Does tomorrow’s Leinster final between Ballyhale Shamrocks and Naomh Moling count as a local derby?

Seamus Murphy reckons St Mullins colleagues Marty Kavanagh and James Doyle would “walk onto every club in Kilkenny”.

Growing up, the only county games Marty Kavanagh went to were Kilkenny games and he was typically there for one reason, to watch Henry Shefflin.

The jubilant St Mullins hurlers gathered in midfield and belted out a lusty version of 'When the Saints Go Marching In' after they had edged out Rathdowney Errill of Laois in one of the outstanding hurling games of the year at Netwatch Culllen Park.

If St Mullins were looking for some inspiration ahead of tomorrow’s Leinster semi-final, it was provided on Thursday when selector Micheál Ryan was discharged from hospital.

Selector Micheál Ryan — father of substitute Oisín — suffered a heart attack.

All the GAA action is here.

Ballinkillen will go before the Leinster Council hearings committee to contest their expulsion from the Carlow SHC.

Carlow hurler Paul Coady says his team have not been treated as equals in the Liam MacCarthy Cup, and a Championship restructure should keep them in the competition.

“There are hurlers everywhere,” Éamonn Kennedy stresses.

No need for a telescope when Colm Bonnar scans a metaphorical eye over the hurling landscape in Carlow.

Conor Cooney has warned that rural Ireland is on “it’s last legs’” and called on the GAA to play its part in addressing the crisis by investing more in clubs that are struggling for numbers, resources and, in too many cases, their very lives.

Carlow recorded their first ever away win in Division One hurling today, and they couldn’t have done it in more dramatic circumstances as they came from 11 points down to outfight Offaly in Bord na Móna O’Connor Park, condemning the Faithful County to relegation to Division Two next year.

Carlow hurlers Seamus Murphy and Richard Coady are hopeful Sunday’s league stalemate with 2018 All-Ireland finalists Galway will help grow the game in the county.

The Kanturk hurlers couldn’t settle. A fortnight without a single training session or game had become alien to them.

Kilcormac-Killoughey will contest their third Leinster senior club hurling final in six seasons after they recorded a landslide win over Mount Leinster Rangers of Carlow yesterday afternoon, but a straight red card to county midfielder Cillian Kiely will be a huge blow to their chances of upsetting All-Ireland champions Cuala on Sunday week.

A strong start in Carlow proved far more than just half the battle for Oulart-The Ballagh who went on to finally capture the AIB Leinster Club Hurling title that the club has craved.

Leinster U21 HC semi-finals Kilkenny v Carlow, Netwatch Cullen Park (J Heffernan, Wexford), 7.30pm.

Three of the four provincial chairmen have backed the GAA calendar year workgroup’s call to provide All-Ireland semi-finalists with byes in the irrespective code’s provincial club championships.

Mayo’s Aidan O’Shea believes the inter-county GAA landscape is destined for seismic changes with smaller and weaker counties amalgamating and franchises emerging where players are paid for their services.

John Egan leads the Kerry hurling team by example and the captain is one of their best and most experienced players.

The Allianz Hurling League Division 2A decider takes place on Sunday in Thurles, table-toppers Kerry taking on Carlow.

“It’s only the league quarter-finals so it doesn’t really matter.” — Discuss in 1,000 words, using appropriate quotation and sarcasm to support your argument

Eamon O’Shea still has time to get the Premier into gear this season.

Portumna yesterday overcame Mount Leinster Rangers to claim their fourth All-Ireland Club Hurling title at Croke Park.

Before I go into the two teams, I want to talk about the referee yesterday, Barry Kelly.

If he’d been thinking with his head, Ollie Canning surely would have pulled down the curtain on his hurling career yesterday on the greatest stage of all.

Portumna (Galway) 0-19 Mount Leinster Rangers (Carlow) 0-11

Portumna fended off the challenge of outsiders Mount Leinster Rangers to win their fourth All-Ireland Club Hurling title at Croke Park.

AIB ALL-IRELAND CLUB SHC FINAL:

Colm Herron owner of the Hillgrove Hotel with Norah Casey on the new series of ‘The Takeover’, beginning on RTÉ Two on Thursday.

ALL-IRELAND CLUB SHC FINAL:

Castlegar were the pioneers, the first team from Galway to win an All-Ireland senior club hurling title, 34 years ago.

Connacht 0-16 Leinster 1-23

Leinster GAA officials have strongly defended the performance of referee John Keenan in Saturday’s All-Ireland JHC final replay.

Interesting to catch up with Owen Sheers during the week — Sheers is the poet who was artist in residence with the Welsh Rugby Union for a year, and wrote a book about his experiences sharing protein shakes with the Welsh back row, and kicking the ball back to Leigh Halfpenny after training.

After the year just past, nobody needs to remind hurling folk that sometimes the stars just fall into place above a particular team.

Bill Cooper blows out his cheeks when you ask about the response to Youghal’s intermediate championship success last year.

The message that black cards are not worth picking up is getting through to teams, according to GAA president Liam O’Neill.

Darren Stamp insists Oulart-the-Ballagh only have themselves to blame for their latest Leinster senior club hurling final collapse.

Eoghan Cormican takes a look at each county ahead of the club championship.

Oulart-the-Ballagh and Wexford defender Eoin Moore is unfazed by criticism of the leggings he wore in last Sunday’s AIB Leinster senior club hurling final against Mount Leinster Rangers.

An hour and a half after the final whistle last Sunday, Kieran Lucas was still on the field in Nowlan Park.

Carlow senior hurling manager John Meyler enjoyed a landmark weekend that saw him celebrate his 30th wedding anniversary, victory for Mount Leinster Rangers in the AIB Leinster final and a first Premier League goal for son David.