When the Cork and Clare teams run on to the pitch at Croke Park tomorrow for the All-Ireland hurling final, they will be cheered by 83,000 supporters in the stadium and by millions of others who will watch the game across the globe. Apart from a huge domestic audience, alarm clocks will be set in many parts of the world and bedtimes delayed in others to watch one of Ireland’s great sporting events.
All-Ireland finals are treasured annual dates on the sporting calendar but the hurling decider stands alone in many respects. The unique nature of the sport – combining speed, fearless tackling and sublime skills – sets it apart from its football cousin as much as the limited pool of counties who vie for the Liam MacCarthy Cup. While that smaller cohort of hurling strongholds remains relatively constant, it does not diminish the quality and excitement of each championship as it ramps up towards the All-Ireland final showpiece.
This year has been no exception, with Cork and Clare emerging from the pack to set up a final that few would have predicted three months ago. Limerick’s recent dominance of hurling with five All Ireland titles in six years was brought to a shuddering halt by the brilliance of Cork in their riveting semi final win a fortnight ago, a day after Clare also defied the odds by edging out Kilkenny in another thrilling encounter.
Both counties have rich hurling pedigrees but their supporters have been starved of All-Ireland success for relatively long periods. In Cork’s case that drought goes back to 2005 while Clare need to turn the clock back to 2013 for their last success. Clare defeated Cork that year after a replay to clinch the title.
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Tomorrow the supporters from both counties will bring all the colour, nervous excitement and pageantry that make All-Ireland final days such a sporting spectacle. For the neutral, including – for the first time – a BBC audience in the UK, it will be an occasion to sit back and savour. An exceptional sport is certain to have many new admirers by Sunday evening.