Munster go back to holiday Sunday

GAELIC GAMES NEWS ROUND-UP:THE MUNSTER Council has decided against using the June Bank Holiday Monday as one of the dates for the 2011 championship and will instead fix all their senior football and hurling games for the traditional Sunday.

In a break from that tradition last year, the Munster hurling semi-final between Waterford and Clare was fixed for the Monday, in Thurles, but drew a disappointing crowd of just 11,028 - more than 6,000 fewer than the 17,365 who showed up for the same fixture between the same teams two years previously.

A spokesperson for the Munster Council said yesterday that while Bank Holiday dates had sometimes worked well, last year's fixture in Thurles was not deemed a success from a spectator point of view, and that all senior games for the 2011 championship would be fixed for the Sunday.

The council will meet this evening to agree on those dates before submitting them to the GAA's master fixture list, although in most cases those dates are already decided.

In the hurling championship, the quarter-final between Cork and Tipperary has been pencilled in for the last Sunday in May, the 29th. It's the fourth successive meeting between the counties at this stage of the championship, and as the fixture is played on a home-away basis, Tipperary will have home advantage this year.

Last year's game, played at Páirc Uí Chaoimh, ended in a shock, 10-point win for Cork, although Tipperary recovered to win the All-Ireland through the qualifiers.

The venue for the first Munster hurling semi-final between Waterford and Limerick will be decided this evening, while the second semi-final, in which Clare will meet the winners of Cork and Tipperary, will most likely be set for a neutral venue.

In football, All-Ireland champions Cork and Kerry have been kept apart in the draw, leaving them on course for a first provincial final in three years. In the meantime, Kerry will meet Tipperary for the second successive year, and as last year's game was played in Thurles, the 2011 version will go to a Kerry venue.

Cork will have home advantage for their quarter-final meeting with Clare, with the winners progressing to meet Waterford in one semi-final. If Cork win the game will be played at Páirc Uí Chaoimh, and if Clare emerge the game will be played in Ennis. In the other semi-final, Limerick will have home advantage against either Tipperary or Kerry.

Meanwhile, although the intercounty training ban is now is place from November 1st to the end of December, beaten All-Ireland finalists Down will travel to New York next week as a reward for their extended championship this year.

Manager James McCartan is hoping to take in a challenge match against Séamus Sweeney's New York team at Gaelic Park next Thursday, but will require special permission from Croke Park for this game to take place. Kildare travelled to New York on a similar basis last year and did receive permission.

Beaten Leinster finalists Louth - as in highly-controversially beaten - also intend to play New York two days later, on Saturday, November 13th, as part of a six-day team excursion to Manhattan.