Galway happy to avoid a trip to Tipp

GAA:Croke Park is the venue for all of the All-Ireland hurling quarter-finals, with Galway-Kilkenny and Tipperary-Wexford taking place this Sunday. Galway will be pleased with the venue, as they have lost heavily to their opponents in Semple Stadium in Thurles, which had been speculated on as a possible choice, twice in the past three years as well as 10 years ago in the first year of quarter-finals.

Tipperary and Wexford met the same year in the semi-finals, where the latter were dethroned as All-Ireland champions. In 2001, Tipperary were taken to a replay by Wexford and were lucky not to lose the first day.

Details of the All-Ireland football qualifiers final round have also been released.

This weekend sees a double bill in Portlaoise, where Cork face Louth in championship for the first time since the All-Ireland final of 50 years ago, when the Leinster county recorded its last All-Ireland win.

Also on the bill is the Galway-Meath match, another re-engagement of an All-Ireland rivalry, as the counties met in the 1966 and 2001 finals.

This year, because the quarter-finals will be conducted as an open draw (with the exception that provincial champions can't play the side they beat in the provincial final), the first weekend's contestants - Tyrone, Sligo and whoever they draw - will have less than a week to prepare.

Tyrone manager Mickey Harte has expressed his unhappiness at the lack of notice his team will have when the draw is made, just six days before the Ulster champions are due to play on August 4th.

"I accept it's the same for our opponents, but they're coming through the qualifiers and that should entail some element of disadvantage, as they have lost a match already. But as provincial champions I think we should have more time," he said.

Meanwhile, Derry have confirmed they will appeal Sunday's Ulster minor final defeat by Tyrone on the grounds a first-half point credited to the winners was in fact wide.

Sligo centrefielder Eamon O'Hara has been honoured for his outstanding display for Sligo in their Connacht final win over Galway with the Connacht GAA writers' "personality of the month" award for June.

Forthcoming fixtures

SATURDAY, JULY 21st

SFC Qualifiers, round three

Louth v Cork (Portlaoise, 2pm)

Galway v Meath (Portlaoise, 4pm)

Christy Ring Cup semi-finals

Westmeath v Carlow

(Tullamore, 5pm)

Meath v Kildare (Tullamore, 7pm)

Nicky Rackard Cup semi-finals

Louth v Roscommon (Drogheda, 7pm) Armagh v Donegal (Keady, 3pm)

SUNDAY, JULY 22nd

All-Ireland SHC quarter-finals

Wexford v Tipperary

(Croke Park, 2pm)

Kilkenny v Galway (Croke Park, 4pm)

All Ireland MHC quarter-final

Antrim v Kilkenny

(Croke Park, 12.15pm)

SATURDAY, JULY 28th

SFC Qualifiers, round three

Donegal v Monaghan (Omagh, 7pm)

Laois v Derry (Breffni Park, 7pm)

All Ireland JFC final

Cork v Wexford (Walsh Park, 7pm)

SUNDAY, JULY 29th

All-Ireland SHC quarter-finals

Clare v Limerick (Croke Park, 2pm)

Waterford v Cork (Croke Park, 4pm)

All Ireland MHC quarter-final

Cork v Galway (Croke Park, 12.15pm)