Munster, the Railway Cup champions, travel to Scotland to represent Ireland in this year's shinty international at the weekend. A question mark hangs over the involvement of the Clare contingent who are committed to a major fundraising dinner for the county team.

Most doubtful of the five players is Munster captain and AllIreland winning full back Brian Lohan. His specific difficulty arises from the involvement of his employers Bank of Ireland in the fundraising event. Although he is named on the team, Lohan's availability has not yet been determined.

Munster manager and Clare trainer Michael McNamara is hopeful that the other named players from his county - David Fitzgerald, Liam Doyle and Niall Gilligan - will be available but a couple of others have had to opt out for personal reasons. Michael O'Halloran has work commitments and Colin Lynch is engaged in the fundamental domestic duty of building a house.

The province's winning effort in the Railway Cup was a tribute to organisation and a genuine camaraderie but Munster's success was overshadowed as is perennially the case by the virtually total lack of interest by the public in the event.

Attention has focused on the calendar positioning of the competition, both in terms of its unsuitability for hurling and congestion on the fixture list. McNamara says that the players enjoyed the experience and were fully committed to it.

"I was surprised at the commitment of some players, Dave Clarke in particular. But then I realised that he didn't have a Railway Cup medal. Next weekend, there's a corporate dinner in Clare at which all management and players were expected to be present which is unfortunate but we'll see how it works out."

The weekend match in Scotland replaces the annual international and was seen as a way of elevating the Railway Cup's prestige.

Whatever the impact on the players - varied given the low turnout of top players for Leinster - it didn't do the trick for the public, approximately 100 of whom turned up in Ballinasloe.

Paradoxically, Leinster's shadow team caused apprehension to McNamara and he warned his team. "One of our fears was that Leinster had players who wouldn't have a chance of playing Railway Cup again. For some of them, it would be a last opportunity.

"I think that this isn't the best time of the year for the competition because as soon as the AllIreland is over, clubs claim their players - `they're ours now' until it's time for the counties to get them back again next year. I'm sure that's part of the reason that some players find it difficult to play Railway Cup."

Another inter-county manager coming to terms with loss of a valuable player last weekend was Wexford's hurling coach Rory Kinsella who returned from the team's annual holiday to the unwelcome news that centre back Liam Dunne, one of the country's top players, had broken his leg in a Leinster club match for Oulartthe-Ballagh who were narrowly defeated by Laois's Castletown in a replay.

So obvious was it that the injury was a break that Dunne was taken straight from the ground in Enniscorthy to Ardkeen Hospital in Waterford.

"Liam has had a pin inserted in his tibia," said Kinsella, "and it was confirmed as one break in his left leg. He's going to be out for a long time which is a huge loss for us, Oulart and himself. He's been in outstanding form for the club all season.

"How long he'll be missing depends on his healing power and he was in good spirits when I spoke to him. But you can take it that he'll be four months gone at the minimum. The main hope is that he makes a full recovery."