Sibling rivalry crosses county borders

Mayor of Waterford Jack Walsh and brother Tomás Breathnach, chairman of Kilkenny County Council, show their county loyalties yesterday.
Photograph: Patrick Browne jnr

TWO brothers who head up local authorities in rival counties will wear opposing colours when they take their seats for the All Ireland Hurling final this weekend.

Jack Walsh, mayor of Waterford City, and his brother Tomás Breathnach, chairman of Kilkenny County Council, hold very different views when it comes to predicting a final score.

"I reckon Waterford will win by a point or two," said Mr Walsh, who grew up in Kilmacow in south Kilkenny but moved to Waterford 30 years ago.

In Kilkenny, his fellow Labour Party councillor and younger brother, who goes by their Irish surname, had other ideas.

"I can see Kilkenny winning on Sunday by at least five points," said Mr Breathnach, who lives in Kilkenny but teaches at Mount Sion CBS in Waterford city where a number the Waterford team went to school.

• The Dublin auction house Adams says it has just been consigned a valuable Irish painting depicting the 1963 hurling final between Kilkenny and Waterford, showing the last time this weekend's All Ireland finalists met for the title.

The painting by Tom Ryan, past president of the Royal Hibernian Academy, is expected to fetch between €15,000-€20,000 when it goes for auction in November.

James O'Halloran, managing director of Adams, said it was a remarkable coincidence that the picture arrived in its salesroom at this time, having come "from a deceased's estate in Dublin".

This article appears in the print edition of the Irish Times