Barry craves club success

Gaelic Games/All-Ireland club hurling final/Focus on James Stephens: You'd wonder sometimes why certain players rave about winning an All-Ireland with their club. Especially players like Peter Barry, whose list of honours should be enough to satisfy even the most ambitious of hurlers.

It's hard to understand that being the pride of the whole county is nothing compared to being the pride of neighbours and close friends.

At 29, Barry's success with Kilkenny would require a dissertation. Three All-Ireland senior titles and as many All Stars, two National Leagues, six Leinster senior titles, an All-Ireland under-21, plus Fitzgibbon Cup, colleges and Railway Cup successes.

Alas, one honour that is missing is an All-Ireland title with his club James Stephens. Tomorrow in Croke Park he gets the chance to claim that one too. Should Athenry beat them you'd think Barry was being selfish if he said he was devastated, but that would be missing the point of why winning an All-Ireland with his club creates such fanaticism.

It's because of history, and how since its foundation in 1887 James Stephens has been close to the heart of Kilkenny hurling. And how from the beginning they were known as The Village because of their location just outside the walls of the city.

It's because of how they had to buy red and green jerseys from Erin's Own before winning their first junior title in 1924. And how their first senior final in 1927 went to a fourth replay because of objections, counter-objections, and rain. And they still lost to Mooncoin.

Most of all it's because of the tradition associated with James Stephens. How the legendary Paddy Larkin helped them win their first county title in 1935. How his son Fan helped end a barren period with another in 1969, and how names like Brian Cody and Joe Hennessy and Liam O'Brien helped them win their first All-Ireland title in 1976.

Barry, as James Stephens captain, will have an extra incentive. With old friends like Brian McEvoy and Philip Larkin alongside him tomorrow's venture to Croke Park is about as inspiring as it gets.

"One day recently we were just talking about when you win your All-Ireland with Kilkenny it's such a big dream come true, but some of us were playing for 12, 13 and 14 years with James Stephens and never won anything, with the exception of a few football medals, which to be honest don't mean all that much to Kilkenny lads. So even winning that county title will live long in the memory.

"Now we're an hour away from winning the All-Ireland, so we'll be going all out to win it. This is a new generation with a brand new team, but we're a traditional club, a great club and I think it's been a just reward for all of the years of hard work and dedication for so many people."

One of the great centre backs of this era, Barry will start on the wing tomorrow, leaving Larkin in the centre. Goalkeeper Francis Cantwell and defender Dermot Grogan are among the other seasoned players who had reason to fear success with the club had passed them by.

Even this year's Kilkenny final was dangerously close, with DJ Carey's 3-1 in the last 10 minutes almost stealing a draw for Young Irelands. "I can remember so many disappointments with the club," added Barry, "losing a couple of county semi-finals in Kilkenny by a single point and you go home and wonder would you ever get that chance again.

"And to be honest I thought we were going to suffer a similar fate in the semi-final last October. We were five points behind O'Loughlin's and went six behind and I thought that was it. But at last a bit of luck fell our way, and we got two fortunate enough goals. I suppose you could say between all the close games we had it wasn't so much we won it, as we nearly lost it."

That's the attitude Barry brings to Croke Park tomorrow, that it doesn't really matter how James Stephens win or how close it is, as long as they win.

JAMES STEPHENS: (SH v Athenry): F Cantwell; D Cody, M Phelan, D Grogan; J Tyrrell, P Larkin, P Barry; P O'Brien, B McEvoy; J Murphy, E Larkin, G Whelan; E McCormack, R Hayes, D McCormack.