The divided reaction to David Hickey’s interview carried in this newspaper on Saturday wasn’t unexpected.

The Cluxton kickout

For me, this current Dublin team is the best ever and even now — a year out — there’s almost a certain inevitability about the five in a row.

Glad to be back: I was in northern Spain for a few days last week — the Basque Country specifically, and San Sebastian to be precise.

RTÉ has said that it had to cancel plans to air an Irish Sign Language broadcast of the national anthem during today's All Ireland Football final, due to the unavailability of a signer.

Semi-finals, as we know, are for winning. Everything else is froth.

You know something isn’t quite right when a Dublin great is sitting across the table and expressing the hope that his boys will be put to the pin of their collar on Sunday.

Not everyone gets the 21st birthday they’d hoped for.

In an alternate world, Lee Keegan’s GPS unit hit the ball moments before Dean Rock’s free-kick attempt deep into injury-time in last year’s All-Ireland final, resulting in a wide.

Conor McManus has has seen a change in Dublin this season but the first principle when plotting their downfall is the same now as it ever was.

The GAA have no fears about the state of the Croke Park pitch for Sunday’s All-Ireland SFC final following the Festival of Families with Pope Francis on Saturday.

Croke Park will surely be filled with a very different type of atmosphere next Sunday afternoon than the peaceful holiness brought by Pope Francis last weekend.

Last week the PwC All-Star players of the month for July and August were revealed.

The last time Limerick were in an All-Ireland final they ran straight into Kilkenny’s rotor blades.

The past month has been ‘tough’ for Gavin O’Mahony, having called time on his inter-county career last year — but having been part of the Limerick evolution, he’d love nothing more than for them to finish the job tomorrow, he tells

It is an audacious switcharoo that John Kiely has attempted. In an experiment rarely attempted in these fraught circumstances, the Limerick boss has turned all known precedent on its head, writes Larry Ryan.

The front of the Limerick Leader supplement got the tone pitch-perfect, its message as neatly manicured as one of those deliveries from the half-back line for Aaron Gillane or Seamus Flanagan to feast on.

Limerick were behind by eight points at half-time in their league game with Galway earlier in the season. They won’t want to be in a similar situation at any time tomorrow. They will be looking for a good start and their go-to man from puckouts, particularly early in the game, is Gearóid Hegarty.

When the mood takes me, I’ll often head back to the Atlantic Ocean in west Clare for a dip. Living so close to the sea gives me that luxury and I have any amount of options; the Pollock Holes in Kilkee, Cappa near Kilrush, White Strand in Doonbeg, Spanish Point in Miltown Malbay. Beautiful spots, every one of them.

Sunday’s All-Ireland hurling final between Galway and Limerick will undoubtedly provide us with something special. The quality of the championship to date has been dramatic, to say the least.

At the Limerick press call there was a bit of warming-up before we brought it up.

Cork U21 hurling manager Denis Ring is confident the Limerick County Board will have the Gaelic Grounds in “great shape” for Sunday week’s All-Ireland U21 hurling clash with Tipperary.

"If you don’t win, you’re not remembered" — Andrew O’Shaughnessy

The Limerick academy I was involved with for three years was about fostering a culture of doing things the right way — and not necessarily all about winning. Some people in the county had issues with me over that but I never had anyone say a single negative thing to my face, writes Anthony Daly

Perhaps the oddest bit of GAA friction in 2018 arose when the Galway minor football manager got irked by dual player issues, writes PM O’Sullivan

At 28, Ger Farragher was cut adrift from the Galway squad.

The art of goalscoring — from Cork’s old machine-gun fire to the heavy artillery of Tipperary — and the free spirits like Lar Corbett are in danger of being drowned in a sea of points. What to do? Change the sliotar? Award four points for the goal? Enda McEvoy reports

When first asked to write a column for this paper, the esteemed sports editor gave me three guidelines: Write clearly; be informative; and stay impartial, writes Jack Anderson 

Pete Finnerty had had enough.

I won’t lie, the first time my wife took me to Ballybunion, I wasn’t blown away, writes Tommy Martin

Former Galway captain David Collins reckons Jonathan Glynn will have a big decision to make about his inter-county career after the All-Ireland final.

“It’s time for something new in Tipp. The group of players, we want to give them the best chance going forward. They just want to hear something new. I’ve been there a very long time and I’m certain sure those guys needed a break from me.”

They come from all over Ireland to attend the Ladies football final with a record of 46,286 at last year's Dublin-Mayo All-Ireland final.

Critics must understand the context before demonising Lee Keegan for his GPS sleight of hand in the All-Ireland final, believes Mayo manager Stephen Rochford.

The 2015 man of the match will not be able to recover from his injury in time for the game.

"The way Cork play football, the way they play until the end and with such determination and hunger, that hasn't changed."

Croke Park’s Hawk-Eye score detection technology won’t be available for use during Sunday’s TG4 All-Ireland ladies football finals, partly because of the associated costs.

Ciara O’Sullivan was present at GAA headquarters for the first three of Cork’s All-Ireland final wins, standing in awe as Juliet Murphy lifted the Brendan Martin Cup September after September after September.

Not even the man who battled an evil empire in a galaxy far, far away could save the Kingdom — and so Sam Maguire will be residing in the capital for the next year.

The GAA has “never done more” to tackle touts selling tickets at astronomical rates ahead of tomorrow’s All- Ireland football final.

It was jersey day yesterday at the school which must surely hold a claim to the title of Kerry GAA football nursery.