Two All-Ireland titles with different counties inside six seasons have made Paul Kinnerk hot property on the inter-county scene, but the Limerick coach has no desire to make the leap into management.

Barry Kelly hasn’t retired. Not officially, anyway. The 2017 season was his last as an inter-county referee but not as a match official.

Kevin Downes still smiles at the memory of Sean Stack’s first night training the Na Piarsaigh hurlers in early 2009.

“The record is not something we have brought up or even discussed,” said Na Piarsaigh manager Shane O’Neil after their Munster semi-final win over Blackrock.

A 21-year-old Cork man put his own parents in fear at the family home and attacked a man at a nearby off-licence to grab his beer.

Waterford hurling boss Derek McGrath said yesterday that he and his squad had “parked” referee Diarmuid Kirwan’s controversial late call in Sunday’s league final immediately after the game.

Shane Dowling remembered Ger Hoey of St Joseph’s Doora-Barefield in the clamour of yesterday’s All-Ireland club success.

Clare SHC final

As part of his preparation for religious life, Fr Pat Barry had to serve as a deacon in a parish: six months’ worth of pastoral experience ahead of his ordination, back in 1976. He was assigned to a parish on Canvey Island in Essex.

Clare SHC quarter-finals. Champions Cratloe are out of the Clare SHC, defeated yesterday at Cusack Park by Sixmilebridge, 1-20 to 1-19.

Colm Galvin hasn’t ruled out the prospect of featuring for Clare in this year’s All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship.

When Donal O’Grady stepped down from his position with Limerick on April 22, there was panic in the county, real fears that the vacuum created couldn’t be filled in time for the challenge they faced against Tipperary in Thurles in the Munster semi-final.

Limerick’s David Breen has yet to meet a fellow hurler who disagrees the current GAA fixture schedule is one giant mess.

Portumna (Galway) 1-15 Na Piarsaigh (Limerick) 1-11

AIB ALL-IRELAND CLUB SHC SEMI-FINAL:

I can still hear the hurt as well as the dignity in Seán Stack’s voice.

It was refreshing to hike up to Shannon in Clare a couple of weeks ago to spend some time with Fr Harry Bohan, who’s written a memoir of his varied career, Swimming Upstream — Finding Positives in a Negative Ireland.

Goalkeeper: Eddie Lynch (Passage)

Timing is everything

Last week we spoke to former National Director of Hurling, Paudie Butler, and he dismissed traditional notions of winter hurling.

Na Piarsaigh (Limerick) 4-14 Sixmilebridge (Clare) 0-8

“Centre stage ...

Shane Dowling has been answering questions on all manner of matters, from Na Piarsaigh’s founding fathers to Sunday’s Munster Club hurling final against Sixmilebridge, when someone asks if he was pleased to see Clare win the All-Ireland.

Having won this year’s All-Ireland senior and U21 hurling double, and with Sixmilebridge in Sunday’s Munster Club final, Clare hurling is on the crest of a wave.

Sixmilebridge coach Brian Culbert had a choice when former team-mate John O’Meara was appointed manager of the club’s senior hurling team for the landmark 2013 campaign.

Na Piarsaigh manager Sean Stack is contemplating a seat in the stand when his charges come face to face with his beloved Sixmilebridge in Sunday’s AIB Munster Club SHC quarter-final.

In the well-produced programme for the recent Clare county senior hurling final the date of birth for Niall Gilligan was given as 12/8/1986.

There was a comment made by a Cork hurling supporter after this game yesterday — “I’m getting fed up of losing to Clare teams!”

NA PIARSAIGH 0-20 PASSAGE 3-9

His side had just beaten Loughmore-Castleiney, qualified for a Munster semi-final meeting with Waterford champions Passage in two weeks, but Na Piarsaigh manager Sean Stack was more anxious to pay homage to the team they had just beaten, and to one player in particular.

Piarsaigh 0-14 Adare 0-12

Ger Loughnane was right. Last Sunday night he called on one of the rich phrases from his beloved Gaeilge to suitably articulate what had transpired earlier. ‘Lá dar saol a bhí ann.’

The GAA are to honour the 15 outstanding hurlers from the 1980s who were unsuccessful in annexing an All-Ireland winner’s medal.

Some of the greatest hurlers never to win an All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship medal will have their contributions to the game acknowledged on All-Ireland finals day at Croke Park on Sunday week (September 8).

Growing up in Shannon, Rachael English had heroes on her doorstep. Well, in the class next door at primary school.

A former army sergeant has been sentenced to 12 years with six suspended after pleading guilty to raping and sexually assaulting his daughter for over a decade.

LIMERICK star Kevin Downes believes newly-crowned AIB Munster Club hurling champions Na Piarsaigh have every chance of claiming All-Ireland glory next March.

WHAT a difference a week makes.