Traditional power bites back in modern era

Fitzgibbon Cup Semi-finals: Despite the modern configuration of this weekend's Datapac Fitzgibbon Cup, which gets under way this afternoon in Limerick IT, it is the most venerable semi-finalist that makes for the strangest statistic.

The newer institutions that have emerged so powerfully in the competition over the past 15 years or so are present and correct, with University of Limerick and Waterford IT - the favourites going for a three-in-a-row - meeting in the second semi-final. The hosts Limerick IT are an even newer force chasing their first title but have reached this stage within the past few years.

It is their opponents in the first semi-final, NUI Galway that are making a breakthrough. Despite being one of the original colleges to contest the competition in 1912 and having won their first title in 1919, the Galway club haven't figured at a finals weekend since 1988 and this year marks the 25th anniversary of their last victory.

Tony Regan is the long serving sports and recreation officer in the university. He explains that the barren years of the past two decades have been at a time of enormous change in education, which has had consequences for NUIG's traditional catchment areas.

"Our constituency has been halved. Limerick IT and UL have both come on stream since the late 1980s. That has affected our take in Galway and north Clare and we haven't had many coming through from further afield either. This is the first year in a while that we've had Tipp guys playing."

Galway's calling-card performance this year was the defeat of UCC in the quarter-final - the third year the clubs had met. Regan says there has been optimism from the start of this season.

"I felt confident about this year because I felt we had a group mature enough to have a go. We had great matches with UCC over the past two years. This time it was 'now or never' to get to the weekend. That was our goal this year."

People will be surprised that the university, located within the most successful of all counties at underage levels, hasn't managed to process more successful teams. But this year is unusual in that a number of All-Ireland winning Galway minors are enrolled.

"There's a few of the Galway minors come through as well. John Lee, Finian Coen, Liam Geraghty and Roderick White are all involved and we haven't had that for a number of years because Galway have tended to draw their minors from the technical and vocational sectors.

"I believe that in a few years we won't see tradesmen and farmers hurling at all. They're too busy. In the past you had All-Ireland teams almost made up of farmers but nowadays they're all in IT and financial services.

"The Celtic Tiger has had an awful effect on hurling. Fellas are working on building sites up until nine o'clock whereas in the past they'd be putting in the time on the pitch. I know because when you train a team outside of Galway you can't get a session going until half-eight or nine."

Galway's underage hurling demographic aside, NUIG have experienced other difficulties. Smack in the middle of their traditional catchment area are two clubs who have dominated the All-Ireland series for the past decade. Birr and Athenry have won seven of the past 10 championships and the latter may make it eight from 11 in a couple of weeks.

"That impacted on us," says Regan. "We had the Hanniffys here for a number of years but they were always being called on by Birr, who were involved in the club championships nearly every year.

"It was the same with Athenry. The Feeneys - John and Brian - and Shane Donoghue were here as well. Even this year Tommy Fitzgerald, who hurls with Laois, isn't available because Portlaoise are in the club football final against Ballina."

This weekend starts with a match against a Limerick IT side that has been powered by Tipperary's Eoin Kelly, who has been ruled out with a hamstring injury. Within Galway there is scepticism about the prospects of Kelly remaining sidelined but one way or the other Regan maintains his equilibrium.

"I think now that we're here, we have a good chance. We're not afraid of anyone."