There may be more vivid incarnations of optimism than a ticket tout prowling Gill’s Corner and environs for spare tickets ahead of the All-Ireland club final, but none come immediately to mind.

With a second successive title, Ballyhale Shamrocks made it a clean sweep of All-Ireland club titles for Kilkenny this weekend despite some heroics from Borris-Ileigh’s Jerry Kelly and Brendan Maher.

John Fogarty previews the weekend's GAA fixtures.

Borris-Ileigh manager Johnny Kelly ponders the question.

Conor Kenny can recall the new manager’s first encounter with Borris-Ileigh.

When Brendan Maher nailed the late free which pushed Borris-Ileigh three points ahead yesterday, his hurley split from the bas upon the moment of impact, the loose shaft of ash clearly flying off into the late winter dusk.

Borris-Ileigh manager Johnny Kelly hailed the character of his young team as they overcame their nerves to see off St Thomas’ in style.

It was a score that capped another magnificent display by Maher as he and his teammates qualified for the All-Ireland club final in a fortnight’s time.

An hour after the game, and anybody from Ulster who has a passion for hurling is still swamping Ballyhale Shamrocks manager Henry Shefflin, queuing for selfies, presenting hurls and jerseys for his signature.

It’s a career that has produced five All-Ireland titles between club and county but Joey Holden would be the first to admit it hasn’t run smoothly.

Chrissy McKaigue has said Slaughtneil are determined to make their mark beyond Ulster though acknowledged the draw for the All-Ireland series has been consistently cruel on them.

Reid was given little space or respite by St Mullins’ Michael Walsh in the provincial decider in Portlaoise on Sunday.

It’s only a matter of months since St Mullins’ chances of doing something in Carlow were being written off. From there to here has been a victory in itself and yet Niall O’Donnell wasn’t about to look at it that way.

A routine day for Ballyhale. Only the opposition was novel.

Few counties have as little time for romance as Kilkenny and their county champions duly put paid to the fairytale run of St Mullins in this AIB Leinster senior club hurling decider in Portlaoise on Sunday afternoon.

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”.

The game will mark the first for a Tipperary club in a senior Munster hurling final in seven years, facing a Ballygunner side in their third in a row, their fourth in five seasons.

When St Mullins outfought Rathdowney-Errill to reach the AIB Leinster club final, they won by the exact same 2-17 to 1-19 scoreline as in the county final.

Already trailing heavily with just 10 minutes on the clock at UPMC Nowlan Park, St Martin’s midfielder Aaron Maddock found himself hurley-less, surrounded and under pressure out on the left wing.

“I’m enjoying the craic massively,” Michael Carroll begins.

Ballygunner sharpshooter Pauric Mahony paid tribute to his team-mates for their win over Patrickswell in Sunday’s Munster club semi-final — and to his younger brother Michael in particular.

All-Ireland champions Ballyhale Shamrocks had to work hard to dispose of a gutsy Clonkill side in today's Leinster Club SHC quarter-final in Mullingar.

Darragh O’Sullivan didn’t have much joy against Clare opposition during his Ballygunner playing days. He’s hoping for better luck now that he’s traded the jersey for the bainisteoir’s bib.

Ballyhale Shamrocks manager Henry Shefflin remembered the late Eugene Aylward after yesterday’s county final win — Shamrocks panellist Aylward passed away a few weeks ago and captain Michael Fennelly dedicated the title win to him.

Almost 30 years ago, the Reids were the first family in Ballyhale to get miniature goalposts.

Will this Sunday’s All-Ireland decide the decade in Kilkenny or Tipperary’s favour?

Kilkenny are still just one victory away from being in an All-Ireland SHC semi-final despite their three-point loss to Wexford in the Leinster final last Sunday.

“There are hurlers everywhere,” Éamonn Kennedy stresses.

When Henry Shefflin talked up Limerick’s All-Ireland credentials earlier this week, he kept referencing the spine of their team.

Henry Shefflin has described talk of him inevitably succeeding Kilkenny manager Brian Cody as ‘disrespectful’ and claimed it would be ‘silly’ for him to contribute to the discussion.

Sunday’s league semi-final will tell Galway manager Micheál Donoghue whether the fringe players he has persisted with throughout the spring are capable of making an impact come championship, according to former Galway forward Niall Healy.

Colin Fennelly has often been accused of performance-inconsistency in the past.

I met Nickey Brennan in the lift on the way out of Croke Park yesterday. “If ever a system needed to be redressed,” I said to him, “the set-up with the Galway club champions has to change.”

Ballyhale Shamrocks are AIB All-Ireland club SHC winners for a record seventh time after a power-packed Croke Park display proved far too much for an overwhelmed St Thomas'.

Ballyhale Shamrocks weren’t exactly listing dangerously when Henry Shefflin took control of the bridge.

St Thomas’ boss Kevin Lally reckons Henry Shefflin is destined for the Kilkenny manager’s hotseat after guiding Ballyhale Shamrocks to the All-Ireland Club final at the first attempt.

Three years now since Liam MacCarthy last wintered in Noreside but Joey Holden insists Kilkenny remain within touching distance of those seeking to provide a home for hurling’s Holy Grail.

The Galway senior hurlers will be aiming to lean on Kieran ‘Star’ Donaghy’s basketball expertise as much as his experience of big football days, according to forward Conor Cooney.

A cold night in Thurles twisted decisively with one goal, Eoin Cody’s calm second-half finish for Ballyhale Shamrocks proving the difference in their All-Ireland club semi-final clash with Ballygunner.

Ballyhale Shamrocks made it to the All-Ireland senior club hurling final after this clash in Semple Stadium, Thurles with Ballygunner of Waterford.

Eddie Brennan spent longer than most at hurling’s summit.

The hurlers of Ballyhale Shamrocks are back on the road.