Clare and Tipperary's clash in tomorrow's Munster Hurling Semi-Final will fascinate legions of GAA fans, but few will watch with more interest than Mary Delahanty.
That's because yesterday the Minister for the Environment, Mr Dempsey, decided that the Tipperary South by-election should be held on Saturday, June 30th.
The issue could pose difficulties for Ms Delahanty, who as returning officer, is responsible for the by-election and, most importantly, the counting of the votes on the following day.
Thirty-two vote counters will be needed. However, most Tipperary people already have another equally, if not more important, event pencilled in for Sunday, July 1st - the Munster Hurling Final at Pairc Ui Chaoimh in Cork.
"I don't expect that I will have a problem getting people. People like to be involved, but I won't know for sure until I start to go looking for them," said Clonmel-based Ms Delahanty.
"If we win on Sunday I am sure that some of them might not want to miss the game. But they could always reschedule the game," she joked.
Moving the day of the poll to the weekend is designed to encourage voters. Yesterday, the Opposition quietly grumbled. However, most of the criticisms centred on the campaign's length.
"They are going for the longest campaign possible, in the hope that Fine Gael's Tom Hayes will slip up. And if Fine Gael win, they will only get four days to crow about it before the Dail goes into recess," said a Labour Party figure.Mr Dempsey was offering no apologies. He did not foresee match day causing too many problems. "The beauty of a byelection count is that usually around about lunchtime you will have a fair idea of the result," he said. "People in Tipperary will have plenty of excitement in the morning and in the afternoon."
However, Waterford's hurlers could yet strike a blow for democracy and the "Anybody But Tipperary Club".
