Henry Shefflin paid tribute to his players for holding off Borris-Ileigh’s late surge in yesterday’s All-Ireland club final.

Ballyhale Shamrocks manager Henry Shefflin paid tribute to the late Eugene Aylward in the aftermath of his side’s win in the All-Ireland club hurling championship today.

Borris-Ileigh manager Johnny Kelly ponders the question.

Last weekend, Slaughtneil and Tooreen, those oases in the hurling wastelands of Derry and Mayo, emerged from the shadows and into the limelight

Ballyhale Shamrocks captain Michael Fennelly has added his voice to the criticism of the condensed club calendar, bemoaning that Christmas was “cancelled” as the prepared for Sunday’s All-Ireland semi-final win over Slaughtneil.

Every semi-final ever played has a double life.

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.

Slaughtneil and Derry’s Chrissy McKaigue sense the players’ voices are being ignored by the GAA in terms of the fixtures schedule, competition structures, and playing rules.

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

Finally at last, with the Ulster Club Championship won and all that he had been striving for over the past decade secured

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

The GAA is not only about identity of course, but the first Ulster Club title for the hardest of hardcore GAA clubs in Kilcoo Eoghan Rúa will forever sustain this miniscule community of shepherds in a hollow of the Mourne mountains.

On the wall of a diner on Derrylin’s main street, hangs a picture of two men, tracksuited and beaming.

Three-in-a-row All-Ireland Club Camogie champions Slaughtneil have seven players on the AIB Team of the Year.

The week before last, the Irish Examiner reported on a rural GAA seminar staged by Club Tyrone in Garvaghey. Last Saturday week was a day for kindred spirits fighting against what is increasingly feeling like a storm tide.

It isn’t the game itself that Brian Looney remembers most from St Patrick’s weekend two years ago, or the three points from play he kicked, or the medal pocketed.

Wexford camogie are hopeful a difficult few months is behind them following the appointment of Barry Kennedy as senior manager.

Three All-Ireland titles in a row. In any other code in Gaelic games, it would be hailed as the astonishing achievement it is, but so much of the Slaughtneil camogie story is hidden from view.

She may have been player of the match for a second year in a row, but a shivering Tina Hannon, glad to have escaped the heavy snowfall outside, quite rightly emphasised the collective culture as Slaughtneil

TINA HANNON scored a goal and six points and was named player of the match for the second year in succession as Slaughtneil completed a remarkable AIB All-Ireland Intermediate Club Championship three-in-a-row while the snow fell at Croke Park.

IT Tralee manager Liam Brosnan accused the referee of 'targeting' their Kerry county players as the college exited the Sigerson Cup with 12 men and lost Kerry defender Gavin Crowley to injury.

Nine points from Chloe Foxe propelled St Martin’s to the final of the AIB All-Ireland Senior Club Camogie Championship as a result of a 0-11 to 0-5 win over Inniscarra at WIT Carriganore.

Rules bosses considering return to ‘sin bin’ system

It wasn’t the GAA that coined the phrase ‘Super 8’ — they have the Club Players Association (CPA) to thank for that one. And it wasn’t the GAA that labelled April as club month. But if they aren’t going to fill vacuums others are going to do it for them.

Adding to the growing feelgood factor around Galway football, All-Ireland champions Corofin dominate the inaugural team of the club football championship.

Cork forward Paul Kerrigan may be facing months on the sideline to rehabilitate a finger injury picked up against Slaughtneil in the All-Ireland club semi-final.

Na Piarsaigh face Cuala in today’s All-Ireland club hurling final, and Shane O’Neill, manager of the Limerick champions, still finds his club’s status difficult to conjure with.

But for Billy Morgan intervening, Luke Connolly might have walked away from football.

Cathal King pauses when the question is asked.

Should Nemo secure an eighth All-Ireland crown this Saturday, there’ll be much stock placed on what the players endured during the month of December.

Were Corofin to prevail on Saturday, Ciarán McGrath will accept the Andy Merrigan Cup from new GAA president John Horan. But there’s no guarantee the Corofin captain will be part of their starting line-up.

They usually do battle across the Dáil chamber but Micheál Martin and Sean Canney will soon become pitchside opponents.

Chrissy McKaigue’s comments bear repeating, writes Michael Moynihan.

Corner-forward Paddy Gumley is Nemo Rangers’ sole injury concern ahead of the All-Ireland club SFC final against Corofin on St Patrick’s Day.

Michael Moynihan offers a few random observations form the Winter Olympics.

Nemo Rangers (Cork) 2-19 Slaughtneil (Derry) 1-14 (After extra-time): Snapshots from an encounter for the ages in Portlaoise: 24 minutes gone, Nemo desperately seeking their second wind after a dismal start and Tomas Ó Sé, 40 this summer, in possession down on the left wing. 

Luke Connolly's 2-5 haul in Portlaoise fired club kingpins Nemo Rangers through to yet another AIB All-Ireland club football final.

Nemo Rangers manager Larry Kavanagh takes a straightforward view of tomorrow’s All-Ireland club semi-final; reproduce what took them past Dr Crokes in the Munster final and Nemo should be present at GAA HQ on St Patrick’s Day.

One former Donegal county man said it this week about Mickey Moran and his spell in the county that brought them to an All-Ireland quarter-final in 2002.

Barry O’Driscoll is asked if the rest of Cork shared in celebrating Nemo Rangers’ Munster success back in late November.

Today’s Sigerson Cup final should provide Damien Comer’s seventh start in 25 days but who’s counting? Three wins for NUI Galway in the competition and another three with the county in Allianz League Division 1 underlines what a fruitful start it’s been to 2018 for the Annaghdown forward.