhaith atá ná an dá mhaith a bhí, as the saying goes, and we'd do well to make the most of what remains.
Two cracking games await for very different reasons, beginning at Páirc Uí Chaoimh.
The Munster Final: What Stays, What Fades
What matters most about this game? What happens in the Munster final stays in the Munster final. What feels momentous on Sunday evening will be ancient history by Monday morning.
Two top teams chase a prize that carries a weight all of its own, generating its own momentum, its own narratives, its own history. Then it's over. Last year proved that.
Cork beat Limerick on penalties and we all declared it the midpoint of a trilogy that would define the summer. Then Limerick were picked off, weeks later Cork suffered the same fate. Both were sent into the land of transition, except today we know that neither was going anywhere.
Limerick have refreshed. Cork continue to evolve, and Ben O'Connor's arrival, to his credit, has looked seamless.
All we can say for certain is that on Monday morning, both counties will still believe they've each other's measure. One faces a short turnaround, the other has more time on its hands.
If you're searching for certainty, most of the evidence nudges you towards Limerick. Home advantage nudges you towards Cork. Beyond that, you're into instinct and guesswork.
That's what makes Sunday worth waiting for. The best thing the rest of us can do is allow ourselves to be carried along by it. Isn't that what great sporting occasions are for?
Overnight, Cork named an unchanged starting 15 following the 16-point win over Clare. Declan Dalton misses out after the calf injury sustained last weekend, but there was encouraging news with captain Darragh Fitzgibbon returning to training following his recent appendix operation.
For Limerick, the last time these teams met, Cian Lynch didn't finish, while Aaron Gillane and Dan Morrissey watched from the sidelines. This time, both are available. When margins are fine, those details matter.
We'll shade it towards Limerick. Then comes the reset on Monday morning.
The Leinster Final: Opportunity and Access
The Leinster final is a different matter entirely. The GAA deserves credit for making 20,000 tickets available free of charge to Under-14s. This is the kind of initiative that speaks to the association's founding principles, a game belonging to its people, not just those who can afford it.
That such initiatives are required when Dublin and Galway are contesting a final is another testament to Croke Park's neglect of hurling, though. The association's institutional failure to promote the game equally across all provinces remains a stain on its governance.
Still, there's plenty of intrigue here. Kilkenny have been banished from the championship before the end of May, and that makes Leinster more interesting.
This final brims with opportunity. Opportunity for Galway to continue their rebuild, and opportunity for Dublin to turn promise into silverware.
The Tribesmen have been punching below their weight for some years now. Micheál Donoghue has introduced a clutch of young players this summer and they've generated plenty of buzz, if not certainty. Galway endured alarming first halves against Kildare and Wexford, and last weekend's U20 defeat to Clare delivered a shot of realism.
Whatever the weaknesses of Kilkenny this summer, beating the Cats without ever looking truly threatened will have meant more to Dublin than Galway.
Dublin opened the championship by coughing up four goals to Offaly, looking every bit as loose as they did when conceding seven to Cork at the end of last year's championship.
However, since then, they've conceded just one goal in four games, and the defence looks cohesive and confident. The closing stages in Parnell Park will be remembered for the assurance of Dublin's scoring.
Many signposts point towards Galway for this one, and not without reason.
Yet, if Dublin can find that same Parnell Park mindset tomorrow in Croke Park, we believe a Leinster championship will be theirs.
Enjoy It While It Lasts
Sin é a chairde, enjoy the hurling while it's still with us. Like the sun, its days are few. The championship calendar shrinks each year, and the people's game deserves better from those who administer it.
Dónal Óg Cusack was speaking on RTÉ Radio 1's Morning Ireland