Offaly's Brian Whelahan is the lone representative for the current generation of hurlers to feature in An Post/GAA Hurling Team of the Millennium, which was announced at Croke Park yesterday.

As anticipated, the selection was heavily retrospective and is laden with past players whose names have long since become the stuff of GAA folklore. While it would be difficult to argue against the claims of the chosen 15, the selection will inevitably be the topic of heated debate in times to come.

GAA president Sean McCague highlighted the difficulties of the selection at yesterday's ceremony: "When this project was first mooted I wondered at the difficulties that lay ahead. Just how would the selectors decide upon the 15 men who would be commemorated? Like all of us here, I grew up listening to the stories of legendary deeds on the playing fields and I have been fortunate to witness the exploits of so many great players."

Although excluded on an earlier team of the century, Whelahan made this selection in his customary right-half back slot, edging out Jimmy Finn from Tipperary, who shone with his county throughout the 1950s, winning three All-Irelands. Whelahan stands alone as the hurler of the last decade in the eyes of many people.

The other change from that team sees Cork's Ray Cummins, the dual player from the 1970s, replacing Wexford's Nicky Rackard. Cummins, who enjoyed a prolific series of success at both hurling and football, played most of his underage hurling in defence.

His conversion to full forward occurred during his years at UCC and, by 1969, he was hurling at full forward for Cork. He captained the Cork side that won the 1976 All-Ireland - his second of four.

Cummins also enjoyed All-Ireland success with his club Blackrock (1972, '74 and '79) and won a football championship with Cork in 1973. He famously claimed the All-Star full-forward spot in both years at the inaugural award ceremony of 1971.

The team sparkles with names venerable enough to invite automatic genuflection. Christy Ring takes the right-half forward slot, lining up alongside his old comrade and adversary Mick Mackey of Limerick and Kilkenny's Jim Langton, one of the great stylists of the game.

All three stood apart throughout the 1930s. Mackey won three All-Irelands but Ring, of course, captured eight championship medals over an incredible career which spanned nearly three decades. That he captured the Texaco hurler of the year award at the age of 39 (in 1959) speaks volumes for his mythical abilities.

The county spread reflects the traditional domination of the "big three", hence the midfield make-up of Kilkenny's Lory Meagher and Jack Lynch of Cork. Meagher, one of the most graceful hurlers from the golden ear of the 1930s, won three All-Irelands with the county.

Lynch managed four in a row (1941-44) and picked up an All-Ireland football medal a year later. By 1946, he was back helping the hurlers to yet another championship. That record of six consecutive championships remains unbroken.

Wexford's Bobby Rackard and Nick O'Donnell, both corner-stones of the famed 1950s side, form the full back line along with the great John Doyle of Tipperary. Doyle is the only man to match Christy Ring's tally of eight championship medals.

His namesake and former team-mate Jimmy Doyle is listed at rightcorner forward. Kilkenny's elegant Eddie Keher completes the full-forward line along with Cummins. Keher's pedigree his underlined by the fact that he amassed 7-72 in All-Ireland finals alone. He took six championships with his county.

Tipperary's Tony Reddin, a Galwayman who won three All-Ireland medals with his adopted county (1949, '50 and '51) gets the goalkeeper's position. The halfback line is completed by the only Waterford player on the team, John Keane, and Kilkenny's Paddy Phelan. Keane won an All-Ireland medal in 1948 (Waterford's first) and Phelan won four All-Ireland medals in the 1930s.

Special An Post commemorative stamps featuring the Millennium members will be on sale from next Tuesday. The portraits used for the stamps were created from contemporary images by Cork artist Finbarr O'Connor.