JETLAGGED he may be after a flight home to London from the States, but Simon Garfield can still summon enough energy to talk, to engage, and to condemn.

The scoresheet in the hurling included an unlikely name: M. Moynihan 0-2, (0-1f). The World Cup comes around every four years.

SORRY.

KILKENNY, then.

WE had our plans about what we wanted to do and where we wanted to go but circumstances overtook us, as they overtook quite a few people last Saturday.

HAVING visited Carton House in recent weeks, where the Ireland rugby team has been stationed for its pre-World Cup training, I can say this.

JOHN Kennedy Toole has a lot to answer for.

IN the end the only nosebleed was suffered by the referee, not the favourites.

THERE’S no point in beating around the bush: the stand-out flashes of genius in the hurling and football championships have come in the last couple of weekends.

FORGET the talk of a two-tier Europe.