WITH EXCITEMENT building to fever pitch before Sunday’s third successive All-Ireland final between Tipperary and Kilkenny, fans of both colours are confident their county will assert supremacy this time around.
Both sets of supporters are used to the build-up and the excitement at this stage, but it hasn’t deterred them from draping houses, shops, cars and lamp-posts with blue and gold or black and amber and it certainly hasn’t stopped them snapping up tickets for Sunday.
Not even in Bennettsbridge, a small village which nevertheless boasts no less than 44 senior All-Ireland medals.
Nine heroes of Kilkenny hurling who live within a poc fada of each other in the picturesque area have 29 of the coveted medals between them, having been part of a club which was one of the most successful of its kind, winning five senior Kilkenny hurling titles in the 1950s and five in the 1960s.
While Bennettsbridge don’t have a county senior panellist at the moment, former players Noel Skehan, Paddy Moran, Liam Cleere, Pat Lawlor, Martin Treacy, John Kinsella, Jim Treacy, Johnny McGovern and Michael Kelly represented their club in the Kilkenny colours with distinction.
For Martin Treacy, Sunday will be his 60th All-Ireland final in the flesh – including the 1963 instalment when he won a medal.
“I hurled on lads such as Jimmy Doyle, Hopper McGrath and Paddy Barry, all fairly useful lads,” he said. “I think Kilkenny will win on Sunday.”
Over in Tipp, fans reckon they don’t need the power of prayer to defeat the Cats, but one local priest hopes the power of hurling will inspire some fans to become men of the cloth.
“Become a member on the panel of our championship-winning parish team,” a poster outside St Mary’s Church in Clonmel proclaims, in blue and gold, thanks to a “lightbulb moment” for Fr Billy Meehan. The poster reminds passers-by that “you too can be part of winning team,” just like Lar Corbett, Eoin Kelly and the rest of the reigning hurling champions.
“Success due to teamwork and team spirit – join the priesthood team in our diocese,” it urges.
Whether as a direct result of Fr Meehan’s poster or not, the priest reveals that “we’ve one fella gone up to Maynooth” to enrol in studies for the priesthood this year.
Inside, he proudly presents the work of the parish’s children’s liturgy group, in the form of a display of photographs and “prayers” adapted to suit the hurling fever currently besetting the county.
“Glory be to the forwards and to the backs and to the king of the puc fada, as he keeps our goalpost safe, now and forever, Amen,” says one, referring to Tipperary goalkeeper and “poc fada” specialist Brendan Cummins.
Not what Vatican II had in mind, perhaps.