A slightly disconcerting afternoon of football in Croke Park. There was no thunder. No homicidal challenging. No teams on the verge of a nervous breakdown. No Ulster boys, in other words. Just an afternoon for soft Southerners to disport themselves merrily upon the sward and take the sun.

In the end it was even more like old times than we had anticipated. Kerry and Cork proceeded to an All-Ireland semi-final clash, reasserting the ancient ascendency of the bluebloods of Munster over the fancy dans of Connacht.

Kerry, the All Ireland champions, have become as clinical as bullfighters. They wave the cape and sway away from the goring horns for the first half. They take out the sword early in the second half, administer some cuts which will eventually prove fatal, and allow some more sweeps at the cape as the crowd gasp and cheer.

Mayo experienced that routine last September in Croke Park and must have felt more than a trace of déjà vu yesterday when they got back to level in the early minutes of the second half and apparently set the scene for an upset.

Kerry then jabbed 1-3 without response and the game was all but over when they were done.

"The second goal killed us," said Mayo manager John Maughan. "At half-time, just a point down, we had weathered the storm. We could have gone in with parity. At the start of the second half it was important to start well. They are very strong at that time. We got the first score to level it though and then they broke through."

The goal itself was one of those which will have Mayo losing sleep. Colm Cooper (whose enjoyable day would later be changed by the news of the death of a close friend in Killarney) raked a sideline ball in from the left. Under pressure it went through James Nallen's fingers and into a schemozzle of players, where Darragh Ó Sé lurked and had the presence of mind to boot it to the net.

It was harsh on Mayo but probably inevitable. Maughan had gambled by crowding midfield and hoping enough possession would get through to Ciarán McDonald and Austin O'Malley to justify the tactic. It almost worked but spaces surrendered to Kerry in other parts of the pitch would prove to be very costly pieces of real estate.

Jack O'Connor, having seen his side take advantage, saw an opening for further development and slipped Paul Galvin into the action. Galvin scored three quick points without a finger being laid on him and by the time he scored the last there were 12 minutes left and eight points between the sides.

Kerry went all loosey-goosey after that, throwing the ball around like the Harlem Globetrotters. Mayo, to their credit, battled with dignity and ingenuity to the end, by which time they had closed the gap considerably without really threatening Kerry.

"It seemed to get very open and loose towards the end," said O'Connor. "Fellows were trying things and they were just sticking at it. It will be a good semi-final though."

O'Connor added he was glad to see Cork had won their quarter-final. The form line had held and his impression Cork were more than a decent side when Kerry beat them in the Munster final had been reassuringly confirmed.

Indeed, when the curtain went up Cork and Galway indulged us with one of those big, happy, wide-open games which get punters to the edge of their seats and managers grinding their teeth.

For a while in the first half, as young Micheál Meehan cut loose on behalf of Galway, it looked as if we were watching the relaunch of Connacht football after a brief period back at the drawing board.

Cork had taken the lead early on, with a John Hayes penalty nailing down their advantage.

Meehan, just 20, launched a one-man revolution though. After 22 minutes he swooped on an error by Kevin O'Dwyer in the Cork goal and slipped the ball home.

Three minutes later he took possession on the 21, lost Gary Murphy, dummied O'Dwyer, lost Murphy again and planted the ball. From being a point down Galway suddenly found themselves five points up.

And they were playing lovely football. Michael Donnellan, picked at left corner forward, was dropping deep, seizing possession, buying time, looking up and sending long, raking passes into the Croke Park prairies.

All was going well but Cork had a smattering of experience Galway lacked. From the time Meehan roused the troops Galway scored 2-3 without reply and led by six points at one stage. Cork, critically, clawed two back before the break and Billy Morgan, who has been in worse spots, got his troops inside.

Billy has shrewdly put together a smart young team, and with a good wind to aid him he began to think his way out of trouble. Donnellan found possession harder to come by and more difficult to use.

Fourteen minutes into the half the game reached a critical swing point. Brendan Jer O'Sullivan got a gift-wrapped pass from Derek Kavanagh and, being experienced enough to know what was needed at that juncture, disdained the point, took the extra yard or so and drove it to the Galway net.

That put Cork two ahead and they closed out the deal comfortably enough. A semi-final date in Croke Park awaits them and they are improving with every outing.

Little wonder Billy Morgan just smiled politely and said it was about progressing.